NCATA CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
SCHEDULE/RESULTS
At Fairmont State University
Quarterfinals (Thursday, April 25)
Meet #1: #2 Quinnipiac 266.690, #7 Frostburg State 246.430
Meet #2: #3 Gannon 267.165, #6 Azusa Pacific 252.545
Meet #3: #4 Oregon 262.745, #5 Mary Hardin-Baylor 259.665
Meet #4: #1 Baylor 271.170, #8 Fairmont State 256.070
 
Semifinals (Friday, April 26)
Meet #5: No. 3 Gannon 266.615, No. 2 Quinnipiac 265.315
Meet #6: No. 1 Baylor 268.335, No. 4 Oregon 260.470 
 
Finals (Saturday, April 27)
Meet #7: No. 3 Gannon vs. No. 1 Baylor – 5:00 p.m.
 
 
FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Gannon is heading back to the NCATA national championship!
 
The No. 3-seeded GU acrobatics and tumbling team edged No. 2 Quinnipiac 266.615-265.315 in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association semifinals on Friday evening at Fairmont State University's Feaster Center.
 
Coach Brandy Duren's Golden Knights will advance to the NCATA championship meet on Saturday at 5 p.m. against the No. 1 Baylor, which defeated No. 4 Oregon 268.335-260.470. Baylor is the eight-time defending national champion.

 

Gannon University advance to the National Championship! pic.twitter.com/hCerlL7OFS

— NCATA (@theNCATA) April 26, 2024

 
This is the second time in the 10-year history of Gannon's A&T program that the Golden Knights will compete in the NCATA finals. It's also the second time in three years. Gannon advanced to the NCATA championship meet in 2022 when it faced Baylor. The Bears won their seventh title in a row that season.
 
Gannon's victory over Quinnipiac ended a two-meet losing streak against the Bobcats. Quinnipiac eliminated Gannon in the 2023 NCATA quarterfinals and beat the Golden Knights in their 2024 regular-season finale.
 
Gannon's record improved to 8-2 while Quinnipiac suffered its only loss of the season as it dropped to 7-1.
 
 

Duren's journey:
 
Gannon's head coach has had quite a three-year whirlwind with the program. Duren was a Gannon assistant coach in 2022 when the team advanced to the national championship meet under former head coach Jacquie Eshleman.
 
When Eshleman left before the 2023 season to start a program at Division I Iona, Duren took over as the Golden Knights' head coach. She led the Knights to a NCATA quarterfinal appearance in her first season as head coach.
 
However, Gannon is now back in the national championship with Duren as the head coach. She has been consistently saying all season that a national title was her team's goal. Now, Duren and her Knights are in the championship meet with a chance to get that first title.
 
 

Gannon in the quad tumbling pass!@GUKnights pic.twitter.com/Nyb38QgAT2

— NCATA (@theNCATA) April 26, 2024

 

Remarkably close meet:
 
One of the most intriguing notes about Gannon's historic win on Friday is that Gannon never led against Quinnipiac until the final score was posted. The Golden Knights showed the persistence to stay close to the Bobcats throughout the meet before surging ahead during the final event – the all-important Team Event.
 
Quinnipiac took an early 37.600-37.300 lead in the Compulsory event and increased the lead to 66.350-65.850 in the Acro event.
 
Gannon won the Pyramid event 28.975-28.875 as Quinnipiac led at the half by a score of 95.225-94.825.
 
The meet's score remained extremely close as the Bobcats edged the Knights 28.550-28.450 in the Toss to maintain a 123.775-123.275 lead through four events.
 
Then came the Tumbling, an event where Quinnipiac has been traditionally strong. The Bobcats outscored the Knights 55.950-55.050 in the event to take a 179.725-178.325 advantage going into the Team event.
 
That's when Gannon surged to victory. The Golden Knights posted a score of 88.290 while the Bobcats finished with 85.590. That provided Gannon with its winning margin.
 
 

See you in the National Championship, @GUacrotumbling!

?? @theNCATA https://t.co/lcKERBisYA pic.twitter.com/9s3Lq1PBz2

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) April 26, 2024

 
Gannon's lineup on Friday:
 
1 Kylie Brown (Virginia Beach, Va./Salem), sophomore
2 Ali Price (New Paris, Pa./Chestnut Ridge), junior
3 Charisma Felix (Las Vegas, Nev./College of So. Nevada High School West), junior
5 Ty Upton (South Amboy, N.J./St. Thomas Aquinas), junior
6 Nicole Pavia (Oxford, Conn./Oxford High), junior
7 Kat Rodriguez (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall), senior
12 Peyton Oliver (Vallejo, Calif./Jesse M. Bethel), sophomore
13 Bethany Schirz (Reno, Nev./Edward C. Reed), graduate
14 Annie Colantonio (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin), senior
15 Michaelah Lanza (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North), graduate
16 Ashley Fallgren (Beaverton, Ore./Hillsboro), graduate
17 Layna Bergeron (Johnston, R.I./La Salle Academy), sophomore
18 Tori Soper (Sheffield Lake, Ohio/Ohio Connections Academy), sophomore
21 Courtney Solensky (Columbia, Conn./E.O. Smith), senior
22 Reagan McMahon (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), junior
23 Alexandria DeAngelis (Audubon, N.J./Camden Catholic High School), freshman
24 Marissa Burge (Fairview, Pa./Fairview), sophomore
32 Lillie Fritz (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler), junior
34 Kathryn Rhine (Damascus, Ore./Clackamas), senior
35 Madison Rhine (Damascus, Ore./Clackamas), senior
37 Lauren Rupert (Central Square, N.Y./Paul V. Moore), junior
38 Montana Muller (Catasauqua, Pa./Catasauqua), senior
39 Megan Revell (Richland, Wash./Richland High), junior
42 Mikayla Kis (Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada/Silverthorn Collegiate Institute), sophomore
43 Ariana Fitzpatrick (Burlington, N.J./Northern Burlington County Regional H.S.), freshman
44 Alexis Tosado (Sparks, Nev./Edward C. Reed), graduate
45 Brianna Arre (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend), senior
47 Morgan Gilbert (Black River, N.Y./Immaculate Heart Central), graduate