The Viterbo University competitive dance team has had a stellar season so far and look to continue these performances at the NAIA National Dance Competition.
Throughout the season, the dance team has performed at an elite level, bringing home a first-place finish in a field of 16 teams at the Cune Day of Duals dance competition. In addition, the team has had four second place finishes, with one of them being a second-place finish at the AMC (American Midwest Conference) Conference Championships, where our V-Hawks came up just shy of a first-place finish by conference foe St. Ambrose.
Ambrose finished with an overall score of 90.34 whereas the V-Hawks had a total score of 89.06. Aside from their usual routines, the V-Hawks also perform a hip-hop routine. This performance resulted in a fourth-place finish at the Wisconsin Collegiate Dance Competition. Ultimately, the V-Hawk’s outstanding performances has garnered national attention, with the team being ranked #3 nationally in the NAIA.
While the V-Hawks had a stellar season as a team, they were just as good individually. During the season, two V-Hawks were named the AMC Dancer of the Week. Senior Maddie Dibble was named in week three of the conference season. Senior Vanessa Wong was the second V-Hawk to receive the award in the fifth week of the conference season.
In addition, the Viterbo Dance team had many athletes named all-conference. Maddie Dibble was named first team all AMC. The second team saw six V-Hawks being named, this includes Vanessa Wong, Gabriella Elster, Hailey Hotvedt, Erin Walters, Julia Steinfeldt, and Breckyn Remis.
Apart from all conference honors, Carly Skroback was named Freshman of the Year in the AMC, which led to an audition for the All-American team that will be held later in March. Lastly, these athletes could not have done it without seventh-year head coach Anna Luz. Coach Luz was recognized for her team’s stellar performances by being named Coach of the Year in the AMC.
Off the dance floor, the V-Hawks had seven athletes be named Winter Scholar Athletes, showing that the team takes care of business in the classroom just as much as on the dance floor.
The V-Hawks look to wrap up the phenomenal season with a national championship. They will compete in the NAIA Cheer and Dance National Championships in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at the end of March.
