AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific's Acrobatics and Tumbling squad was picked to finish 5th nationally in the NCATA's Preseason Poll.  The Cougars are coming off a 4-4 campaign in 2023 that saw them reach the quarterfinals at the national championships.  Azusa Pacific is one of only three schools that has qualified for nationals in every season of the sport's existence alongside Baylor and Oregon, who were the top two teams in this year's poll.  

In terms of individual achievement, the 2024 Cougar squad will be led by senior Sarah Lang.  The base and tumbler won a 2022 title as part of the duo tumbling pass and competed in the event again last season as well as the open tumbling heat.  She earned an NCATA Specialist of the Week award for her tumbling performance against Gannon University in February and was also named to the NCATA's All-Academic team last season.

Maria Hurst also earned a spot competing in the event finals for the aerial tumbling pass last season.  The junior top gives the Cougars a second strong option in the tumbling events to build around.  Seniors Peyton Springer and Hannah Hawley also bring event finals experience from 2022 to help lead a Cougar squad that sees seven freshmen join 22 returning members.

Azusa Pacific's 2024 season begins on Tuesday, February 13, when they host Lander University in the Felix Event Center at 7:00 p.m.  The fifth-ranked Cougars will face a challenging six-meet schedule that will see them take on three of the top four teams in the preseason poll in hopes of again qualifying for the national championships, which will be hosted by Fairmont State University in West Virginia the final weekend in April.