Lebanon, IL - McKendee University Director of Athletics Anthony Francis has announced the hiring of alumnus Regan Van Wie as the university's new dance head coach.

Van Wie is no stranger to the dance community, as she has danced competitively since she was two years old.  She began at Fitness and Fun under Kat Wilson. In 2012 she moved to JMSD Dance Studio, then moved to The Studio by Kat Wilson in 2019, where she still teaches.

"I am incredibly honored and grateful to join McKendree University as the Head Coach of the dance team."  Van Wie said. "I want to sincerely thank Athletic Director Anthony Francis and the entire athletic department for believing in my vision and trusting me with this opportunity. I'm excited to work with these talented student-athletes and build a program that reflects the spirit, discipline, and excellence of McKendree. I can't wait to get started!"

Van Wie went to Roxana High School where she was Most Valuable Dancer all four years. She was the first person in her high school's history to compete a solo at IDTA State, while her team was also the first to make it to state four years in a row. Van Wie was the first person from Roxana High School to sign with a college dance team and stay all four years. 

Van Wie came to McKendree as a student-athlete in the fall of 2021, where she was a part of the Dance team all four years. Van Wie competed at 4 nationals, including UDA, NDA and DTU. In 2021 at UDA, Van Wie helped lead the team to a 4^th place finish in Hip Hop and a 6^th place finish in Open Jazz. In Van Wie's senior year, she led her team to a 5^th place finish in Spirit. Van Wie received Most Valuable Dancer, Most Outstanding Leadership and the Terrific Teammate Award during her time at McKendree.

Van Wie graduated from McKendree in 2024 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting.