Mundelein girls dance team made it to state, after placing second in sectionals. For the last three years the team has ranked eighth each year at state.

Before the state competition, junior Lexi Kasamis, varsity dancer, said, “For state, we want to make top 12, which would let us go [onto] the second day [of competition].”

The dance team made its way to state on Jan. 26, where the team placed ninth on Saturday to make it to finals round. The team finished ninth out of 30 for the state competition.

“The most memorable moment was before our performance on day two when all of the seniors began crying behind the curtains,” said senior varsity dancer Allison Nick. “We were overcome with emotion over our last competition together and what we had accomplished in four years.”

This year marked the 15th year in a row for the girls dance team making state. Seven out of fifteen of the girls were experiencing state for the first time.

“I’m excited to experience my first state…we have such a legacy to uphold and have always been inspired by the older dance team…. Our team has been working so hard since June, and [I’m] excited to see all of our hard work pays off,” said Kasamis before going to state.

Kasamis added that the girls put in a lot of extra time by spending time “outside of just the dance team to work extra hard to make this state count.”

The team has won two competitions this year and placed third at another.

Said Kasamis, “Our team stands out from other [teams] because we really put our heart and souls into the artistic message.”