Pittsburgh, Pa. – The seventh-ranked Duquesne acrobatics & tumbling team opens its 2026 season Thursday, hosting West Liberty at 6 p.m. inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
Duquesne enters year two of the program nationally ranked after a historic inaugural campaign in 2025 and sits No. 7 in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) Preseason Coaches Poll.
MEET INFO
West Liberty (1-1) vs. No. 7 Duquesne Dukes (0-0)
Thursday, Feb. 12 • 6:00 PM • UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (Pittsburgh, PA)
Free Admission • Giant Eagle Fanny Pack Giveaway
"We are thrilled to enter year two as a nationally ranked team," said head coach Michaela Soper. "We know that we have to earn that ranking, but we are humbled and honored to even be considered among the top in the nation. I know the team is ecstatic to touch the mat again after a season-high at the end of last year knowing that we have more to give. They just have so much fun. They love the sport. I love the sport. I want that energy and the love and passion that we have for how beautiful this sport can be to come to life every time we compete."
YEAR TWO
Soper returns a roster that has quickly grown from young to experienced, welcoming back 30 student-athletes from last year's team, including graduate student
Abby McDermott and junior
Alia Ellis, alongside a 28-member sophomore class. Seven freshmen join the program in 2026.
"Having Abby back on the mat, she is a natural leader," Soper said. "Her being back has been paramount for the culture of this team, including modeling what true leadership looks like."
McDermott is slated to compete in a team-leading 10 heats in the opener.
"Our team realizes she won't be back next year, so it's been great watching them grow and understand that they can be natural leaders within their own classes," Soper said. "It's not about class year. It's about the role model you are, the character you have and how you lead by example. That growth has been great to see."
Duquesne consistently raised its start values throughout the 2025 season, hovering in the 280–281 range, a reflection of increased difficulty across multiple heats. The Dukes closed the year with a season-best score of 260.760 in the finale victory over Buffalo State, posting season highs in five heats and four of six events: compulsory, acro, pyramid and team.
This season, Duquesne debuts with a 284.71 start value — the highest in the young program's history.
"We're definitely more confident," Soper said. "We have skills that competed last year that we've had the opportunity to clean up, and we've watched them build confidence on skills that were very hard for them last year and now they're very easy. It is exciting to watch that growth."
Dukes Depth
Soper built the foundation of the program in year one primarily through a freshman class that now returns as sophomores — 28 strong on this season's roster.
Sophomore base/tumbler
Mireya Maymi joins McDermott as the lone Dukes scheduled for double-digit heats in the opener. Duquesne will showcase its depth immediately, with 28 athletes expected to compete and 14 listed in five or more heats.
Welcome to the Bluff
After entering last season with just two student-athletes who had ever competed in an acrobatics & tumbling meet, Duquesne now has only seven without collegiate experience — all freshmen.
The Dukes welcome
Morgan Shaffer,
Georgia Clancy,
Caileigh Kertis,
Lindsay Kivlan,
Sabrina Kehler,
Addie Wright and
Alexa Mason.
Mason and Clancy are slated to contribute as tops and tumblers, while Shaffer, Kertis, Kivlan, Kehler and Wright will serve as base/tumblers.
Six freshmen are expected to compete in the season opener. Kertis is scheduled to appear in eight heats, including the team event, while Kivlan will represent the Dukes in open tumbling and on the quad pass.
Year One Rewind
Duquesne's 2025 inaugural season was historic from the outset.
The Dukes climbed as high as No. 12 in the NCATA national rankings after opening program history with three straight victories, including a win over defending national runner-up Gannon in the first meet ever contested.
Picked No. 15 in the preseason poll before competing, Duquesne finished 4-3 overall with all three losses coming to nationally ranked opponents. The Dukes remained nationally ranked all season — the only first-year program in the country to do so.
Individually,
Mia Dipner earned NCATA Freshman of the Week honors once and an additional honorable mention, while
Sienna Johnson also collected an honorable mention weekly recognition.
"I think it was challenging to be so young and to have such high standards from an outside source," Soper said. "But we know that we have our own standards for ourselves and are equally as competitive. We will definitely use last season as a propeller moving us forward as a program. The drive is there. The work ethic is there. The passion is there. And now we just have to execute."
The Schedule Ahead
Duquesne faces a demanding slate in 2026, with five consecutive meets against teams ranked in the NCATA preseason poll following the opener.
The Dukes travel to No. 9 Gannon on Feb. 20 before returning home to host No. 10 Azusa Pacific on March 4. Road trips to No. 6 Fairmont State (March 15) and defending national champion No. 1 Baylor (March 28) follow.
The regular season finale is set for April 9 against preseason No. 15 La Salle at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
NCAA Championship Status
Acrobatics & tumbling reached a historic milestone in January, as all three NCAA divisions voted to approve the sport as an official NCAA Championship sport beginning in 2027.
Created in 2009, acrobatics & tumbling blends elements of multiple gymnastics disciplines with the athletic components of competitive cheerleading. The sport is now sponsored by more than 50 NCAA varsity programs, with over 1,300 student-athletes competing nationwide.
"The hard work and dedication and sacrifice of so many women to get to this point, it is so much bigger than us," Soper said. "It's about all of the women who have pushed to make sure we have the opportunity to compete. Our athletes believed in the opportunity that was ahead of them. They did it based on faith and a vision. Women like them, along with the thousands before them, are what led to us achieving championship status. I think it is a very exciting time for the sport."
"When I first found out, I think I cried," McDermott said. "It's crazy to see how much the sport has evolved, even from watching it as a senior in high school to now being recognized on places like ESPN and as an NCAA sport. It's very cool. I'm excited to see the years to come."
PREVIEW PRESS CONFERENCE
Head Coach
Michaela Soper
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.
