WACO, Texas – The Azusa Pacific acrobatics and tumbling team took their fans on a wildly entertaining ride this season, and the finale was no exception, giving the five-time defending champion Baylor Bears a run for their money before falling 279.790-276.465 in the NCATA championship meet Friday evening at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor University campus.
How It Happened: The Cougars trailed throughout the evening, but still put up some of their best scores of the year, starting with a season-best performance in the compulsory event, with an event score of 38.40. The event was highlighted by a 9.80 in the pyramid heat and a 9.75 in the toss. Azusa Pacific topped 29 points in the acro heat, one of their strengths throughout the season; but were facing especially stiff competition, as the Bears scored a 9.85 or better in all three heats themselves. The Cougars would pick up their first heat win of the night in the inverted pyramid heat with a 9.875, and earn a draw in the synchronized pyramid heat, with both teams earning a 9.80. Baylor would take a lead of 1.15 points into the locker rooms at intermission, 98.075-96.925.
Azusa Pacific again had a strong start when the teams came back out for the second half, winning both the 450 salto and synchronized toss events, with scores of 9.85 and 9.70, respectively. Baylor took the event, however, with the scores from the open toss adding another three-tenths to the margin. Baylor's starting values in the multi-person tumbling heats allowed them to again increase the margin during the tumbling event, though the Cougars' got outstanding solo passes from
Beth Magee (9.85),
Jessica Gill (9.925) and
Gabby Spencer (9.90), which kept them within two points going into the team event. The Cougars improved on their team score from Thursday's semifinal, but the Bears came through with a 1.5-point margin in the event to claim their sixth consecutive championship.
Year In Review: The Cougars finished the season with an overall record of 4-1, and match the 2014 team for the best finish in program history as national runner-up. The Cougars remain the only non-Division I program to have ever reached the NCATA finals.
With the ongoing global pandemic, there was significant doubt that Azusa Pacific would even have a 2021 season. However, with just a little under a month before the first meet, first year head coach
Kara Willard was given word that the Cougars had been granted permission to compete. While it was great news, it meant that Willard and her staff had just a few weeks to prepare her team for the season-opener against No. 1 Oregon.
The few weeks proved to be enough, as the Cougars defeated the Ducks for just the second time in program history. The victory was an emotional one, with it being the first time that Azusa Pacific had taken the mat since the sudden passing of head coach Colleen Kausrud in August. That win would set the tone for the entire season, as the Cougars competed with confidence and the inspiration to honor Kausrud in all that they did on a daily basis. With those two elements foundational to their team, the Cougars went on to an undefeated regular season and the No. 1 ranking in the country, while also producing a program-record three All-Americans (
Hannah Alonzo,
Beth Magee and
Jacie Van de Zilver).
At the conclusion of the regular season, Azusa Pacific earned the No. 1-seed for the 2021 NCATA National Championships. At the Championships, the Cougars earned a semifinal victory over the Hawai'i Pacific Sharks to earn their second appearance in the NCATA National Final.
The 2021 Azusa Pacific acrobatics & tumbling season will go down as one of the most memorable in Cougar Athletics history, as Coach Willard and her team overcame countless obstacles to perform at an elite level meet in and meet out. The 2021 Cougars brought a sense of pride and inspiration to the entire Azusa Pacific community, and most importantly, this team boldly and undoubtedly reflected the extraordinary legacy and impact of Colleen Kausrud.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POST-MEET PRESS CONFERENCE (Gabby Spencer, Kara Willard, Katrina Gonzalez):
