Competitive Dance Announced as 20th Sport for Cleary Athletics Beginning 2026-27; Strom Named Head Coach

Howell, MI – Cleary University has announced competitive dance as the twentieth varsity sport, and will begin competing in the 2026-27 academic year.

The Cougars will join Aquinas, Indiana Tech, Lawrence Tech, Lourdes, Madonna, affiliate member Marian, and Siena Heights as WHAC institutions sponsoring the sport.  Siena Heights University is scheduled to close prior to Cleary's first participation in the sport.

"We are incredibly excited to welcome competitive dance to our athletics program," said Director of Athletics Max Ballinger.  "This addition celebrates creativity, athleticism, and school spirit all in one. Competitive dance brings a dynamic new energy to our campus, and we can't wait to see the impact our dancers will have both in performance and as ambassadors of our college community."

Cleary previously sponsored competitive dance from 2017-2020, and competed in the WHAC for one season in 2019-20.  Kara Kiefer was the WHAC Dancer of the Year and an NAIA All-American, while Coach Kathy King was named the WHAC Champion of Character Coach for that season.

 The program did not have to wait long to find a head coach, as Beth Strom was announced as the program's new head coach.  Strom spent the past nine seasons in Ann Arbor coaching at Concordia University.  

"I am so excited to be named the head coach at Cleary, and to bring competitive dance back to the University," Strom stated.  "I would like to thank (Director of Athletics) Max Ballinger, (Vice President of Athletics and Student Affairs) Lonnie Pries, (President) Dr. Alan Drimmer, and countless others for giving me this amazing opportunity."

She was named the WHAC Coach of the Year last season (2025) after leading the Cardinals to a WHAC Championship, and a 8th place overall finish at the NAIA national meet.  She was twice named WHAC Champion of Character Coach, and was recognized in 2021 and 2023.  While at CUAA, Strom served as the Dance Chair for the WHAC.  She also holds numerous dance certifications, and served on the Executive Committee for dance at the NAIA level.

Strom continued, "I am excited to bringing a new level of school spirit, competitiveness, and competition to Cleary.  I look forward to becoming part of the Cleary community, and building a team to compete in the WHAC and nationally at the NAIA."

If you are interested in becoming a member of the team, you can email Coach Strom at bstrom@cleary.edu, fill out a prospective student form, and then apply to Cleary.