SEGUIN, Texas – The Cougars made it a perfect trip to the Lone Star State, coming in first in a three way meet with their highest score of the season, putting up 279.425 and defeating both Hawai'i Pacific (276.470) and first-year program Texas Lutheran (99.850) Saturday afternoon. For the purposes of win-loss records, Azusa Pacific is credited with two victories, while Hawai'i Pacific earned both a win and a loss for their second-place finish
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific won three of the four heats in the compulsory event, though Hawai'i Pacific's margin in the acro heat was enough to give them a lead of a tenth of a point, with 37.5 to the Cougars' 37.4, while the Bulldogs, who only competed in three of the four heats, had 16.9. As usual, it was the Cougars' veteran duo of Jacie Van de Zilver and Madiha Morris who steadied the ship, putting up a 9.85 in the 5-element acro heat to draw level with the Sharks on the day, and when Azusa Pacific's other two heats also received higher marks than their competitors, the Cougars had taken a two-tenths lead that they would not relinquish again.
Azusa Pacific would again add to their lead with two wins in the pyramid heat, highlighted by a 9.85 in the open heat. The Cougars took the event by a quarter of a point over the Sharks, taking a 95.2-94.75 lead at halftime. The Cougars' 9.65 in the 450 salto toss was the highest score of the toss event and allowed the lead to again slightly increase. And in the tumbling event, it was once again the pair of Van de Zilver and Sarah Lang who shone through, combining for a 9.75 in the duo pass, then each putting up a 9.80 in the 6-element and open passes, respectively. Those results allowed the Cougars to double their lead over Hawai'i Pacific to nearly two points, 180.775-179.00. The Cougars and Sharks both put on excellent team events, but the Cougars were able to pull out the victory, winning the team event with a 98.65 to the Sharks' 97.47, giving Azusa Pacific the three-point victory.
Up Next: The Cougars (3-2) will return home for senior night on March 27, when they will face the Sharks once more. Meet time in the Felix Event Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the contest will be livestreamed HERE.
