AZUSA, Calif. -- The third-year acrobatics & tumbling program from Hawai?i Pacific kicked off the 2016 season with a 4.5-point victory over Azusa Pacific Thursday night at the Felix Event Center, scoring 253.565 to the Cougars' 249.020.
Each team won three of the six events, although HPU posted the widest event margins in tumbling and acro events, winning the six-heat tumbling event by over three points while posting a 2.2-point edge over the Cougars in the three-heat acro event. Hawai?i Pacific also won the pyramid event by a half-point, which gave the Sharks a 1.7-point halftime edge (92.35-90.65).
Azusa Pacific started quickly, winning all four heats of the opening compulsory event, including a perfect-10 score in the compulsory toss and a 9.90 score in the compulsory pyramid. The Cougars gained some ground immediately following halftime, edging HPU by three-tenths of a point in the toss event.
However, the Sharks padded their margin with 47.225 points in tumbling as Azusa Pacific's deductions kept all six of the Cougars' tumbling heat scored under nine points for a total of 44 points. The Cougars closed out the meet by edging HPU in the team event, scoring 86.17 to Hawai?i Pacific's 86.09.
Azusa Pacific returns to competition in March, visiting Glenville State and Fairmont State in West Virginia for a pair of meets before returning home for its final three meets of the regular season.
AZUSA PACIFIC MEET BESTS
10.00: Compulsory (toss)
Kalani Aguigui, Ellen Barker, MaryKate Cacchione, Kirsten Ferramola, Sydney Castillo-Johnson, Triana Leal, Noelle Miranda, Emily Sanchez, Gabby Sheffield, Ahnaliese Spitzer, Hannah Welander
9.90: Pyramid (flip)
MaryKate Cacchione, Heather Hovander, Emily Sanchez, Gabby Sheffield, Jolynn Stahl, Hannah Steffen, Hannah Welander, Kimi Yee
9:90: Compulsory (pyramid)
Kalani Aguigui, Kennedee Bennett, Lauren Chappell, Kirsten Ferramola, Danielle Handy, Katie Little, Jamie Montgomery, Jamie Nolta, Ashleigh Pitts, Emily Sanchez, Ahnaliese Spitzer, Hannah Steffen, Jhymai Stevenson, Hannah Welander, Kimi Yee
