The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk Dance Team took over Wells Fargo Arena and HyVee Hall earlier this month at the 40th Annual Iowa State Dance and Drill Team Association Championships.

As a team, the Hawks finished as State Runners-up in Class III Jazz with a Division I rating and 357 overall score marking the best team finish in school history. Mid-Prairie was also fourth in Class IX Pom with a Division I rating and 338.5 overall score.

Individually, there was no one better in Iowa than Drea McCain. The Golden Hawk sophomore won the program’s first ever Solo State Championship, taking the Class V title. Her teammate, fellow sophomore Meadow Flynn, finished fifth of 10 competitors in the same category.

On this week’s KCII PM Sports Page, the Golden Hawk Dance Team joined us to talk about the state experience, hardware and comradery. The team said, “We were very nervous, there were jitters. (After the performance) we congratulated each other. We were really happy. We did so well this year at State and we’re only going to get better. I have a strong feeling the dance team is going to grow because of how much we’re putting ourselves out there and how well we’re doing. Dance is a lot of fun! You make so many great friends and have so many great experiences! You have to work hard, you have to be committed.”

Head coach Brenna Hutson continued, “Coming from a coaching standpoint, I get nervous for them before a performance. My stomach is turning, my hands are sweating, my legs are shaking, because I have seen how hard they’ve worked. We wanted to place and we wanted to do well but, most of all I wanted them to have fun. To be able to put their best out there and feel like when they walked off the floor they did all they could.”

McCain added, “(In solo competition) Meadow and I both had the goal to get eighth or higher so we could get on the Wall (of Fame) at our school. They made the awards announcements at center court of Wells Fargo, in front of the entire arena. They start by calling the 10th place finalist and then they go up through first place. When I heard the second place name called and it wasn’t me, I didn’t really register that I was first. When I got first place I was really surprised because I was up against really strong dancers.”

Flynn said, “As they kept going, the higher the place was, the more surprised I got. The more emotions went through my head. I’m really proud of myself, of us, first dancers on the wall, first dance team!”

Along with setting program records, the Dance Team will have new state placement numbers added to their banner inside of Tim Grady Gymnasium and both McCain and Flynn will be honored with plaques on the Mid-Prairie Wall of Fame for their accomplishments, the first Golden Hawk Dance Team members to earn that distinction.

You can hear a full interview with the Mid-Prairie Dance Team during the January 3rd and 4th editions of the KCII PM Sports Page.