Pittsburgh, Pa. – In just its second season, the No. 8 Duquesne acrobatics and tumbling team travels to Azusa, Calif. for its first National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championship this week, opening competition against No. 1 Baylor in the quarterfinals on Thursday night. In addition to the team bracket, the Dukes will also have the opportunity to qualify for the individual event finals, scheduled for Sunday morning.
MEET INFO
No. 8 Duquesne Dukes (3-3) vs. No. 1 Baylor Bears (9-0)
Thursday, April 23 • 10:00 PM (ET) / 7:00 PM (PT)
Felix Event Center • Azusa, CA
NCATA National Championship • Quarterfinals
THE DUKES
Roster • Schedule • Team Scores • Individual Scores
- Led by head coach Michaela Soper, Duquesne reaches the national stage in just its second season, marking a significant milestone for the young program. The Dukes were the youngest team ranked in the top 10 throughout the year and remained nationally ranked all season. Entering the regular-season finale at No. 9, Duquesne used a program-record 263.400 score to climb to No. 8 and secure the final bid to the NCATA National Championship field.
- Duquesne returns 30 student-athletes from last year's inaugural squad, including graduate student Abby McDermott and junior Alia Ellis, while welcoming back a 28-member sophomore class. Seven freshmen joined the program this season.
- Season Overview: Duquesne is averaging 257.912 points this season while navigating a challenging schedule that included four top-10 matchups, three of which came on the road. The Dukes finished the regular season 3-3 overall, including a perfect 3-0 mark at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. They surpassed the 260 mark twice, posting a 260.595 at No. 6 Fairmont State before setting a program record with a 263.400 in the regular-season finale against La Salle. Duquesne also earned a signature victory over then-No. 10 Azusa Pacific, sweeping all six events, and opened the campaign with a 255.130 score in a nearly 40-point win over West Liberty. All three losses came on the road against top-10 opponents — No. 9 Gannon, No. 6 Fairmont State and No. 1 Baylor.
- Last Time Out: Duquesne closed the regular season with a program-record 263.400 in a victory over La Salle on the program's first Senior Night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. The Dukes set program highs in both compulsory (37.65) and acro (28.70) to take control early and went on to sweep all six events, winning 17 of 19 heats. Duquesne also posted a program-best 89.30 in the team event. Briella Unger (aerial pass) and Lindsay Kivlan (open pass) highlighted the tumbling event, each competing from a 10.0 start value for the first time and delivering program-high scores. Unger scored a 9.725, while Kivlan recorded a 9.850.
- Record Book Update: The Dukes have surpassed 16 of its 19 heat records from its inaugural season, including new program highs in all three acro and all three pyramid heats. Five of six events — compulsory, acro, pyramid, toss and team — have eclipsed previous program highs this season.
- Dukes Near Perfection: Duquesne has recorded four heat scores of 9.90 or higher this season, highlighted by a program-record 9.95 in compulsory toss against Azusa Pacific. The Dukes also posted 9.90s in five-element acro twice — in the season opener against West Liberty and the regular-season finale against La Salle — along with a 9.90 in inversion pyramid versus Azusa Pacific. In the pyramid event, Duquesne has recorded less than a point in total deductions in each of its last five meets.
- Dukes-Bears Meet Again: Baylor becomes Duquesne's most frequently faced opponent in the program's early history, as the teams meet for the third time. The Bears lead the series 2-0, earning a 275.030–256.210 win in Pittsburgh in 2025 and a 278.300–255.030 victory earlier this season on March 28 in Waco. Thursday's quarterfinal marks Duquesne's first neutral-site competition in program history.
- 2026 NCATA Weekly Honors: Alia Ellis – Mar. 4 after No. 10 Azusa Pacific – Specialist of the Week (first Duke in program history to earn the honor)
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Roster • Schedule/Results
- The 10-time defending NCATA national champion, Baylor enters the championship as the No. 1 seed with a 9-0 record and an average score of 280.651.
- The Bears carry a 57-meet winning streak dating back to March 27, 2021, and closed the regular season with a 286.810 — their fourth score above 280 this year — in a win over No. 2 Oregon.
- Head coach Felecia Mulkey has won all 14 NCATA national championships, including four at Oregon (2009-14) and 10 consecutive titles at Baylor (2015-24).
INDIVIDUAL EVENT FINALS
- The NCATA Individual Event Finals will conclude championship weekend on Sunday at 10 a.m. PT.
- Qualifiers are determined by the highest-scoring performances during Thursday's quarterfinal meets. Ties are broken using season adjusted averages, with one at-large selection in each heat based on season performance among non-qualifying teams.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow the Duquesne Acrobatics and Tumbling team online at
GoDuquesne.com and on
Twitter (X) and
Instagram (@duqacrotumb).
ABOUT ACROBATICS & TUMBLING
Created in 2009, Acrobatics & Tumbling is the evolution of multiple gymnastics disciplines, incorporating the athletic elements of competitive cheerleading. The sport is sponsored by 52 NCAA varsity programs, with 47 teams competing this spring and more than 1,300 student-athletes nationwide. In January, Acrobatics & Tumbling was officially elevated from an NCAA Emerging Sport to an NCAA Championship Sport and will debut its first National Collegiate Championship in spring 2027. For more information, visit
TheNCATA.org.
