PHOENIX -- Azusa Pacific cruised to a season-opening win over Arizona Christian, a first-year NAIA program which hosted the Cougars Tuesday night to introduce the sport to the state of Arizona.

The Cougars posted a score of 273.275, while Arizona Christian registered 241.785 points in its first National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) competition. Azusa Pacific won 19 of the 20 heats in the meet, racing out to an early lead before finishing off the matchup with a solid score of 94.70 in the team event.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 4-5 all-time in season openers, and it was only the third time Azusa Pacific has opened the season on the road.

What It Means: Azusa Pacific picks up an early victory for a young roster which gained valuable meet experience for the entire team in a new environment on the road against a first-year NCATA program. It also sets a standard for improvement when the teams meet again in a rematch on Feb. 26 at the Felix Event Center in Azusa.

Top Performances: The Cougars notched 12 heat scores of 9.50 or better (out of 10 possible points in each heat), and five of those efforts scored at least 9.75. The best heat score of the meet was a 9.90 in a pyramid inversion heat anchored by juniors Kara Ingersoll and Courtney Moser. Azusa Pacific gained over seven points of separation in the six-heat tumbling event, and Moser led the way with a 9.825 score in the aerial tumbling solo pass.

The Cougars' best heat in the compulsory event was the compulsory toss, which scored 9.80, while the best heat of the acro event was the six-element acro, which scored 9.75. Ingersoll helped anchor each of those events along with junior Madison Turner and sophomore Polly Tieu. The best performance in the toss event was the 450 salto toss which scored 9.70.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific returns to the mat for its 2019 home opener, hosting Arizona Christian in a rematch on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 7:00 p.m.