ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon acrobatics and tumbling squad overcame a deficit during the final team event for the second time this season to post a heart-stopping 270.175-269.58 victory against Alderson Broaddus Saturday afternoon at the Hammermill Center. As a result, the Lady Knights clinched a winning record during their inaugural campaign.
Trailing 177.4-177.175, Gannon needed a solid performance during the final team event. The Lady Knights came up big with a 93.0 score compared to Alderson Broaddus' 92.18 tally. The win shifted the final overall scoring total in Gannon's favor by .595 point.
Both teams battled tooth and nail throughout the entire meet that never had a lead bigger than 0.7 point. Gannon and Alderson Broaddus battled to a 36.1-36.1 tie after the opening compulsory event. The Lady Knights won the opening acro heat by an 8.2-7.8 count. But the Battlers rebounded with slim victories in the final three heats to knot the score. It was a high-scoring event as Gannon posted a 9.85 score during the pyramid heat and a 9.9 score during the toss heat despite losses in both.
Gannon swept the acro event to assume a 65.45-64.95 overall lead. The Lady Knights' best score came during the six-element heat.
Haili Menard (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood),
Paisley Moses (Eugene, Ore./Henry D. Sheldon) and
Alexa Maldonado (Dundee, Ore./Newberg) received a 9.9 score compared to Alderson Broaddus' 9.7 total.
The five-element team of
Lindsey McKnight (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep),
Haley Garelick (Valencia, Calif./William S. Hart),
Ravyne Barnett (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) and
Kayla Telego (Knox, Pa./Keystone) kicked off the acro segment with a tight 9.75-9.7 victory.
The seven-element squad of McKnight,
Amanda Till (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon), Garelick and
Lindsay Moir (Erie, Pa./McDowell) wrapped up the sweep with a 9.7-9.45 decision.
Gannon was the best during two of the three heats in the pyramid event, creating a 95.1-94.4 halftime advantage. It represented the largest lead by either team. The Lady Knights recorded a pair of 9.95 scores during the first two pyramid heats, resulting in wins.
Alderson Broaddus made a run after the intermission. Gannon took home the initial heat of the toss event. McKnight,
Ciara Rand (Goodyear, Ariz./Verrado), Telego,
Jessica Page (Eden, N.Y./Eden), Garelick and Maldonado earned a 9.65-9.6 victory. But the Battlers began their run at that point, winning the final two heats to pull within 123.25-123.0 after four events.
The visitors won five of the six tumbling heats to forge ahead for the first time. Gannon's tumbling trio of Page, Menard and McKnight secured the Lady Knights' only victory of the event with an 8.4-7.9 verdict. Alderson Broaddus raised its hand after the other five tumbling heats to grab a 177.4-177.175 lead heading into the final team event.
Gannon concluded its inaugural season with a 5-4 record, clinching a winning campaign while sweeping the season series from Alderson Broaddus. The Lady Knights also came from behind during their previous encounter with the Battlers, rallying from a deficit in the final team event to win at Alderson Broaddus 269.015-267.84 on March 9. The Battlers concluded the regular season with a 3-8 record.
Head coach
Chelsea Shaw's club returns to action April 23-26 at the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championships hosted by Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California.
