AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific improved to 4-0 on the season with a 279.185-210.865 victory over East Texas Baptist Tuesday evening inside the Felix Event Center.  In the process, the Cougars posted three perfect scores of 10.0, the first time Azusa Pacific has ever pulled that feat off in a meet.

How It Happened:  The Cougars were in strong form early, with a pair of 9.90 scores in the compulsory pyramid and toss heats, building a lead of over a point in the event and never looking back.  The pairing of Jessica Gill and Hannah Alonzo were particularly strong in the acro event, putting up a 9.95 on the 5-element heat, and then teaming with Sophia Gardner to record another 9.95 in the 7-element heat.

It was the pyramid event, though, where the Cougars shone brightest, earning a pair of 10.0s in the inverted and open heats.  The 10.0 on the inverted pyramid heat is the second time the Cougars have received a perfect score in that heat this season, having also accomplished the feat against Hawai'i Pacific in the first match of the season last month in Honolulu.   The open pyramid 10.0 was the first for the Cougars in that heat since a 2018 match against Converse (SC), and they are now averaging a score of 9.95 on that heat through three meets this season.  Between the Acro and Pyramid events, the Cougars scored 59.15 out of a possible 60 points.

Coming out of intermission, the Cougars continued to put the pressure on as Jacie Van de Zilver, Madiha Morris, Hannah Hawley, Alonzo, and Quincy Eisaman picked up the Cougars' third 10.0 of the night and fifth of the season in the 450 Salto toss, another event where the Cougars increased their season average to 9.95.  

The Cougars continued to show growth in the tumbling event.  All three multi-person tumbling passes attempted their highest degree of difficulty yet this season, while sophomore Sarah Lang got a chance on the aerial tumbling pass and came through with a 9.825.  Factoring in the tumbling performances of Gill and McKenna Dawson, the Cougars had nine separate heats on the evening that earned a score of 9.90 or higher, and combined with a 99.16 in the team event, produced the largest margin of victory in program history.