KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Gannon University acrobatics and tumbling team experienced an almost ideal opening day to the 2024 season on Saturday in a tri-meet at Kutztown's Keystone Arena.

There was a lot for Gannon head coach Brandy Duren to like about the opener. Consider this:

• The Golden Knights went 2-0, beating host Kutztown and East Stroudsburg.
• Gannon posted a strong final score of 276.235 as the Knights finished with a comfortable margin over Kutztown (250.430) and East Stroudsburg (235.160).
• GU won all six events, including an outstanding score of 94.360 in the Team Event, the last of six events in the meet.

It was the kind of strong start that might have been needed for Duren's team, which will now face six consecutive teams that were ranked among the Top 10 in the National College Acrobatics and Tumbling Association's Preseason poll.

"I am very pleased with the team's execution today," Duren said. "We've been working all preseason on building consistency, and it showed today. I'm proud of us today, and I can't wait to continue building this season."

Gannon, which was ranked No. 4 in the Preseason poll, is no stranger to tough competition as a program that advanced to the NCATA national quarterfinals in 2023 and the national finals in 2022.
 

Compulsory:

Gannon opened the tri-meet with a strong 38.15 total among the four heats in the Compulsory Event, during which the teams perform required skills.

The Knights posted scores of 9.60 in the Acro Heat, 9.80 in the Pyramid Heat, and 9.90 in the Toss Heat before closing with an 8.85 in the Tumbling Heat.

Their score of 38.15 topped Kutztown's 35.35 and East Stroudsburg's 34.50.
 

Acro:

Gannon won the Acro Event with a three-heat total of 28.20.

The Knights opened with a 9.85 in the five-element heat and had the highest score in each of the three heats.
 

Pyramid:

Gannon is traditionally strong in the Pyramid Event, and that showed again on Saturday as the Knights racked up scores of 9.60, 9.70, and 9.55 in the three Pyramid heats.
That gave them a 28.85 total out of 30.00 start value.
 

Toss:

Gannon's strongest event in recent seasons might be the Toss Event. After all, Gannon won two NCATA event national titles last season, and both came in the Toss – the Synchronized Toss and Open Toss.

On Saturday, Gannon posted an outstanding 29.30 score out of a possible 30.00 in the event.

That included a 9.85 in the opening 450 Salto. The Knights also compiled a 9.75 in the Synchronized Toss and a 9.70 in the Open Toss.
 

Tumbling:

Gannon has been focusing on sharpening its Tumbling Event skills going into the 2024 season.

On Saturday, the Knights posted a sparkling 57.375 score from a State Value of 58.65. Among the top scores were a 9.900 in the Aerial Pass, a 9.875 in the 6 Element Pass, a 9.850 in the Open Pass, and a 9.750 in the Duo Pass.

 
Team:

One of the main focuses for Coach Duren's staff in the preseason was improving GU's scores in the Team Event, which is the last event of each meet.

If Saturday is any indication, the Golden Knights could be in for a big season in the Team Event. The Knights finished with a score of 94.360 out of a Start Value of 107.400, which features a high degree of difficulty.

Kutztown was next with 87.080, and East Stroudsburg had a 79.910 total.
 

Gannon lineup:

Here's Gannon's lineup from Saturday:

Ali Price (New Paris, Pa./Chestnut Ridge), junior
Charisma Felix (Las Vegas, Nev./College of So. Nevada High School West), junior
Ty Upton (South Amboy, N.J./St. Thomas Aquinas), junior
Nicole Pavia (Oxford, Conn./Oxford High), junior
Kat Rodriguez (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall), senior
Peyton Oliver (Vallejo, Calif./Jesse M. Bethel), sophomore
Bethany Schirz (Reno, Nev./Edward C. Reed), graduate
Annie Colantonio (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin), senior
Michaelah Lanza (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North), graduate
Ashley Fallgren (Beaverton, Ore./Hillsboro), graduate
Layna Bergeron (Johnston, R.I./La Salle Academy), sophomore
Tori Soper (Sheffield Lake, Ohio/Ohio Connections Academy), sophomore
Paytyn Neal (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior High), freshman
Courtney Solensky (Columbia, Conn./E.O. Smith), senior
Alexandria DeAngelis (Audubon, N.J./Camden Catholic High School), freshman
Marissa Burge (Fairview, Pa./Fairview), sophomore
Lillie Fritz (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler), junior
Kathryn Rhine (Damascus, Ore./Clackamas), senior
Madison Rhine (Damascus, Ore./Clackamas), senior
Kamryn Kameg (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson), sophomore
Lauren Rupert (Central Square, N.Y./Paul V. Moore), junior
Montana Muller (Catasauqua, Pa./Catasauqua), senior
Megan Revell (Richland, Wash./Richland High), junior
Mikayla Kis (Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute), sophomore
Ariana Fitzpatrick (Burlington, N.J./Northern Burlington County Regional H.S.), freshman
Alexis Tosado (Sparks, Nev./Edward C. Reed), graduate
Brianna Arre (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend), senior
Morgan Gilbert (Black River, N.Y./Immaculate Heart Central), graduate
 

What's ahead:

Gannon will prepare for a matchup at No. 6 Frostburg State on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. in Frostburg, Md.