Azusa, Calif. – The No. 8-seeded Duquesne University acrobatics and tumbling team concluded its first National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) Championship appearance with a 273.385–250.770 loss to top-seeded Baylor in the quarterfinals Thursday night at the Felix Event Center on the campus of Azusa Pacific University.
Competing in just its second season, Duquesne was the youngest team in the national championship field.
Duquesne won two heats against the 10-time defending national champions, highlighted by
Briella Unger scoring a 9.650 in the Aerial Pass and
Lindsay Kivlan posting a 9.775 in the Open Pass. The individual passes were two of eight heats in which the Dukes scored 9.500 or better.
"We're so proud of the team. We've worked really hard this year, and I think it all came to fruition," said head coach Michaela Soper. "We're a young team and a very young program — not just in skills and years, but the actual team members, they're sophomores and freshmen. It's incredible what they've accomplished in a short amount of time."
Pyramid featured all three heats scoring above 9.5, including a 9.625 in the Inversion Pyramid (
Jamie Bray,
Alia Ellis,
Abby McDermott,
Caileigh Kertis,
Mia Dipner,
Genevieve Muise and
Clare Frantti), a 9.575 in the Synchronized Pyramid (
Carly Longenecker,
McKenna Fisher,
Morgan Shaffer,
Addie Wright,
Georgia Clancy,
Claire Piper,
Sarah Golie,
Mia Kenney,
Mireya Maymi, Ellis, McDermott, and Muise) and a 9.625 in the Open Pyramid (
Claire Marshall,
Alaina Baumgartner, Unger, Maymi, Kivlan, McDermott, Kertis, Ellis, Longenecker and Frantti).
The Dukes also recorded a 9.55 in Compulsory Pyramid from
Natalie Angland,
Taylor Wallace, Clancy, Ellis, Fisher, Kertis, Shaffer, Longenecker, Maymi, Unger, McDermott and Wright.
In acro, the Five-Element unit of Longenecker, Ellis, Wallace and Kertis and the Seven-Element group of
Abby Eberle,
Anna Trent, Dipner and Kenney each scored 9.50.
The Dukes closed with an 82.220 in the Team Event to finish with a total score of 250.770 and 35.2 in deductions on the day.
With two heat wins, Duquesne joins Converse (2022, 2018) as the only No. 8 seeds to win multiple heats against a No. 1 seed in NCATA National Quarterfinal history.
INDIVIDUAL EVENT FINALS
Duquesne will learn Saturday if it has qualified for any of the NCATA Individual Event Finals when selections are announced. The finals are scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET).
POST-MEET PRESS CONFERENCE
Coach Soper,
Sienna Johnson, and
Abby McDermott
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.
Gallery: (4-23-2026) 2026 NCATA National QF vs. Baylor
