Acrobatics & Tumbling | Feature

From the World Stage to the Bluff: Cunningham Brings International Success to Duquesne

Fresh off a pair of international medals, freshman Aubrie Cunningham brings a unique skill set and a world of experience to a Duquesne program entering its third season.

Aubrie Cunningham (right) waves to fans on the podium at the World Championships. (Photo by Christian Degroot)

Acrobatics & tumbling is a relatively new endeavor for many universities, coaches and athletes. The sport was added to the NCAA's official sports registry in January 2026 after being designated an emerging sport for women in 2020.

Student athletes with backgrounds in competitive cheer, artistic gymnastics and other forms of gymnastics blend their talents in acrobatics & tumbling. The sport uses skills from each sport to create a unique cocktail of floorwork, tumbling and team events, formally governed by the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association.

Now in its third year of competition, Duquesne's acrobatics & tumbling team, led by head coach Michaela Soper, is preparing for a new chapter. As the program continues to grow, building a strong culture remains a priority.

"We are really focused on the culture. Especially as we grow and get new skills, the skills are going to come easier and easier every year. What gets harder is you add newcomers and you have year three, year four underway. The culture is going to be at the forefront of everything. Reinforcing philosophy, reinforcing core values, culture and also being able to carry the torch."

Duquesne's newest addition, Aubrie Cunningham, has already turned heads with her natural skill and recent international success. Cunningham competed at the 2026 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships in Pesaro, Italy, where she earned a silver medal in the combined event and helped Team USA secure bronze in the group division.

"It was absolutely amazing," Cunningham said of the international atmosphere in Pesaro. "The environment was nothing like anything I had ever experienced before."

Cunningham is no stranger to the international stage, having competed in international championships since 2023. Across four years of competition, she has never finished lower than fourth.

Soper believes Cunningham's experience and approach will make her a natural leader as she transitions to collegiate competition.

"She's naturally going to be a leader, just the way that we've seen her in environments," Soper said. "She's not afraid to put herself out there, so I think she's going to be a voice of reason for some people. But also, I think she's going to lead by example. Her work ethic will really come to light."

Cunningham, a native of Ellicott City, Maryland, began her gymnastics journey in artistic gymnastics, the discipline featured in the Olympics with events such as the balance beam and uneven bars. Her background in acrobatic gymnastics, however, gives her a different perspective from many of her new teammates.

Cunningham (bottom) in action at the World Championships. (Photo by Christian Degroot)

"I hope to be able to bring a new perspective to the acro and tumbling team at Duquesne. A lot of girls come from a background of artistic gymnastics [or] cheer, but I don't think many come from acrobatic gymnastics. There are a lot of different skills and techniques that I have learned through my experience that I hope I can share with the team."

Her dedication to the sport is evident. At 19 years old, Cunningham already has 16 years of experience and a deep appreciation for the work required to master a new skill.

"Every time I accomplished a new skill, it made me swell with pride and excitement. Seeing months, sometimes years, of hard work payoff in a visible and tangible form is ridiculously rewarding. I fell in love with the feeling of overcoming challenges and receiving results that I built with my own hands."

Soper and assistant coach Nikki Pizzi first noticed Cunningham at a regional competition in Maryland. After speaking briefly with Cunningham's mother and watching her perform, the coaches saw the potential for a strong fit with the Duquesne program.

Cunningham competes on the world stage. (Photo by Christian Degroot)

"We noticed she has a great work ethic. She was very competitive in the sense that she's really pushing our core values in our program forward, and she's what we are looking for in a student athlete. She was someone that embodied a lot of the things that we were looking for in our recruiting class."

After touring campus and meeting more coaches and members of the team, Cunningham knew she was meant to be on the Bluff.

"As soon as I stepped onto campus, it felt like home. I love how it feels like its own little pocket inside of the city… The team environment here is just amazing. All of the girls and the coaches go out of their way to make me feel supported and accepted. I think being able to be a part of such an amazing group of humans is what excites me most."

Cunningham arrives as Duquesne's most experienced athlete in high-stakes international competition. Her distinctive background presents an opportunity for the Dukes to expand their collective skill set, while her transition to college athletics will bring new lessons of its own.

As she begins her freshman year, Cunningham is eager to learn from teammates who bring their own experiences to the program.

"There is always something to improve no matter who you are, so I hope that my teammates can share their experience with me and give me advice as an incoming collegiate athlete."

With an experienced roster and a broader range of skills at its disposal, Duquesne is looking to help push the young sport forward. For Soper, Cunningham's arrival represents an opportunity for both the newcomer and the program to learn from one another.

"Our sport's evolving so much. So when you bring an athlete like that in, they get to explore and experience a little bit of what we have to offer. But then we also get to experience what they have to offer at the same time. I think the blend of both is going to be really exciting."

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