ERIE, Pa. -- Azusa Pacific's record-setting 2018 season ended in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championships semifinals, as No. 3-seeded Quinnipiac avenged a narrow regular-season defeat to the No. 2-seeded Cougars with its own come-from-behind win in the final event Friday night at Gannon University.
The teams alternated wins in each of the six events, with each of the first five events separating the teams by less than a point before Quinnipiac finished with a score of 95.200 in the team event for a meet total of 275.450 while Azusa Pacific scored 93.130 for a meet total of 274.105.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific's only deficit in the meet before the team event was after the second event (acro), when Quinnipiac edged ahead by a margin of 25-thousandths of a point. A nearly-flawless pyramid event resulted in scores of 9.85 (inversion), 9.80 (synchronized), and 9.70 (open) as the Cougars moved back in front for a 96.175-95.400 halftime lead.
The teams were separated by just over one-tenth of a point in the toss event, and the senior trio of Ashleigh Pitts, Heather Hovander, and Hannah Steffen all beat their Quinnipiac opponent in their solo tumbling passes. Pitts (aerial) and Hovander (six-element) posted identical scores of 9.825, and Steffen recorded a 9.700 in the open tumbling pass to send the Cougars into the team event with a lead of .725 points along with a slight edge (.83 points) in the team event start value.
What It Means: Azusa Pacific posted its best regular-season record in program history, going 5-1 before splitting its two matchups at the national championships to finish 6-2 on the year and post the best season winning percentage (.750) in program history. The Cougars have advanced to the NCATA semifinals in three of the past four seasons.
Top Performances: Azusa Pacific outperformed its season average in 14 out of the 19 individual or group heats leading into the team event, posting scores of 9.70 or higher in 10 heats, including six scores of 9.80 or better. The Cougars' best score of the meet was a 9.85, which was achieved in compulsory toss and the inversion pyramid. Hovander was one of six athletes who were involved in both of Azusa Pacific's highest-scoring heats, joining MaryKate Cacchione, Courtney Moser, Kimi Yee, Noelle Miranda, and Kara Ingersoll in contributing to both of the heats which scored 9.85.
