ERIE, Pa. - The Gannon acrobatics and tumbling team has arrived in Waco, Texas for this weekend's 2016 National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championships hosted by Baylor University at the Ferrell Center.
Gannon will be making its second national championship appearance during the program's three-year history. The Lady Knights enter the Elite Eight as the eighth-ranked team in the country. The championship begins Saturday, April 16 with the national individual event finals at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Four Gannon groups qualified for the individual event finals in the acro five element, acro six element, pyramid flip and pyramid twist heats. Senior
Kayla Telego (Knox, Pa./Keystone), junior
Ciara Rand (Goodyear, Ariz./Verrado), sophomore
Chelsea Cowan (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep), sophomore
Rachel Robinson (Leander, Texas/Vista Ridge) and freshman
Mackenzie Kavlick (Erie, Pa./McDowell) will represent Gannon in the acro five element championship. The Lady Knights averaged 9.60 in six competitions, producing a high of 9.90 during the Quinnipiac (Conn.) dual meet and Oregon/King (Tenn.) tri-meet.
The acro six element team of Telego, Cowan, sophomore
Mackenzie Mraz (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) and sophomore
Hayley Nejman (Erie, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) aim for a national title after averaging 9.73 points this season. The high mark was a 9.95 score against Concordia (Wis.).
Senior
Lindsey McKnight (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep), junior
Angelina Grandinetti (Fayetteville, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius), Nejman, Robinson, Mraz, sophomore
Elizabeth Martin (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) and freshman
Andrea Cygan (Butler, Pa./Butler) comprise the pyramid flip group. Gannon generated an average of 9.85 points in six attempts this season. The Lady Knights recorded a perfect 10.0 against Concordia (Wis.).
The final Gannon group trying to win an individual event national title will be the pyramid twist heat that includes Rand, Mraz, sophomore
Kelsey LeClair (Temecula, Calif./Temecula), sophomore
Michaela Soper (Fallston, Md./Fallston) and freshman
Mikayla Vecchio (Cheswick, Pa./Deer Lakes). The five-member team averaged 9.88 points in six attempts, topped by a season-best 9.95 score during the Quinnipiac (Conn.) dual meet and Oregon/King (Tenn.) tri-meet.
Gannon has qualified 12 teams for the individual event finals during the last three years. The Lady Knights competed in the acro six-element and pyramid salto heats last season.
The program participated in six heats during its inaugural year in 2014, being crowned national champions in the acro six element and seven element heats. The Lady Knights also finished among the top three in four other individual events. The squad was runner-up in the flip heat (9.90) of the pyramid event and five element heat (9.75) of the acro event. Additionally, Gannon finished third in the twist (9.80) and release (9.75) heats of the pyramid event.
The team championship bracket kicks off Sunday, April 17 with four quarterfinal meets. Eighth-seed Gannon will be tested immediately, facing top-seeded Baylor at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The defending national champion Bears defeated Oregon 286.690-282.870 during last year's finals.
Sunday's national quarterfinals begin with a clash between third-seed Quinnipiac (Conn.) and sixth-seed Fairmont State at 1 p.m. Second-seed Oregon and seventh-seed Alderson Broaddus follow at 3 p.m.
The second half of the bracket kicks off with the Gannon-Baylor match-up at 6 p.m. followed by fourth-seed Hawaii Pacific and fifth-seed Azusa Pacific in the nightcap at 8 p.m. All times are eastern standard time.
Semifinal meets are scheduled for Monday, April 18 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. with the semifinal winners returning to compete for the NCATA National Championship Tuesday, April 19 at 8 p.m. The finals can be seen live on FOX College Sports Pacific - DISH 447 and DirecTV 608-1.
Gannon will be making its second national championship appearance since beginning the program three years ago. The Lady Knights qualified during their inaugural season in 2014 as the seventh seed, before falling to No. 2 Azusa Pacific during the opening round.
Head coach
Chevonne White's club finished 4-4 overall this season with a 260.455-244.775 victory against Glenville State during the regular-season finale, clinching a .500 regular-season record or better for the second time during the program's three-year existence.
All-session tickets for the NCATA national championships cost $30 for adults. Children under two-years-old will be admitted free of charge. Single-session admission is $10 for adults, $5 for youth (2-17) and $5 for groups of 20 or more.
