Jasper senior Madyson Hurst signs to join USI dance team

Madyson Hurst’s signing with the University of Southern Indiana dance team gave Jasper a local example of how years in studios can lead to a college opportunity, even when the high school spotlight comes late. The Jasper High School senior did not join the school dance team until her senior year, but her background reached back to age 3, when she first started dancing, and age 8, when she began competitive dance.

That long runway made the move to USI stand out in Dubois County. Jasper High School Athletics highlighted Hurst’s milestone, and local sports editor Corey Stolzenbach noted that her path was built on years of training before she ever wore the Jasper uniform. For other students in the county, the signing showed that dance can open the same kind of next-step college doorway that more traditional varsity sports often receive.

Hurst will join a USI program that competes on a much larger stage. The University of Southern Indiana says its 19 varsity intercollegiate men’s and women’s sports compete at the NCAA Division I level, primarily in the Ohio Valley Conference, and the university’s official 2025-26 dance team roster confirms the program remained active for the upcoming season. For Hurst, that means the Screaming Eagles will give her a chance to keep performing in a high-profile collegiate setting after a career that began far from campus.

Her final season at Jasper came under head coach Jill Wigand and assistant coach Jordan Beach, with the 2025-26 schedule featuring familiar landmarks for the program. The team’s calendar included the Jasper Invitational on Jan. 24 at Jasper High School and the state competition at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on March 14. Those stops framed the season for a team that helped prepare Hurst for the jump to college.

For Jasper and the wider Dubois County community, the signing carries more than a single-athlete headline. It points to a pathway built through local coaching, studio work and school support, and it gives younger dancers a nearby example of where that work can lead. Hurst’s move to USI places a Jasper senior on a Division I roster and adds another college destination to the county’s growing list of student achievements.