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Dance team gets runner-up finish at National Championships

Apr. 14, 2013

On Friday in Dayton Beach, Fla., the St. Ambrose Dance Team fell just short of capturing its second consecutive National Championship. The team performed in the NAIA Large Dance and Division II Hip Hop categories at NCA-NDA National Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships.

The girls went into Fridays finals in second, trailing a by the smallest of margins (0.04 points), but was unable to overtake the first place team Oklahoma City University and earned second place in the NAIA Large Dance finals.

"The National Champion could have been awarded to either team that night based on OCU and SAU’s performances," remarked Coach Danelle Stanger. "It was so close to judge and technically both teams performed amazing. In fact, the scores reflected some of the closest and highest scores given to either team in the history of the NAIA division. This just goes to show you how the sport and competition is getting better and more competitive every year."

The girls also WOWED the judges and audience in a competitive Division II Hip Hop Category. The team placed fifth out of 18 teams, which was the deepest category in the entire competition.

"I couldn’t be more proud of this group of girls," Coach Stanger replied. "The girls overcame so much adversity throughout the season and pushed through some of the toughest challenges thrown their way."

To see the full performances of SAU’s NAIA Large Dance and Division II Hip Hop routines go to: http://www.varsity.com/event/1725/2013_NCA_NDA_College

Five Bees named All-American at NAIA Regional Qualifier

Feb. 4, 2013

Results

A total of five Bees were named All-Americans at the NAIA Dance and Cheerleading Regional Qualifier hosted by Missouri Valley College over the weekend.

Miranda McKenna (right) was selected as a Dance All-American while Alyssa Borowczyk, Gabrielle Guilfoyle, Jessica Johnson and Marissa Rohan (all pictured below) were picked as Cheerleading All-Americans. The four SAU cheerleaders were the only cheerleaders to earn All-American recognition among the 13 competing teams.

St. Ambrose also got recognized for outstanding team performances.

The St. Ambrose cheerleaders received a Gold Bid to the NAIA National Championships by winning the All Girl Cheerleading competition. The Bees also placed second in the Small Coed division.


Borowczyk	Guilfoyle	Johnson	Rohan

The Dance Team (pictured below) won its third straight Large Dance Regional Championship, while also winning in Hip Hop and placing second in Small Dance. Thirteen colleges from the HAAC, Great Plains, Midwest Collegiate and American Midwest Conferences competed at the Regional Championships.

The Bees won both the Large Dance and Hip Hop Competitions and finished second in the Small Dance category.

St. Ambrose also placed second in the Small Coed and All-Girl Cheerleading competitions.

SAU Dance Team wins third consecutive State Championship

Dec. 4, 2012

The St. Ambrose University dance team defended its State Championship and brought back home its third consecutive Iowa State Title, at the 2012-2013 Iowa State Dance Team Association (ISDTA) Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, Nov. 30, 2012.

Teams from 23 Iowa Colleges and Universities competed in ISDTA Championship, which is the largest State Dance Competition in the USA.

"I was extremely proud with the team’s performance," Coach Danelle Stanger commented. "They executed a very difficult routine flawlessly and left the crowd in attendance wanting to see more."

The dance team will now begin preparing to defend its Regional Championship, scheduled for Feb. 2, 2013, at Missouri Valley College.

The St. Ambrose University dance team is coached by Danelle Stanger, assisted by Madeline Grothus and Katie Arp.

Dance team qualifies for 2013 Nationals, earns All-American honors

Aug. 14, 2012

NAIA National Champion St. Ambrose University qualified for the 2013 NDA College Nationals scheduled April 10-14 in Dayton Beach, Fla., by earning a Silver bid at the NCA/NDA College Camp held at Northwest Missouri State University this past week.

The SAU Dancers performed exceptionally as they were one of only two NAIA teams competing against NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III schools.

The three teams to receive gold bids were Division I schools - Kansas State University, University of Missouri, and Iowa State University. St. Ambrose came in right under them earning one of three Silver bids to be given out at the camp of nearly 20 teams.

In addition to the Silver bid, three SAU dancers were awarded Collegiate All-Americans – junior Heather Sturtz (Blue Grass, Iowa), junior Miranda McKenna (Davenport, Iowa) and sophomore Rachel Kaczinski (Davenport, Iowa). This is Sturtz and McKenna’s second consecutive All-American award and Kaczinski’s first as an SAU dancer.

Bees claim National Championship

Apr. 13, 2012

Video of the winning performance | More photos

Led by second-year head coach Danelle Stanger, the St. Ambrose University dance team won the NAIA Large Dance National Championship Friday.

The 14-woman dance squad bested instate rival Grand View by a final score of 9.165 to 9.064 in the three-team finals, which also included Oklahoma City. SAU started the final in second place but claimed the title with a strong performance that mixed hip-hop, pom and jazz dance moves.

Members of the title-winning troupe were seniors Katie Arp and Kayla Wills, juniors Laurel Whitford, Lauren Philiotis and Stefanie Rocknowski, sophomores Heather Sturtz, Kayelyn Geurink, Kirstin Marriott, Miranda McKenna and Rachel Molsberry and freshmen Amber Yaddof, Katelyn McDonald, Alison Baskerville, Alli Burke, Megan Willard, Tonya Boots and Jessica Frye.

The national title capped a highly-successful competitive season for the dancers. In December, SAU placed first among 19 teams in both the Jazz and Hip Hop divisions at the Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association (ISDTA) state competition, the largest State Dance Competition in the United States.

Then in February, St. Ambrose won its second straight NAIA Dance Regional Championship, capturing another first place in the large dance category and a paid bid to the National Championships. SAU also qualified three dance All-Americans at the regionals - Arp, McKenna and Sturtz.

Stanger is assisted by coaches Madeline Grothus and Megan Gleeson.

Bees win second NAIA Regional Dance Championship

Feb. 14, 2012

The St. Ambrose University dance team took first place and qualified three dance All-Americans at the 2012 NAIA Dance Regional Championships on Saturday at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

The SAU dance team won its second straight regional championship over the weekend, capturing another first place in the large dance category. Grand View University was runner-up and Doane College rounded out the top three. The first place trophy landed the dance team a paid bid to the NAIA National Championships in Daytona, Fla.

Three SAU dancers were named All-Americans: Katie Arp, Miranda McKenna and Heather Sturtz. Arp is a senior from Walcott, Iowa; McKenna is a sophomore from Davenport, Iowa; and Sturtz is a sophomore from Blue Grass, Iowa.

Head Coach Danelle Stanger reflected on what it took to win the championship, "This group of girls faced a lot of difficult challenges recently in their preparations for regionals. They pulled together as a team and showed what dedication and perseverance will accomplish," she said. "I am so proud of them. Their performance was breath taking and left everyone in attendance wanting to see more."

Dance team wins state titles

Dec. 6, 2011

The St. Ambrose University dance team lit up the 2011-2012 Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association (ISDTA) state competition in Des Moines, Iowa, over the weekend, turning in three great overall performances.

Teams from 19 Iowa Colleges and Universities competed in ISDTA Championships, which is the largest State Dance Competition in the USA.

For the second straight year, the SAU dance team placed first in both the Jazz and Hip Hop divisions, a stunning achievement that made a huge statement about the team's growth and consistency. The dance team also turned in a strong effort to place second in the Pom division.

The St. Ambrose University dance team is coached by Danelle Stanger, assisted by Madeline Grothus and Megan Gleeson.

SAU to host second annual Eastern Iowa State Dance Rehearsal

Nov. 18, 2011

St. Ambrose University will host the area's top competitive high school dance teams in preparation for the 2011-12 Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association (ISDTA) Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Teams will showcase their upcoming competition routines scheduled to be performed at the State Competition.

The rehearsal performances will be held at Lee Lohman Arena Sunday, Nov. 27, beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is free to all in attendance.

High school performances scheduled include: Assumption's Knight Kompany Dancers, Bettendorf's Goldusters, North Scott's Silver Shakers, Davenport West Poms, Davenport Central Dance Team, and Bettendorf Color Guard.

All those in attendance will also get to see the 2010-11 Iowa College Dance Division AA State Champion, NAIA Regional Champion, and Nationally-Awarded SAU dance team perform their 2011-12 competition routines.

For more information, please contact Coach Danelle Stanger at danellestanger@yahoo.com.

Dance Team to compete at Iowa State Championships Dec. 2, 2011

Nov. 14, 2011

The St. Ambrose University Dance Team will aim to defend its 2010-2011 State Championship on Dec. 2. The dance team is scheduled to compete with 14 other Iowa Colleges and Universities at the 2011-2012 Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association (ISDTA) state competition in Des Moines, Iowa. The ISDTA is the largest State Dance Competition in the USA.

St. Ambrose will be competing in the Jazz, Pom, and Hip Hop categories. They will be performing in the Wells Fargo Arena at 2, 4 and 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, 2011. Stay tuned for the competition results!

For more information please contact Coach Danelle Stanger at danellestanger@yahoo.com

SAU Earns Second Place at NCA/NDA National Championships

Apr. 8, 2011

2011 NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship website

The St. Ambrose Dance Team competed in two events at the NCA/NDA National Championships held in Daytona Beach, Fla. The dance team finished the competition by earning second place in the NAIA Large Dance Division and 10th place in Dance Hip Hop Division II.

In the large dance competition, after qualifying and earning a spot in the finals, SAU’s second-place finish was just 0.4 points from first.

"We couldn't have asked for a better performance," SAU coach Danelle Stanger said. "They worked hard all year, and it paid dividends on the performance floor. Their attention to detail is truly what made this an outstanding routine."

The Bees' runner-up finish in the dance finals was followed up with a top-10 finish in the Dance Hip Hop II, which consisted of both NAIA and NCAA Division III schools.

The college nationals will be shown on FSN with two shows. The first show will air the weekend of April 23-24 with a second show airing the week of April 25. Check local listings for more information.

For videos and complete results of all performances, click here.

Dance Team Presents "No Limits!" on Friday, March 4

Mar. 2, 2011

The St. Ambrose University Dance Team will present its 2011 Spring Dance Show "No Limits!" on Friday, March 4.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Allaert Auditorium in the Galvin Fine Arts Center on the SAU campus. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. St. Ambrose students get in free with their student ID.

Congratulations
TDI Collegiate Midwest Championship
Grand Champions
St. Ambrose University

Feb. 5, 2011

TDI website

The St. Ambrose University Dance Team brought home the Midwest Championship in the Team Dance Collegiate (TDC) Dance competition held in Elgin, Ill.

After winning their 1A Large Dance Open Division, St. Ambrose went on to win the Grand Champion Award over all Division I, II, III, and NAIA colleges as best performed dance routine. The team was the first dance team to capture the coveted double title within the NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA College Championship.

TDC is open to college and university dance teams, both competitive and non-competitive, as well as studio and semi-professional teams with dancers over the age of 17.

Dance Team Wins Pair of First Place State Championships

Dec. 3, 2010

The St. Ambrose University Dance Team won two First Place State Titles with their three routines at the 2010 Iowa State Dance/Drill Team Association (ISDTA) state competition in Des Moines, Iowa. The ISDTA State Competition is the largest State Dance Competition in the USA.

Fourteen Iowa Colleges competed at the competition in a variety of dance categories. St. Ambrose claimed First Place in the Jazz and Hip Hop category and placed second in Pom.

The St. Ambrose University dance team is coached by Danelle Stanger, assisted by Darcy Stanger and Megan Reid.