Dance, Cheer look to build following season openers

SEWARD, NEB – Morningside's cheer and dance teams opened their competition seasons today at Concordia today, competing for the first time since last March's national qualifier. Dance advanced to the National Championships, but competition was canceled before the event began.

The Mustang Dance Team debuted on a high note, scoring 71 points and besting the host Bulldogs, 71-68.15.

"I'm happy with today's performance and to leave with the win," started dance coach Alisha Steckler. "We had a music malfunction, and I thought the girls handled it great."

She then emphasized, providing a glimpse into what's in store for the coming weeks, "We still have a lot of work to do to get where we want to be."

Morningside Cheer, debuting a new set of uniforms unveiled earlier this week, performed well, but suffered a narrow loss to Concordia, 67.75-67.25.

"Concordia hit their elements, and we didn't," analyzed cheer coach Dakota Van Hauen. He continued, "we have room to grow and will use this week to continue to do that. We want to see where we can grow, then be at our best for regionals and nationals, and that's exactly what this first competition has done for us."

"Even with the loss, I couldn't be happier with our first competition," summarized Van Hauen.