The Joliet Catholic Angels claimed their second state dance title Saturday, scoring 92.28 to win the Class 1A championship in Bloomington.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Members of the Joliet Catholic Dance Team rush forward to receive the trophy from the IHSA.
BLOOMINGTON - Joliet Catholic Academy claimed the IHSA Class 1A Competitive Dance State Championship on Saturday at Grossinger Motors Arena, delivering a winning score of 92.28 to capture the program's second state title and cement its status as one of the state's premier dance programs. The Angels edged runner-up Jacksonville, which finished with 91.62, and third-place Morris at 91.06, capping a dominant postseason run that began with a sectional championship at Geneva and marked the program's eighth consecutive state tournament appearance. The Angels entered Saturday's final round as the second seed after posting a 91.44 in Friday's preliminaries, trailing Jacksonville by just .04 of a point. Morris, which had finished behind JCA at the Geneva sectional, qualified third with a 90.48. When the final scores were announced, JCA had closed the gap and surged past both rivals, executing a moving interpretive routine that head coach Ava Tomich said was dedicated to all of the team's loved ones and designed to evoke deep emotion from both the dancers and the audience.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Members of the Angels Dance Team perform in Saturday's championship round.
Tomich, who was a member of JCA's 2019 state championship team alongside assistant coach Abi Voss, said the title represents the culmination of months of hard work and a commitment to upholding the legacy they helped establish years earlier. The program has built a remarkable record of sustained excellence, winning third-place trophies in 2020 and 2021 in Class 1A and bringing home another third-place finish in Class 2A in 2022 before working its way back to the top of the podium this year. "It means the absolute world to us," Tomich said. "We are thankful for all the support and the passion that the girls poured into this season. It just feels unreal. It feels surreal." Tomich said the journey to Saturday's championship required determination and a focus on bringing back the tradition of excellence that has defined the Angels' program over the past decade. When JCA took its final bow, the team's fans responded with thunderous applause, underscoring the emotional weight of a performance that resonated far beyond the technical execution.
Photos: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
LEFT: Performing sixth in the 1A order, Joliet Catholic dancers give their all during their performance. CENTER: Angel dancers share hugs after learning they were this year's Class 1A state champs. RIGHT: JCA head coach Ava Tomich receives her state gold medal. The first-year coach now has a state gold medal as both a coach and a competitor.
"It took a lot of hard work, determination, bringing back our tradition and withholding a legacy that we started a while ago," Tomich said. "It was just a dedicated piece to them and we wanted everybody in the audience to feel the emotion that we felt when we did this dance." The championship roster consists of seniors Avery Quinn, Calleigh Kubinski, Addysen Kirby and Ella Fredrickson; juniors Olivia Clemny, Haley Grant, Anya Hrechko and Rylie Kessel; and sophomores Evelyn Borgra and Isabella Wieher. Camryn Whisenant also assisted Tomich with coaching duties throughout the season.
