Last Wednesday Montana beat Northern Colorado 91-83 in the Big Sky tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Grizzlies started this season 11-8 but have won 14 of their past 15 games and are now heading back to the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 2019. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Montana dancer Lily Halvorson about being a good leader and making the NCAA tourney.
You are from Olympia, WA: what made you choose Montana? I wanted a school with a strong sense of community, and I definitely found that at Montana. My biggest draws to UM were the dance team, the environment, and the culture of sports here: it is unmatched! The combination of great academics, an amazing college town, and the opportunity to continue dancing at a high level made it the perfect fit for me.
You are majoring in business marketing and minoring in psychology: how did you choose that subject? I love the design and creativity aspects of marketing and have also always been fascinated by how people think and what influences their decisions, so combining psychology with marketing felt like the perfect blend. Plus, the business school at UM is incredible!
You are a junior: do you have a post-graduation plan yet? I am still figuring out the specifics, but I know I want to work in the marketing field, Being part of the dance team has also shown me how much I love working with people and the power of community, so I definitely want that to play a part in my career as well,
You are captain of the dance team: what is the key to being a good leader? I feel strongly about leading by example, bringing energy, work ethic, and positivity every single day no matter what! However, I also think being a good leader means knowing how to support your teammates, make sure everyone feels valued, and create an environment where people want to push themselves.
One of your hobbies is spending time outdoors: do you have a favorite outdoor spot that you recommend? There are so many great spots, but one of my favorite classics is the trail that runs along the river. It is a classic Missoula walk/run with the best views of the river and downtown!
Last Wednesday the Grizzlies beat Northern Colorado in the Big Sky tourney title game to clinch the title: what was the reaction like when the buzzer finally went off, and how excited is everyone on campus this week? It was amazing! The energy in the arena was insane: I feel so lucky that we had the privilege to be right there with the team in that moment. It was a long couple days of back-to-back games for us…but so worth that moment!! People on campus are so proud of the team bringing Montana to the top. As we took off for Denver, we could feel the Griz community’s support!
Your team lost a couple of games in mid-January but since then they have won 14 of 15 with just a 3-PT OT loss at Portland State: has it reached a point where everyone just expects the team to win every time that they step onto the court? I think there is a lot of confidence in the team, but also a ton of respect for the tough competition. They have put in the work to get this far and you can see it in how they play. I do not think it is an expectation of winning, but more about knowing they have the ability to win!
How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Our University of Montana Spirit Squad as a whole is made up of the Cheer Team and Dance Team. Cheer travels for all post-season football and Dance travels for all post-season basketball, which means the Dance Team gets to follow the basketball team as far as they go this postseason. That includes Boise for the conference tourney and Denver for March Madness! We are so incredibly excited: it is such an amazing opportunity to perform in front of a national audience. We are lucky to represent Montana and the amazing support system we have there. We have worked so hard for this moment and I think it will be surreal to see our team out there in the tournament.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for this week? This week we are all focused on the game! We have the incredible opportunity to perform at halftime, and we will be out there with our amazing band during a few timeouts. Our goal is to bring that strong Griz energy and represent Montana well!
Any predictions for your game on Thursday vs. Wisconsin in Denver? I think it is going to be a great game! Wisconsin is a strong team, but Montana has a lot of momentum/talent. We believe in our guys, and I think they are ready to make some noise in this tournament. I have a good feeling and it is going to be a fun one to watch!
