Acrobatics and Tumbling | 4/25/2026 3:51:00 PM

AZUSA, Calif. – The National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) announced its 2026 qualifiers for Event Finals on Saturday morning.

Event finals are set for Sunday, April 26 at the Felix Event Center on the campus of Azusa Pacific University. 

The event will get underway at 10 a.m. (PT) on day four of the NCATA National Championships and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Four Gannon University Acrobatics & Tumbling heats have qualified for the NCATA National Event Finals after posting top-four scores across all quarterfinal meets.

Qualifiers are determined by the highest-scoring performances during Thursday's quarterfinal tournament meets. 

Ties are broken using each team's season-adjusted average in the respective events, while at-large qualifiers are selected by season-adjusted average among non-qualifying tournament teams.

Gannon secured event final appearances in the Six-Element Acro, Synchronized Pyramid, Open Pyramid and Open Toss heats following its quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 Oregon.

The Golden Knights posted a 9.000 in the Six-Element Acro, while earning a 9.650 in Synchronized Pyramid, a 9.850 in Open Pyramid and a 9.550 in Open Toss.

Championship Experience

Gannon brings a strong history of success into Sunday's event finals, capturing multiple individual event national titles:

• 2014: Acro Six-Element, Acro Seven-Element
• 2018: Inversion Pyramid
• 2022: Synchronized Pyramid, Synchronized Toss, Open Toss
• 2023: Synchronized Toss, Open Toss
• 2024: Synchronized Pyramid, Synchronized Toss

Event Finals Field

Six-Element Acro
Hawaii Pacific, Gannon, Quinnipiac, Iona, Baylor
Synchronized Pyramid
Saint Leo, Oregon, Iona, Gannon, Baylor
Open Pyramid
Saint Leo, Fairmont State, Baylor, Gannon, Quinnipiac
Open Toss
Hawaii Pacific, Quinnipiac, Oregon, Gannon, Baylor

Championship History

Gannon brings a history of success in NCATA Event Finals, capturing multiple individual event national titles:

• 2014: Acro Six-Element, Acro Seven-Element
• 2018: Inversion Pyramid
• 2022: Synchronized Pyramid, Synchronized Toss, Open Toss
• 2023: Synchronized Toss, Open Toss
• 2024: Synchronized Pyramid, Synchronized Toss

Qualified Event Finalists

Six-Element Acro – 9.000
Kylie Brown (Virginia Beach, Va./Salem), Avery Tumler (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings High School), Kayla Lynard, Alex DeAngelis (Audubon, N.J./Camden Catholic High School), Lillie Fritz (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler), Layna Bergeron (Johnston, R.I./La Salle Academy), Sydney Gibson (Painesville, Ohio/Harvey)
Synchronized Pyramid – 9.650
Avery Tumler (Kings Mills, Ohio/Kings High School), Marissa Burge (Fairview, Pa./Fairview), Peyton Oliver (Vallejo, Calif./Jesse M. Bethel), Paytyn Neal (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior High), Layna Bergeron (Johnston, R.I./La Salle Academy), Kayla Lynard, Lillie Fritz (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler), Julia Bukowski (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic), Kam Kameg, Alex DeAngelis (Audubon, N.J./Camden Catholic High School), Reagan McMahon (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic)
Open Pyramid – 9.850
Marissa Burge (Fairview, Pa./Fairview), Peyton Oliver (Vallejo, Calif./Jesse M. Bethel), Layna Bergeron (Johnston, R.I./La Salle Academy), Lillie Fritz (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler), Alex DeAngelis (Audubon, N.J./Camden Catholic High School), Ady Rothermel, Alejandra Tosado (Sparks, Nev./Edward C. Reed), Paytyn Neal (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior High), Reagan McMahon (Mission Viejo, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), Julia Bukowski (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic)
Open Toss – 9.550
Marissa Burge (Fairview, Pa./Fairview), Layna Bergeron (Johnston, R.I./La Salle Academy), Makayla White (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional), Paytyn Neal (Fairmont, W.Va./Fairmont Senior High), Ady Rothermel