OMAHA, Neb. – The College of Saint Mary competitive dance team is excited to begin its season on Wednesday with a 6:30 p.m. Great Plains Athletic Conference dual at Concordia University in Seward, Neb.

Jennifer Wasik is the Flames' first full-time coach, replacing April Allen, who founded the program in 2018 and worked in a part-time capacity. Wasik will have a team of 10 young ladies, and she's been pleased with their efforts in the preseason.

"The girls who have been on the team are excited to compete with a bigger, stronger team,'' Wasik said. "There's a higher level of ability on the team. We're able to do more with more girls.''

The returning athletes are senior Hannah Elliott, juniors Evelyn Andrade and Elizabeth Kenny, and sophomores Delainey Benedict, Grace Denning and Haley Engleman.

The Flames were picked eighth among nine teams in the GPAC Preseason Poll, ahead of Briar Cliff University. CSM will be a nine-member team on Wednesday, as one is sidelined for a short time to injury.

"The ladies have done really well adapting to new formations and have been quick to make changes, so that's awesome to see,'' Wasik said.

The new CSM coach has intentionally beefed up the routines to make them more challenging and potentially generate higher scores this season.

"I'm actually really impressed with their work ethic,'' she said. "There's aspects that I think we can improve upon, but it's getting out there, getting our first set of scores, and then figuring out where we can tweak it from there. Just trying to find the different dynamics that we can create a lot of good visuals.''

Wasik said she's discussed the preseason poll with her team. It's a source of motivation to finish higher than it was picked, she said.

"At the end of the day, we're trying to earn our points on the scoresheet just like everybody else is,'' she said. "Nobody knows what you're going to do coming into this season.''

Entering the first meet, Wasik likes her team's unity.

"I've seen a lot more team camaraderie just since we got back from break,'' she said. "I hear everybody's voice in a positive aspect, giving something to the group. I think they're ready. It's getting a baseline, because you don't really know what you're going to score until you do.''