Wheeling, W. Va. – After battling through their first season, the Wheeling University Acrobatics & Tumbling program played their regular season finale against Bluefield State on Sunday. It was a special day as the Cardinals honored their six seniors who helped build the program, Tara Perry, Keala McCurry, Jenna Smith, Shannon Farrow, Tessa Tordella, and Savannah Warren. The Cardinals would send their seniors off with a bang, taking down the Big Blue 198.190-174.900 to end their regular season with a win.
Wheeling would win five of the six events on the day, with their highest scoring event coming in the Compulsory Toss. It has been one of the top events for the Cardinals this season, and the team earned another program record, with a score of 9.200. Keala McCurry and Gianna Bjorn were the tops and went flying through the air to take the win. The pyramid heat would be the next most successful event was the Compulsory Pyramid, where the Cardinals scored 7.50 points. By the end of the Compulsory, Wheeling put up a total of 25.35 points, and took an early 25.35-23.45 lead. As they headed into the Acro portion of the event and the Cardinals would continue their big showing from their senior group. The seven element acro would be the highest scoring event, sitting at 7.65.
The Cardinals would once again take the Acro Heat, this time by the score of 20.65-13.25 for their second event win of the night. The Pyramid has been one of the strongest events for the Cardinals all season long, and the Cardinals got it done in the Open Pyramid. The event, which ranks second in the Mountain East Conference (MEC), was the Cardinal's highest scoring of the event, finishing at 8.45. with Savannah Warren served as the main base and boosted fellow senior McCurry into the air. The Cardinals would score 8.00 or better in all three heats and brought their halftime score to 70.250-55.100. With the Toss coming after the halftime break it would once again be the open toss where the Cardinals succeeded.
It was their highest scoring of the event, putting up a score of 8.45 in the final heat of the event. They would add scores of 7.80 in the 450 Salto Heat and a 7.30 in the Synchronized Toss. Wheeling would earn a 24.25-18.40 win and headed into the Tumbling event with the advantage. It was the only heat that the Cardinals would fall in, and they did not compete in the Quad Pass due to low numbers. McCurry would put a strong capper on her season in the Aerial Pass, finishing with a score of 8.150. Courtney Hurst would round out the individual portion taking on the Opening Pass for the first time. She would win the heat with a score of 7.750 and the Cardinals took the lead into the team event. Wheeling would earn a score of 68.29 out of 90.69 and rounded out the meet just short of the 200-point mark at 198.190.
Despite falling short of 200 points, the Cardinals earned their second win of the season, and end the regular season at 2-6 overall and 1-5 in MEC play. The Caridnals highest scoring heat of the night was the Compulsory Toss, coming in at 9.20, while they scored 8.0 or better four times throughout the night. After the team event was concluded, the Cardinals welcomed seniors and their parents out on the mat for the special senior day ceremony, honoring the inaugural senior class for the program.
The Wheeling University Acrobatics & Tumbling team now awaits to see if they have any individual events qualify for the 2025 Finals Events of the MEC Acrobatics & Tumbling Championships.
