EUGENE, Ore. – For the first time in program history, Gannon Acrobatics & Tumbling has won a meet at the NCATA National Championships. The No. 3-seeded Golden Knights bested No. 6 Limestone University (who were unbeaten at 11-0) by a score of 266.700-261.105 and now advance to tomorrow's semifinal round to face No. 2 Azusa Pacific, who defeated No. 7 Fairmont State 267.940-257.155. Azusa Pacific is the only team to have defeated Gannon in 2022, way back on March 1, with a final score of 275.600-269.965.
 
The Knights were ousted in the quarterfinals in each of the team's five previous appearances in the NCATA national championship tournament but now find themselves in the final four after a day of solid performances on the mat.
 
The meet-opening Compulsory event saw Gannon open up a slight lead on Limestone (37.900-37.200) thanks in part to a 9.900 in the Toss Heat and a 9.875 in the Pyramid Heat. It was the same story in the Acro event, with Gannon accruing additional slight advantages to take the event 29.100-28.625.
 
In the Pyramid event, Gannon's consistency once again paid off, scoring 9.800, 9.900, and 9.875 in the three heats to open up a 96.575-95.275 lead at the break. As the Knights did in the regular-season finale against No. 4 Quinnipiac University, they hit another gear after halftime and pulled away thanks to a 29.075-27.475 margin in Toss and 55.750-53.325 in tumbling. The team event also went in Gannon's favor (85.300-85.030) to secure the six-event sweep.
 
The NCATA National Championship semifinals begin with No. 3 Gannon's matchup vs. No. 2 Azusa Pacific on Friday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Azusa Pacific finished the regular season with a record of 5-1, the only blemish a loss to the University of Oregon on March 25, 280.580-279.780.