Michaela Soper was named head coach of the Dukes’ inaugural acrobatics & tumbling program on May 11, 2023, and enters her second season leading Duquesne in 2025.
One of the nation’s top young coaches, Soper arrived on the Bluff after four seasons as head coach at Limestone University. The Gannon University graduate guided the Saints to a program-best semifinal appearance at the 2023 National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championships. As the No. 6 seed, Limestone became the first Conference Carolinas program to advance in the championship tournament.
After months of recruiting a 31-member freshman class from gymnastics, tumbling, and competitive cheer backgrounds and adding two transfer bases, Soper laid a foundation that translated immediately to success. She led Duquesne to unprecedented results in its inaugural season, delivering a historic national debut in 2025. The Dukes earned a preseason No. 15 ranking in the NCATA Coaches Poll before ever competing and opened the program’s first season with a statement victory over No. 3 Gannon, the reigning national runner-up, in front of a packed UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Duquesne raced to a 3–0 start and climbed to No. 12 nationally, where it remained through the end of the season.
The Dukes finished 4–3 overall, securing a winning record with a season-high 260.760 score in the finale win over Buffalo State. All three losses came against nationally ranked opponents, including a program-best score against No. 1 Baylor that was surpassed in the season finale. Duquesne was the only first-year program ranked nationally throughout the entire season.
Soper’s leadership drew national attention as Duquesne was featured in an
Associated Press article on the growth of acrobatics & tumbling, along with multiple local media features. Mia Dipner earned NCATA National Rookie of the Week honors, while two Dukes received honorable mention national rookie of the week recognition. Academically, 27 student-athletes were named to the NCATA Academic Honor Roll.
A two-time Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year, Soper led Limestone to a 23-2 record and back-to-back conference titles (15-0 in conference play) over her final two seasons. Limestone did not lose a regular season match over that two-year span.
Under Soper's leadership, Limestone produced three NCATA All-Americans (Jessica Rubbo in 2021, Brooke McAfee in 2022 and Cameron King in 2023) and a pair of NCATA All-Academic honorees (Rylee Rossman in 2022 and Janai Brown in 2023). She also brought home the first national title for a women's sport in Limestone athletics history with a 2022 Open Pyramid National Championship.
Soper joined the staff at Limestone as an assistant in August of 2018 - prior to that program's inaugural season. She was promoted to head coach in the summer of 2019. Her career record stands at 29-7, including a 19-2 mark in conference competition.
Limestone earned the highest NCATA rank in program history - No. 5 in 2021 - under Soper, and maintained the number six seed in each of the two following seasons. The Saints clinched their first-ever NCATA Championship appearance in 2022 and were the only Division II team to make it to the semifinals in 2023.
Soper, who is committed to growing the sport of acrobatics and tumbling, has served on the scoring committee for the NCATA and is active in the NCATA Mentor program, which focuses on teaching and guiding young coaches. She is also a WeCoach Academy Graduate Class #49 and is a member of the Women Coaches Academy. Soper also served as the Conference Carolinas Committee Chair while at Limestone.
As a student-athlete, Soper competed as a base, back, top and tumbler at Gannon. The two-time Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Academic Team member also spent her time coaching and organizing camps and clinics for young acrobatics and tumbling athletes.
Soper, a native of Fallston, Md., graduated from Gannon in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Exercise Science. She completed her Master's Degree in Business Administration (management and leadership) at Limestone.
While working toward her undergraduate degree, Soper gained valuable coaching experience by holding positions at Harford Gymnastics Training Center, Stars Cheerleading and Bas Melech Performance Arts Center in her home state of Maryland.
Season Results
Overall: 6th season (35-11)
| Season (2nd) |
Overall
(6-4) |
Final Rank |
Notes |
| 2026 |
2-1 |
-- |
in progress |
| 2025 |
4-3 |
No. 12 |
First season in program history; first national ranking; win over No. 3 Gannon in debut meet |
AT LIMESTONE
| Season (4) |
Overall (29-7) |
Final Rank |
Notes |
| 2023 |
12-1 |
No. 6 |
No. 6 seed in NCATA National Championships (semifinals) ... Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament champions ... Six Conference Carolinas individual event titles ... Kacie Kier - NCATA Division II Freshman of the Year ... Conference Carolinas Athlete of the Year, Messick Sportsmanship Award, six named to All-Conference teams. |
| 2022 |
11-1 |
No. 6 |
Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year ... No. 6 seed in NCATA National Championships (quarterfinals) ... Conference Carolinas regular season (9-0) and tournament champions ... Eight Conference Carolinas individual event titles ... Conference Carolinas Specialist of the Year, 10 named to All-Conference teams. |
| 2021 |
3-3 |
-- |
Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year ... Ranked as high as No. 5 in NCATA Regular Season Polls ... No. 2 seed in Conference Carolinas inaugural conference championship ... Won three conference individual event finals ... Conference Carolinas Specialist of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Elite 23 Award, 10 named to All-Conference teams. |
| 2020 |
3-2 |
-- |
Last 3 meets canceled ... No postseason due to COVID |
NCATA National Rankings
AT DUQUESNE
| Season |
Preseason |
Highest |
Final |
| 2026 |
No. 7 |
in progress |
|
| 2025 |
No. 15 |
No. 12 |
No. 12 |
AT LIMESTONE
| Season |
Preseason |
Highest |
Final |
| 2023 |
No. 6 |
No. 6 |
No. 6 |
| 2022 |
No. 9 |
No. 6 |
No. 6 |
| 2021 |
No. 10 |
No. 5 |
-- |
| 2020 |
No. 10 |
End of Season Canceled (COVID) |
NCATA National Championships
AT DUQUESNE
| Season |
Team |
Individual Event Qualifiers |
| -- |
-- |
-- |
AT LIMESTONE
| Season |
Team |
Individual Event Qualifiers |
| 2023 |
No. 6 seed ... Semifinals |
Six Element Acro (tied 2nd), Open Pyramid Heat 3 (tied 2nd), Tumbling Trio (tied 2nd), Open Tumbling (3rd), Synchronized Pyramid (5th) |
| 2022 |
No. 6 seed ... Quarterfinals |
Open Pyramid (1st, national champions), Five Element Acro (4th), 450 Salto Toss (4th), Open Tumbling (4th), Inversion Pyramid (6th), Synchronized Pyramid (7th) |
NCATA Honors
AT DUQUESNE
Weekly Honors: Rookie of the Week (1)
| Season |
Student-Athlete |
Award |
| 2025 |
Mia Dipner |
NCATA Rookie of the Week // Week 2 |
AT LIMESTONE
End of Season Honors: All-America Team (3) ... Division II Freshman of the Year (1)
Weekly Honors: Athlete of the Week (3) ... Specialist of the Week (2) ... Freshman of the Week (4)
| Season |
Student-Athlete |
Award |
| 2023 |
Kacie Kier |
NCATA Division II Freshman of the Year |
| 2023 |
Cameron King |
NCATA All-American |
| 2023 |
Savannah Venters |
NCATA Specialist of the Week // Week 4 |
| 2023 |
Cameron King |
NCATA Athlete of the Week // Week 4 |
| 2023 |
Janai Brown |
NCATA Freshman of the Week // Week 3 |
| 2023 |
Kacie Kier |
NCATA Freshman of the Week // Week 1 |
| 2023 |
Genesis Carson |
NCATA Athlete of the Week // Week 1 |
| 2022 |
Brooke McAfee |
NCATA All-American |
| 2022 |
Cameron King |
NCATA Freshman of the Week // Week 9 |
| 2022 |
Morgan Bramble |
NCATA Freshman of the Week // Week 7 |
| 2022 |
Marita Mausser |
NCATA Specialist of the Week // Week 4 |
| 2021 |
Jessica Rubbio |
NCATA All-American |
| 2021 |
Jessica Rubbo |
NCATA Athlete of the Week // Week 3 |
NCATA Academic Honor Roll
AT DUQUESNE
| Season (2nd) |
NCATA Academic Honor Roll Selections (27) |
| 2025 |
27 |
AT LIMESTONE
| Season (4) |
NCATA Academic Honor Roll Selections (99 • 2 NCATA All-Academic Team) |
| 2023 |
32 • 1 on NCATA All-Academic Team |
| 2022 |
32 • 1 on NCATA All-Academic Team |
| 2021 |
21 |
| 2020 |
14 |
