Acro and tumbling upsets No. 3 Gannon

In a historic performance, the No. 11 nationally ranked Augustana Acrobatics and Tumbling team secured its first win over a ranked opponent, defeating No. 3 Gannon University in a nail-biting competition, 262.675–252.920, in the Elmen Center on Monday, March 3. 

The Vikings opened the night strong in the compulsory event, winning the tumbling heat 7.95–7.85 and tying in both the acro heat (9.55) and the toss heat (9.7) to establish an early lead 36.85–36.80. 

The momentum continued into the acro event, where Augustana maintained its advantage with a razor-thin margin of .050. A .500-point edge in acro’s 5 Element heat helped the Vikings hold off Gannon and add to their slim lead.

“I couldn’t have asked for more,” head coach Kaelyn Dillon said. “They fought it out heat after heat, especially in the first half. Everything was a tenth [of a point] apart, maybe less than, and they just continued to fight.”

The biggest improvement for Augustana came in the pyramid event, where the team showed a remarkable 3.200-point increase since last week's performance (25.90) and claimed another event victory. 

“Last meet, we had a little bit of an upset in the pyramid event, and that was something we were hoping for a comeback this meet,” senior base and tumbler Alana Machac said. “We did exactly that. Our scores are insanely better and wouldn’t have won it any other way.”

The Vikings then set a program record in the toss event, earning 28.450 points to narrowly beat Gannon by .100 and surpassing their previous record of 27.800 set in the season opener against Missouri State. 

The team pulled away in the tumbling event, winning four of the six heats and creating separation on the scoreboard (122.600–122.250). 

They wrapped up the night with an outstanding performance in the team event, scoring 87.400 points to seal the victory.

Overall, Augustana won all six events against the Golden Knights, marking the 13th win in program history and solidifying a milestone achievement for the Vikings.

“I think that this is one of our best meets, and I am so proud of the whole team,” sophomore base Elaina Matuszewski said. 

The team looks to continue their undefeated run as they take on Azusa Pacific University on March 10 in Azusa, California, and Hawaii Pacific on March 13 in Honolulu. 

They will return home to host Concordia University on March 29.