Morningside finished first in the dance competition at the 2015 NAIA Cheer & Dance North Qualifying Competition.

Morningside College’s dance team finished first among nine schools at the NAIA Cheer & Dance North Qualifying Competition held Friday in Crete, Neb.

The victory qualified the Mustangs for the 2015 NAIA National Cheer & Dance Invitational to be held March 13-14 in Fremont, Neb.

Morningside finished first with a score of 108.37 points. Grand View University was second with 106.17, followed by Midland University, 103.47; Baker University, 101.98; St. Ambrose University, 101.55; Hastings College, 97.83; Briar Cliff University, 90.12; Doane College, 82.63; and Concordia University, 81.48.

The Mustangs’ Erin Oliver, a sophomore from Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, was named a NAIA All-American for her performance. Morningside’s Kara Bentz, a junior from Humboldt, Iowa, and Alli Martin, a junior from Sioux City, were both named honorable mention All-Americans.

Morningside finished fifth in the 10-team cheerleading competition. Midland finished first with 90.87 points, followed by Central Methodist University, 87.85; St. Ambrose, 86.32; Missouri Valley College, 85.67; Morningside, 85.58; MidAmerica Nazarene University, 84.05; Grand View, 80.53; Baker, 78.62; Graceland University, 77.22; and Doane, 74.10.