Acrobatics and Tumbling | 4/22/2026 12:00:00 PM

Azusa, Calif. — The No. 7 Gannon University Acrobatics & Tumbling team will make its return to the national stage on Thursday, April 23, facing No. 2 seed Oregon in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 NCATA National Championships.

The meet is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. (ET) / 1:30 p.m. (PT) at the Felix Events Center in Azusa, California, hosted by Azusa Pacific University.

Gannon enters the championship with a 6-3 overall record, highlighted by a perfect 5-0 mark at home in the first season under head coach Addy Womeldorph. The Golden Knights earned the No. 7 seed in this year's eight-team, single-elimination bracket.

"Coaching a group of student-athletes that are so passionate about Gannon and this sport has been incredibly rewarding," Womeldorph said. "Making the top eight shows what this team is willing to do for each other, and they're not satisfied just being here; they have bigger goals."
 
National Stage Return
This marks Gannon's ninth appearance at the NCATA National Championships (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026). It also marks the third time in program history the Golden Knights will travel west to Azusa Pacific for nationals (2014, 2017, 2026).

The Golden Knights have advanced to the semifinals twice in program history (2022, 2024), with both runs ending against top-seeded Baylor.
 
Familiar Foe
Thursday's matchup features a familiar opponent in Oregon. The Ducks hold a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 276.140-265.525 win in a similar 2018 national quarterfinal meeting.

Gannon's lone victory in the series came in the 2022 regular season when the Golden Knights defeated Oregon 275.690-271.270.

Earlier this season, Oregon claimed a 276.055-270.570 victory on March 6. Despite the loss, Gannon delivered one of its strongest performances of the year, posting season-high scores across multiple events.

"That meet really raised the bar for this team," Womeldorph said. "They proved to themselves they can handle competing with a top-two program. We were right there with them, and since then we've made adjustments and continued to build consistency."
 
What To Watch
Gannon has shown the ability to compete with the nation's best, highlighted by a season-high team score of 270.570. The Golden Knights have continued to build momentum throughout the season and will look to capitalize on their depth across all events.

In their regular-season meeting with Oregon, Gannon posted season-high marks in several events, including Compulsory (38.40), Acro (28.55), Pyramid (29.50), Toss (28.35), Tumbling (54.10), and the Team Event (91.670), showcasing their ability to match up with one of the nation's top programs.

A full breakdown of Gannon's season-high scores across all events can be found later in the story.

Since that meet, the Golden Knights have continued to progress, recording a season-high 28.60 in the acro event and matching their top pyramid score of 29.50 in a meet against then No. 8 Mary Hardin-Baylor.

"We've made some adjustments since that meet, especially in acro and tumbling," Womeldorph said. "The focus has been on consistency and increasing our start values, and we're planning to put out upgrades at nationals."

A strong showing in Thursday's quarterfinal is also critical for individual postseason honors. The top four scores in each event across all quarterfinal meets will advance to Sunday's event finals, providing additional opportunities for Gannon student-athletes to compete for national titles.
 
Season Notes & Honors
The Golden Knights opened the season ranked No. 9 in the NCATA Preseason Coaches' Poll before climbing two spots and holding steady at No. 7 in the national rankings heading into the championship.

Gannon has also earned multiple NCATA weekly honors throughout the 2026 season. Freshman Ady Rothermel has been named NCATA Division II Freshman of the Week five times, while junior Paytyn Neal (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior High) earned NCATA Division II Athlete of the Week honors twice.

After opening the season ranked ninth before climbing to No. 7, the Golden Knights maintained a consistent message throughout the year.

"From the start, it was never about the opponent across the mat," Womeldorph said. "It was about how we can beat ourselves each meet and continue to improve. Keeping the focus on us is what got this team to where it is now."

Championship Experience
The Golden Knights bring a history of success on the national stage, including multiple individual event national titles:

• 2014: Acro Six-Element, Acro Seven-Element
• 2022: Synchronized Pyramid, Synchronized Toss, Open Toss
• 2023: Synchronized Toss, Open Toss
• 2024: Synchronized Pyramid, Synchronized Toss

Gannon also narrowly missed another title in 2023, tying with Baylor in the Synchronized Pyramid before falling in a sudden victory tiebreaker.

Gannon Season Highs

Compulsory
Acro Heat – 9.65 (vs. Duquesne / at Oregon)
Pyramid Heat – 9.90 (vs. UMHB / vs. Glenville State)
Toss Heat – 9.90 (vs. UMHB / vs. Glenville State / at Oregon)
Tumbling Heat – 9.00 (at Oregon)
Total – 38.40 (at Oregon)

Acro
Heat 1 (5 Element) – 9.90 (at Canisius)
Heat 2 (6 Element) – 9.45 (vs. Duquesne)
Heat 3 (7 Element) – 9.65 (vs. Glenville State)
Total – 28.60 (vs. Glenville State)

Pyramid
Heat 1 (Inversion) – 9.90 (at Oregon)
Heat 2 (Synchronized) – 9.80 (vs. UMHB)
Heat 3 (Open) – 9.95 (at Oregon)
Total – 29.50 (vs. UMHB / at Oregon)

Toss
Heat 1 (450 Salto) – 9.75 (at Oregon)
Heat 2 (Synchronized) – 9.30 (vs. Glenville State)
Heat 3 (Open) – 9.90 (at Canisius)
Total – 28.35 (at Oregon)

Tumbling
Duo Pass – 8.80 (at Oregon)
Trio Pass – 8.80 (vs. UMHB)
Quad Pass – 8.30 (vs. Glenville State)
Aerial Pass – 9.350 (at Oregon)
6 Element Pass – 9.575 (at Oregon)
Open Pass – 9.675 (vs. UMHB)
Total – 54.10 (at Oregon)

Team Event
91.67 (at Oregon)
 
The Bracket
As Gannon returns to the national stage, the focus remains on execution and continuing to build on the program's momentum.

"Our goal is to go out, hit our routines cleanly, and represent Gannon the right way," Womeldorph said. "If we take care of what we do best, we'll put ourselves in a great position."

The winner of Thursday's quarterfinal will advance to the semifinals on Friday, April 24, facing the winner of No. 3 Quinnipiac vs. No. 6 Iona at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

The championship meet is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at 5:00 p.m. (ET), with event finals set for Sunday morning.

026 Ncata National Championships Schedule
Felix Events Center | Azusa, Calif.

*All times listed are Pacific Time. Eastern Time is noted in parentheses.

Quarterfinals (Thursday, April 23)

• #3 Quinnipiac vs. #6 Iona – 10:30 a.m. PT (1:30 p.m. ET)
• #2 Oregon vs. #7 Gannon – 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 p.m. ET)
• #4 Fairmont State vs. #5 Augustana – 4:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. ET)
• #1 Baylor vs. #8 Duquesne – 7:00 p.m. PT (10:00 p.m. ET)

Semifinals (Friday, April 24)

• Meet #5: Winner Meet #1 vs. Winner Meet #2 – 4:30 p.m. PT (7:30 p.m. ET)
• Meet #6: Winner Meet #3 vs. Winner Meet #4 – 7:00 p.m. PT (10:00 p.m. ET)

Finals (Saturday, April 25)

• Championship Meet – 5:00 p.m. PT (8:00 p.m. ET)

 Event Finals (Sunday, April 26)

• 10:00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. ET)