Dance Head Coach: Mandi Maser (8th year); 2020 GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year
2023 GPAC/NAIA Qualifier Finish: 6th/10
2023 Average Comp Score: 81.97 (13th in the NAIA)
2023 Dance All-GPAC: Katie Birtell; Ryleigh Flesner; Taylor Larsen; Avery Lewis (HM).
2023 NAIA All-American: Ryleigh Flesner (second team).
Outlook
That feeling of coming close in 2023 but not quite achieving one of the program’s ultimate goals has the Concordia University Competitive Dance team locked in as preseason preparation rachets up for the 10th competition season in school history. Head Coach and Competitive Spirit Coordinator Mandi Maser believes strongly that this will be the year that sees the Bulldogs clear that last hurdle. Concordia graduated a key four-year figure in Katie Birtell, but the bulk of the competition team from last year returns, including All-American Ryleigh Flesner.
This will be year eight for Maser, who was named the 2020 GPAC Cheer Coach of the Year. The accomplishments of 2023, including the program’s first-ever Concordia Invitational Tournament title, gave Concordia plenty to build upon.
“We’ve really grown while focusing in on being technically skilled dancers,” Maser said. “We keep building on that and building a team culture that is very supportive and motivated to achieve higher competitive goals. The athletes who are seniors have been a huge part of that growth and success. We implemented a lot of different things last year in order to put us on a trajectory to compete on a national level. We’re continuing to do so and ramping it up even more. We’re very much hoping we will be able to get to nationals.”
In other words, the Bulldogs hope to be in Ypsilanti, Mich., come late March. That will be the site of the 2024 NAIA Competitive Cheer and Dance National Championship. The confidence Concordia carries itself with comes from a wealth of experience and talent within the program. Flesner, Taylor Larsen and Avery Lewis each return after earning all-conference accolades in 2023. As a freshman, the Greeley, Colo., native Flesner made history while becoming the first Bulldog dancer to ever be named an NAIA All-American. Additional returners who performed at the 2023 GPAC Championships/NAIA Qualifier are Aubrey Baumann, Elise O’Neill and Maddie Wittstruck.
Freshmen such as Hannah Bitner and Kaylee Powell are also primed to make an impact this winter. They are jumping into the fray just as Concordia begins to make its mark nationally. The 2023 Bulldogs posted a school record average score of 81.97 last season and ranked 13th nationally.
Says the Seward native Lewis, “Last year, we made more progress than we had in previous years. I think we’ve made a ton this year as well. Everyone has different skills, and everyone has a different background of what they’re good at. It’s been amazing to see how all those things mesh together. I’m so excited to see where we land this year and, fingers crossed, we go to nationals.”
In 2023, a sixth-place finish (81.31 score) at the GPAC Championships/NAIA Regional likely prevented Concordia from earning an at-large bid to nationals. The Bulldogs know they are capable of higher scores, having turned in a program record 85.9 in a dual win over Morningside last January. In addition, Concordia celebrated a CIT title at home and posted an 84.23 at the Dordt Invite in February.
Wittstruck (Milford, Neb.) and company believe that was just the start. Said Wittstruck, “It’s been incredible to watch Concordia grow from our freshman year to our senior year. It’s been absolutely mind-blowing. I’ve grown so much as a dancer, and I know we have as a team in general. In terms of levels of difficulty, we’ve grown every year. Last year we came short of nationals, but I think we’ve built on top of where we were at. We have a lot of returning dancers and we all bring something to the table. We’re a very competitive-minded team and so is our coach. I think we could go pretty far this season.”
Maser will continue to collaborate with Coach Emilie Ashenbach, now Concordia’s head coach for competitive cheer. The restructuring of the cheer and dance program’s coaching alignment happened so recently that very little will change for 2024. Explained Maser of the benefits of the coaching announcement, “Cheer and dance have completely separate rulebooks and are two very different sports as far as scoring, styles, techniques and skills go and the training required. It’s a huge advantage to our athletes to have two separate head coaches. To have one person sharing those responsibilities, it’s a lot. We really want to build two very successful programs.”
Success on the dance floor is seen in the form of a crisp and clean routine with smooth transitions and technical mastery. Lewis attempted to explain the challenge in putting it all together for a competition. Said Lewis, “We have to do three different styles of dance. We do one two-and-a-half minute routine. Switching from hip hop to pom or pom to jazz, you have to completely change your mindset. There’s so much that goes into knowing the technical aspects of each style. It’s fun to learn all those things, but it’s tricky to switch from one to the next.”
Added Wittstruck, “Right now it’s just about getting as much done as we can. It’s about cleaning up the routine and making sure it’s as good as it can be and making sure we’re executing things correctly.”
While fine-tuning its routine, Concordia is focused on the process and controlling what it has the ability to control. There will always be a level of subjectivity involved in the way a competition is scored, but the Bulldogs do not want to obsess over it.
Said Maser, “Our theme this year is ‘for us, by us.’ It’s a difficult thing because it’s a scoresheet and you have to meet requirements, but there’s still some opinion in that. We’re not doing it for an opinion. They’re doing it by themselves, for themselves. There’s not going to be someone who will dictate what they can or cannot do. We have a group of women who are a very strong representation of Concordia.”
The first official competition of the 2024 season is slated for Jan. 20 in conjunction with home basketball on that date. Home dance competitions (when paired with basketball) take place inside Friedrich Arena during halftime. CIT will be hosted by Concordia University Wisconsin later this month and the Bulldogs will host their annual day of duals in February. The GPAC Championships/NAIA Regional Qualifier is set for March 8 in Crete, Neb. The complete schedule can be found HERE.