OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Posting the second-best improvement among the 12 teams in the finals of the first-ever NAIA Competitive Cheer & Dance National Championships on Saturday in Abe Lemons Arena, the Central Methodist University Competitive Dance team reached its season goal as it finished 10th in the nation at the finals.
The Lady Eagles were in 10th place after Friday's preliminary round, but with 10 of the 12 squads improving their scores, CMU head coach Terin Fuemmeler knew her team had to step up its game.
"We completed with seven of our dancers in the preliminary round and overall 90 percent of our routine was very strong (in the prelims)," Fuemmeler said later. "There were several issues and about 10 percent of our routine – the more difficult moves – we didn't execute as well.
"We saw some specific areas where we needed to improve and correct. So after the prelims were finished we went back and had a practice and ended up deciding to compete the finals with our six best dancers. We felt that put us in a better position and that turned out to be true. We made some corrections and added some more difficulty to our routine. And that fine-tuning, and using six dancers, were we able to increase our score by almost 10 points."
In fact, Central Methodist's improvement of 8.77 points from the prelims to the finals was the second-best improvement. Stephens College moved from 12th to 11th by improving its score by 10.35 points.
Midland (Neb.), which led after the preliminary round, won the national championship with 91.38 points followed by Aquinas (Mich.), which posted 86.63. HAAC member Baker University posted 85.78 points to place third, followed by Saint Ambrose (Iowa), which made a three-spot jump from seventh to fourth with 85.16 points. Oklahoma City rounded out the top five with 84.30 points.
Central Methodist finished with 72.65 points, after recording a score of 63.88 in the preliminaries on Friday. Eleven of the 12 teams finished with over 70 points.
"I was excited and proud of the dancers to take everything and come together in the finals," Fuemmeler said. "They worked on the nitty-gritty and our goal was to finish in the top 10 in the nation by the end of the competition. And to increase our score by almost 10 points, I couldn't be more proud of them."
The CMU coach said her instructions to her team were simple heading into the finals.
"I told them this what they've been working for all season long and this is the last time they'll be performing this season," Fuemmeler said. "I told them they know they have to execute as well as they can. And I told them to go out there and have some fun. There's just something different when they perform with joy in their hearts and a shine on their faces. They finished strong and I couldn't be more proud."
Dancers who competed for the national title included Savanna Nault (JR/High Ridge, Mo.), Kadee Dempsey (FR/Columbia, Mo.), Catherine Dovin (SO/Jackson, Mo.), Scarlett McMullen (SO/Palmyra, Mo.), Emma Siegel (SO/Chicago, Ill.), along with Kristin Hill (FR/Pacific, Mo.) and Heidi Treuner (FR/Sedalia, Mo.).
2017 NAIA COMPETITIVE CHEER & DANCE
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 10-11
at Abe Lemons Arena
Oklahoma City, Okla.
COMPETITIVE DANCE
Final Team Scores
1. Midland (Neb.) – 91.38
2. Aquinas (Mich.) – 86.63
3. Baker (Kan.) - 85.78
4. St. Ambrose (Iowa) – 85.16
5. Oklahoma City – 84.30
6. Morningside (Iowa) – 84.23
7. Grand View (Iowa) – 82.46
8. Siena Heights (Mich.) – 76.40
9. Missouri Baptist – 76.18
10. Central Methodist (Mo.) – 72.65
11. Stephens (Mo.) – 70.00
12. Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) – 62.92
CMU Competitive Cheer & Dance Contact: John Krueger
Phone: 936-332-9332 | jkrueger@centralmethodist.edu
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Website: www.CMUEagles.com
