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Duquesne University Athletics

Mireya Maymi and teammates compete during inaugural acro meet
Joe Sargent

PREVIEW: Dukes Conclude Road Stretch at Iona

3/2/2025 8:00:00 AM

PITTSBURGH — The No. 15 Duquesne University acrobatics & tumbling team will finish a three-meet road trip Monday evening at No. 8 Iona.

MEET INFO  
No. 15 Duquesne Dukes (3-0) at No. 8 Iona Gaels (1-1)
Monday, March 3 • 6:00 PM • Hynes Athletics Center (New Rochelle, NY)

THE DUKES
Roster • Schedule • Team Scores • Individual Scores

  • Duquesne is competing in its inaugural season and was ranked No. 15 in the NCATA Preseason Poll — the only first-year program among seven debuting in 2025 to earn a ranking. A total of 47 teams are competing across the multi-divisional NCATA this season.
  • The DU roster features 33 student-athletes, 31 are freshmen. Bases Alia Ellis (Iona transfer) and Abby McDermott (Glenville State transfer) are the only two on the roster with prior A&T experience before the season opener. Full season preview, click here.
  • 3-0 START
    • The Dukes rolled to a 3-0 start in program history with a dominant 254.215-140.375 victory over Missouri State on Feb. 22. Duquesne won 18 of 19 heats and swept all six events, posting its highest final score of the season. The Dukes built a 10-point lead after a season-best compulsory score (36.65) and extended their advantage to 89.75-74.20 at halftime. They set a new program high in the toss event (26.30) after the break and outscored the Bears by double digits in tumbling before sealing the win with an 86.29 in the team event.
    • Duquesne earned a 252.515-239.795 victory over West Liberty in its first road meet. The Dukes outscored the Hilltoppers by 4.05 points in tumbling, taking a 3.2-point lead into the final team event. They pulled away with an 83.64-74.12 advantage in the team routine. Duquesne took an early lead by winning the compulsory event, but West Liberty moved ahead with narrow victories in the next three events. Tumbling proved to be the turning point, as the Dukes bested the Hilltoppers in five of six heats. Briella Unger led the way with a 9.275 in the six-element pass, while Sienna Johnson and Claire Piper each posted 9.200 in the aerial and open passes.
    • Duquesne opened its program with a statement win over No. 3 Gannon — the 2024 NCATA national runner-up — 253.060-251.320 on Feb. 7 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes trailed at halftime but took a narrow 1.2-point lead after tumbling before clinching the victory in the final team event. Their 3.1-point advantage in tumbling (50.850) was the meet's largest event margin.
  • WEEKLY HONORS
    • Sienna Johnson earned NCATA Honorable Mention Freshman of the Week after scoring 71.2 out of a possible 75.85 points over eight heats in the Missouri State win. Johnson set season highs in the aerial pass (9.250/9.55), compulsory toss (9.70/10), compulsory acro (9.05/10), and six-element acro (8.10/9.25). The Mount Airy, Md., native made her debut in the open toss, posting a 9.05 — Duquesne's first nine-plus score in a toss event this season—and played a key role across all elements of the team event.
    • Freshman Mia Dipner was named NCATA National Freshman of the Week after the Gannon meet. The local Pittsburgh product competed in a team-high 10 heats plus the team event. Dipner was instrumental in the Dukes' top-scoring heats, including the compulsory pyramid (9.65), inversion pyramid (9.65), and open pyramid (9.65), and contributed to a 9.9-level pyramid in the team event.

SCOUTING IONA
Roster • Schedule

  • Iona is in its second season as a program and enters ranked No. 8 in the NCATA poll.
  • The Gaels (1-1) opened their season with a victory over No. 14 LIU (258.625-239.090) before falling to No. 2 Quinnipiac (264.280-257.475) on Feb. 15.
  • All six opponents on Iona's schedule are ranked in the top 15.
  • Iona finished 5-2 and qualified its inversion pyramid for the NCATA National Championships, placing fifth, in its inaugural season a year ago.
IN THE NEWS UP NEXT
Duquesne returns home for the first time since Feb. 7 next Tuesday, March 11 hosting No. 1 Baylor. Start time is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Admission is free.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow the Duquesne Acrobatics and Tumbling team all season online at GoDuquesne.com and on Twitter (X) and Instagram (@duqacrotumb).

ABOUT ACROBATICS & TUMBLING
For more information on the sport of Acrobatics & Tumbling, visit TheNCATA.org.
 
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