KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Stacie Horton of Grand View (Iowa) is recognized as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Competitive Dance Coach of the Year. The Vikings finished third in the 2023 National Championships, posting a score of 86.64.

Grand View has qualified for the NAIA National Championships all seven years. The squad finished fourth in 2021 and 2022, before posting a program best finish of third this season as well as their highest score by 3.21 points over last year’s team. 

Horton has been the head coach at GVU for 22 seasons and is actively involved in the leadership of the sport. Her past roles include Heart Conference Committee Chair, NAIA Executive Commitee President, Past President, Vice President, and Secretary. A total of 12 student-athletes she has coached have combined to earn 16 All-American awards, highlighted by four-time honoree Marissa Signor.

The seventh annual NAIA Cheer and Dance National Championships were hosted in Ypsilanti, Michigan on March 10th and 11th at the George Gervin GameAbove Center on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. Hosted by the Ann Arbor Sports Commission and Concordia University Ann Arbor, 12 dance teams competed in the two round competition. Prelim scores accounted for 25% of the total while Finals scores made up the remaining 75%.