Advertisement

The IHSA competitive dance finals are this weekend. Meet the 4 Peoria-area squads at state

Staff
·2 min read

The Illinois High School Association competitive dance state finals are this weekend at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.

Four teams from the Peoria area competed among the 90 teams in the three-class event, with preliminaries on Friday and the finals on Saturday.

Here is a look at each of the teams, including their path to state, full rosters, coaches and how they finished in Bloomington.

The Dunlap dance team will compete in the Illinois High School Association state finals in Bloomington in January 2022.
The Dunlap dance team will compete in the Illinois High School Association state finals in Bloomington in January 2022.

Dunlap

How they got there: The Eagles finished second to New Lenox Lincoln-Way West in the Class 2A portion of the Minonk Sectional last weekend.

Dancers: Paige Acklie, Mia Allen, Emily Angevine, Ella Bloom, Gabrielle Carlson, Grace Gibbs, Ellie Gleason, Ashlyn Kelly, Mara Lanser, Malabi Mukherjee, Mary Schellenberg, Jenna Sollberger and Gabrielle Wilson.

ADVERTISEMENT

Coach: Randi England

How they finished: Scored 77.76 to finish 27th in the Class 2A preliminaries. They did not advance to the finals.

The Notre Dame dance team is headed to the Illinois High School Association state finals in Bloomington in January 2022.
The Notre Dame dance team is headed to the Illinois High School Association state finals in Bloomington in January 2022.

Peoria Notre Dame

How they got here: The Irish took fifth in the Class 1A portion of the Minonk Sectional last weekend to advance.

Dancers: Seniors Ella Benjamin, Leialoha LaHood, Emelia Owen and Emelia Van Slyke; juniors Kaitlyn Doran and MaryKate Manning; sophomores Ayla Atkins and Olivia Criss; and freshman Claire Coulter.

Coach: Tally Sevier

How they finished: Scored 69.46 to finish 30th in the Class 1A preliminaries. They did not advance to the finals.

The Eureka dance team is headed to the Illinois High School Association state finals in January 2022.
The Eureka dance team is headed to the Illinois High School Association state finals in January 2022.

Eureka

How they got here: The Hornets finished second to Morris in the Class 1A portion of the Minonk Sectional last weekend to advance.

Dancers: Ila Bachler, Lexi Challacombe, Molly Gossmeyer, Madisyn Hack, Teegan Hobbs, Keirstan Horton, Kenna Kean, Morgan Linder and Alli Wetzler.

Coaches: Head coach Rebecca Hack and volunteer assistants Ashleigh Hadfield and Bri Wetzler.

How they finished: Scored 76.52 to finish 19th in the Class 1A preliminaries. They did not advance to the finals.

The Elmwood dance team is headed to the Illinois High School Association state finals, held in Bloomington in January 2022.
The Elmwood dance team is headed to the Illinois High School Association state finals, held in Bloomington in January 2022.

Elmwood

How they got here: The Trojans, the smallest team in the 1A field, finished third in the Class 1A portion of the Minonk Sectional to advance.

Dancers: Seniors Presley Carver and Madison Herman; juniors Taylor Glover and Abigail Sheridan; sophomores Abigail Colgan, Lauren Feller and Kennedy Gillum; and freshmen Claire Colgan, Isabelle Davis, Kaylee LaFollett, Maci Marincic and Kaylin WIlliams.

Coaches: Emily Roberts, Vicki Warner

How they finished: Scored 76.60 to finish 18th in the Class 1A preliminaries. They did not advance to the finals.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA competitive dance: Meet teams from Peoria in IL state finals