Mustangs end season ranked 17th

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - This past Saturday, the Mount Mercy dance team competed at the NAIA Midwest Regional Qualifer hosted by Baker (Kan.). The Mustangs took fifth place in a field of nine. 

The dance team scored 74.37 points in the preliminary round, just a few tenths behind fourth place, Missouri Baptist. Fully capable of scoring in the eighties, the Mustangs hoped to make some noise in the final round. Mount Mercy improved their score to 75.30 in the finals, giving them an overall score of 75.07. Despite the small increase, the Mustangs were able to hold onto that fifth place slot. Baker was the only team to post two 90 or above scores, coming in first (92.21). Grand View was second (90.17), Benedictine (Kan.) third (81.14), and Missouri Baptist finished fourth (75.70). 

Mount Mercy finishes their season 17th in the nation with an average point total of 79.62. Only a little over two points separated the Mustangs from the 12th place team, which would have moved them onto Nationals. They posted their highest score of 86.07 at the Baker Classic earlier this year.

Reflecting on the season, Coach Taylor Kass states, "This team has made tremendous progress this season and I could not be more proud of their dedication to each other and taking ownership in continuing to improve their skills and routine execution over the past several months. They left it all out there on the floor and performed with genuine joy for their sport; that's all I can ask for as our competitive season comes to an end."