Cheer, Dance collect sweep over Mount Marty

YANKTON, S.D. – Morningside didn't pack up its Yankton encampment following its Saturday, Jan. 30, basketball double header. No, the Mustangs still had a couple tricks up their collective sleeves, as the Competitive Cheer and Dance teams took their turn at center court.

Dance was first up for the nightcap, scoring 84.1, out of a maximum possible 100, and besting Mount Marty's 61.9 points.

"I just wanted to continue to improve upon what we've already done, and the girls did just that," said dance coach Alisha Steckler. "I felt good about the performance today, but we still have work to do to continue to be the best we can be."

Cheer followed, after a short intermission to roll out the mat, with a performance that despite suffering some miscues, rebounded well enough to pick up the win on the day, 68.3-56.75.

"We got the win, but not necessarily the way I would have liked," reflected cheer coach Dakota Van Hauen. "We had a lot of mistakes, but fortunately for us, our routine was difficult enough to keep us ahead of the competition."

Steckler concluded, "Moving forward I want to really focus on improving our score and putting together a routine with no deductions."

"Focus and confidence are what we need before GPAC and our dual with Grandview," summarized Van Hauen.