LHS Dance Places 28th At IHSA State Finals

LEMONT, IL — The Lemont High School dance team placed 28th at the 2023 IHSA Class 2A Competitive Dance State Finals, which were contested on Jan. 27-28 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, the school shared in a news release. Head coach Beth Purcell’s team made its fourth straight state finals appearance, and its eighth in 10 seasons.

Lemont posted a score of 78.58 in the preliminary round of state finals competition. The top 12 teams from the preliminary round advance to compete on the second day.

The school said Purcell’s team includes seniors Amanda Bechtlofft, Gabriella Detres, Jill Ferguson, Madeline Glotzbach, Hannah Tomala, Kaitlyn Tomala and Angeleah Vallianatos; juniors Isabella Canali, Grace Gawenda, Azizeh Khalil, Lauren Magdziarz and Emily Manalli; sophomores Lucia Macari, Kiera Mayer and Allison Rihtar; and freshman Madison Bostjancic.

Lemont has qualified for the state finals eight times (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) since Competitive Dance became an IHSA-sponsored sport during the 2012-13 school year, according to LHS. It has finished among the state’s top 20 teams within its class three times, including a program-best 14th-place finish in 2017.

The program previously had success in the TEAMDance Illinois State Championship and Illinois Dance Team Association State Finals, the school said. Lemont’s best finish ever in state competition came in 1996, when it was third in the Class AA Novelty category at the IDTA State Finals.