PITTSBURGH — The newest sport on The Bluff is set to debut Friday at 6 p.m. inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse as No. 15 Duquesne Acrobatics & Tumbling hosts No. 3 Gannon. Admission is free for all fans.
MEET INFO
No. 3 Gannon Golden Knights (0-0) vs. No. 15 Duquesne Dukes (0-0)
Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 • 6:00 p.m. • UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
FREE Admission
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Two years, nine months, and 19 days in the making, Duquesne Acrobatics and Tumbling is ready to make history Friday night. "Building a first-year program takes a lot of vision and faith," said head coach Michaela Soper. "Seeing the pieces of the puzzle come together, along with the growth of the individual student-athletes, is just incredible."
KEY PROGRAM MILESTONES:
SEASON PREVIEW
The Dukes' hard work is already paying off, as they enter the season
ranked No. 15 in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) preseason poll.
"The team has done a fantastic job so far in the preseason, but now they have to go out there and earn it," said Soper. "It's great to see that our peers recognize our potential, but ultimately, the work starts now."
Duquesne is the only first-year program — of seven debuting in 2025 — ranked in the top 15.
The inaugural roster features student-athletes from 15 states: Pennsylvania (11), Maryland (3), Virginia (3), California (2), Michigan (2), New Jersey (2), Texas (2), Colorado (1), Florida (1), Kentucky (1), Massachusetts (1), North Carolina (1), New York (1), Washington (1), and West Virginia (1).
"We have a lot of depth on this roster," noted Soper. "We worked hard to recruit across all disciplines to build a well-rounded team."
Duquesne's 31-member freshman class comes from diverse backgrounds, including gymnastics, power tumbling, and competitive cheer. The roster also includes graduate transfer
Abby McDermott and sophomore
Alia Ellis, both bases.
"Blending all of these disciplines together is going to create a really cool mix and a strong foundation for our program," Soper added.
McDermott, a former all-conference performer at Glenville State, is a key leader and one of only two athletes on the roster with prior collegiate acrobatics & tumbling experience. Ellis spent last season at Iona, where she qualified for the NCATA Nationals as an at-large participant on the Gaels' inversion pyramid team.
"Everyone is ready," said McDermott, a native of nearby Leechburg, Pa. "We're so excited to get out there and show what we've been working for."
Freshman
Abby Eberle echoed that sentiment. "We've been counting down the days," said the Freeport, Pa., native. "It's been a lot of hard work and trust building … but it's been a bonding experience, too. I think we've really come together as a team."
Eberle, a top/tumbler, is joined in the position by
Mykaela Gisele Vasquez,
Carly Longenecker,
Michela Del Rosso,
Sienna Johnson,
Lea Philarom,
Jamie Bray,
Mia Kenney,
Eden MacMartin, and
Claire Marshall.
Rebekah Hendley splits time as a top and base, while
June Cubbage-Troop, a multiple-time state champion gymnast from Louisville, Ky., is the only Duke competing as a top, base, and tumbler.
Mia Dipner is at base with McDermott and Ellis, while
Anna Trent,
Alaina Baumgartner,
Clare Frantti,
Madeline Hollingsworth,
Claire Piper,
Lauren Epting,
Ailee Sheehan,
Briella Unger,
Natalie Angland,
Taylor Wallace,
Mireya Maymi,
Kylee Carlson,
Sarah Golie,
Krista Bily,
McKenna Fisher,
Genevieve Muise,
Anna Twork, and
Taylor Hollis serve as base/tumblers.
"This team has an amazing opportunity ahead of them," Soper said. "They are paving the way for so many young women to follow … I'm really excited to see what they accomplish."
SCOUTING GANNON
Team Website • Roster • Schedule
Gannon enters the season ranked third in the NCATA, coming off a national runner-up finish last year. The Golden Knights fell by just three points to nine-time champion Baylor in the NCATA finals, finishing 2024 with an 8-3 overall record. Nine of their 11 meets were against nationally ranked opponents, and they maintained a top-four national ranking throughout the season.
A premier program in the sport since sponsoring it in 2014, Gannon claimed two national event titles last season in the synchronized pyramid and toss event finals.
Sophomore Alex DeAngelis leads the Golden Knights after earning NCATA Division II Freshman of the Year honors last season. However, Gannon will need to replace two All-Americans and the Division II Specialist of the Year.
GU x DU CONNECTIONS
Head coach Michaela Soper, a 2018 Gannon graduate, competed as a base, back, top, and tumbler for the Golden Knights. She was part of Gannon's second-ever acrobatics & tumbling team.
Assistant coach Nikki Pizzi, a former teammate of Soper at Gannon, made three national championship appearances and earned NCATA All-American honors in 2021. Before joining Duquesne, she led the Notre Dame College program and was named the 2023-24 Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year before the institution closed.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Acrobatics & Tumbling is the evolution of different disciplines of gymnastics, which includes the athletic aspects of competitive cheerleading. The format was created at the collegiate level in 2009 to address the interests and abilities of young women competing in this skill set. Individuals and small groups execute acrobatic lifts, tosses, and tumbling.
Student-athletes in collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling primarily come from a variety of gymnastics and cheerleading disciplines, primarily women's artistic and Xcel programs, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic, youth acrobatics & tumbling, all-star cheer, high school cheer and STUNT, and sideline cheer.
A meet is made up of six events: Compulsory, Acro, Pyramid, Toss, Tumbling, and Team Event. Teams alternate taking the mat to compete each heat, the home team competes last in each heat. In total, there are 20 heats. Meets typically last 1.5 to 2 hours.
Teams are scored on the execution of skills based on pre-determined start values in a standardized scoring system (similar to those used in gymnastics). Trained officials evaluate skill execution and apply deductions if technical errors occur.
For full information on the NCATA meet format,
click here, and view the informational video below.
MEDIA BUZZ
Excitement is building around the Pittsburgh community for Duquesne's historic first meet.
PRESEASON MEDIA AVAILABILITY
- Head Coach Michaela Soper
UP NEXT
Duquesne hits the road for three straight meets, beginning with a trip to West Liberty on Feb. 15. The Dukes' next home meet will be against No. 1 Baylor on March 11, followed by LIU on March 16 and Buffalo State on April 6 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
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.
