Mustang dance finishes fourth, cheer seventh

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Mount Mercy's cheer and dance teams competed at their respective postseason events over the weekend, with the dance team finishing fourth at the NAIA Regional Championship and the cheer squad placing seventh at the Heart of America Cheer Championship.

The Mustangs were fourth at Saturday's dance competition with a score of 71.38. Grand View was the team champion at 83.38. Baker was runner-up (82.29), followed by Graceland (71.49). Kaycee Howe (JR/New Hampton, Iowa) and Maycee Cline (SO/Brooklyn, Iowa) were named all-conference.

"The dancers performed their final routine the best they had all season," said Assistant Head Coach Lainee Uitermarkt. "As a coach, that's all you can ask for. In a normal year we would qualify for nationals as a top-12 team, but the reduced field this year stings a little. Regardless, I am so proud of the girls who competed and the alternates who were with us every step of the way."

Missouri Valley won its fifth-straight conference cheer title on Friday with a score of 88.83. Then it was MidAmerica Nazarene (83.5), Graceland (81.97), Grand View (78.24), Benedictine (77.62), William Penn (72.47), Mount Mercy (67.76), and Peru State (64.2).

"I'm so proud of the way the teams handled this strange year and the routines they put out," Head Coach Dax Cox said. "The cheerleaders battled back from so many issues and missing a month of practice to put two quality routines on the floor. We left conference feeling like we left unfinished business because of issues that were out of our control. We'll come back hungry to prepare for next year."