DANCE TEAM EARNS STATE TITLES

The Dowling Catholic dance team earned two state titles at the Iowa State Dance Team Association (ISDTA) Championships held at Wells Fargo Arena on Friday, December 2. The team finished as state champions in jazz and lyrical and placed second in pom.

The team also had seven soloists compete for titles, all of whom finished with division I ratings. Brooklyn O’Conner was crowned solo state champion, Charlotte James placed third, Caroline Maucieri placed sixth, Brooklyn Coen finished ninth, and Abby O’Hara, Evelyn Mazur and Jolissa Thomas also had excellent performances.

Head coach Tim Ives was recognized as the Class 4A Boys State Coach of the Year and Kelly McCarty was named Boys Assistant Coach of the Year. Additional state team members included Matthew Dietrich, Johnny Fox, Charlie Leto, Josh Mohan, Cole Nelson, Owen Palmer, Tim Sullivan, Patrick Wainwright, Patrick Warren and Joe Wilwerding.

The state championship capped off an incredibly successful season in which the team won every meet it entered, including the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota which the Maroons last won in 2015. There, the team competed against many of the top teams from Iowa and throughout the entire Midwest.

Members of the team continued to compete postseason with an outstanding performance at the Nike Cross Regional in Sioux Falls where the varsity team finished third, JV was fourth and Jackson Heidesch won the individual race. The win qualified Jackson to compete in the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon, where he finished an incredible high school cross country career as an All-American with a fifth place finish, the highest by an Iowa runner since the meet’s inception.

“Our fall cross country season was one we won’t soon forget,” said Ives. “From winning the Roy Griak Invitational to defending our team state championship to Jackson Heidesch’s 5th place finish at nationals, it truly was one of our best seasons in program history.”

“Our dancers were outstanding this year! They worked really hard to prepare for state, especially with adding a third routine,” said coach Taylor Schulte. “Dowling Catholic has not competed in Pom in a number of years so we were all excited for the challenge. The girls went into state day feeling prepared and they were confident in their abilities. They came together as a team and Courtney and I could not be more proud of them.”

The team is coached by Taylor Schulte and Courtney Greteman and includes 25 members.