Dance finishes fifth at Grand View

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Mount Mercy finished fifth in a pair of competitive dance competitions hosted by Grand View on Sunday at Sisam Arena.

Five schools competed in each event. St. Ambrose won both titles. In the Grand View Invitational, it went St. Ambrose (89.87), Midland (89.70), Grand View (87.20), Graceland (77.08), and Mount Mercy (69.38).

The order was the same in the Viking Classic, with the Bees (90.10), Warriors (88.48), Vikings (87.15), Yellowjackets (77.74), and Mustangs (69.41) competing.

Mount Mercy's roster for both events included Kelsey Adams, Claire Jones, Elizabeth Maine, Emma Papesh, Mollee Sandbulte, and Olivia Wessel. Alternates were Brianna Cross and Carly Parkison.

"This year's dance team is shining bright and gave their all each competition this weekend," Head Spirit Squad Coach Michaela Carle said. "With most of this team being first-year student-athletes, they performed with the utmost confidence and energy against the top three placing teams at last year's NAIA Competitive Dance Championships. After this weekend, we have landed in the 14th spot in the nation, proving our hard work has paid off, and we can't wait to show off our newest routine upgrades at the next competition."

That next competition will be the Day of Duals hosted by Concordia on Saturday, Feb. 10, in Seward, Neb.