AZUSA, Calif. – Back on their home mats, the Cougars put up their best score of the season, only to be nipped at the wire by Augustana, falling to the Vikings by a final of 268.740-268.705 Monday evening inside the Felix Event Center.  The .035-point margin is the closest score in the 15 years Azusa Pacific has competed in the sport of acrobatics and tumbling.

How It Happened:  It was a neck-and-neck battle all night, with each team winning nine heats while two were tied.  Augustana took advantage of a pair of excellent scores in the pyramid and toss heats to take a lead of 37.65-36.85 in the compulsory event.  The Cougars pulled a couple tenths back in the acro event, with the 7-element contingent of Abigail Cortez, Gabby Hornung, Addie Day-Esson, and Abbie Abramson earning a 9.50 to bring the Cougars within six tenths after two events.  The pyramid event ended in a tie, with both teams earning scores of 9.60 or higher on all three heats, leaving the Vikings with a lead of 94.55-93.95 at halftime.

Augustana added a quarter of a point to their lead in the toss event, thanks to a slight edge in the synchronized heat.  But the Cougars fought back in the tumbling event, winning five of the six heats.  Of particular note was the trio pass of Cortez, Day-Esson, and Kortny Nolan, which earned a score of 9.35 on a start value of 9.55 and single-handedly put the Cougars into the lead.  Allee Kooch put up a 9.575 in the open pass to complete the event and send the Cougars into the team event with a lead of 1.4 points.  The team event was close, with only minor mistakes either way; but for the Cougars, their score of 91.13 proved to be barely short of what was needed.

This was the first ever meeting between the Cougars and Vikings, who were ranked 11th in the preseason poll but have now knocked off two top-ten opponents in this, their third season.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (2-3) will end the regular season next Wednesday when they host fellow original NCATA member and sixth-ranked Fairmont State.  The teams will take to the mats at 7:00 p.m. in the Felix Event Center, and the Cougars will honor their senior class at the conclusion of the meet.