Wheeling, W. Va. - When it was first announced that the Wheeling University Athletic Department was adding Acrobatics & Tumbling, there was no telling how high they would fly, or if a season was even possible. However, against all odds, not only did the Cardinals have a season but they made it to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) event finals in that inaugural season. It is the start of a strong foundation for the program as they continue to build the program now and in the future.

The legacy of Cardinal Acrobatics & Tumbling began on February 2nd, when the Cardinals welcomed West Liberty inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center. The Cardinals put up 185.170 points in their debut, with their tumbling events taking center stage. As the season continued, the Cardinals faced some of the best teams in the MEC, including a home dual against the defending runners-up Fairmont State and the defending champions Frostburg State. With injuries limiting them to not competing in team events, the Cardinals would put up strong scores of 137.525 and 121.325 in the two events. After taking a break at the end of February to recover, the Cardinals would make history to start March as they traveled to West Virginia State for a dual meet.

They would pick up their first win in program history, taking down the Yellow Jackets 215.255-203.555. On that night, the Cardinals would set 14 new program records, including the record for the most points in a meet and they would carry that momentum the rest of the way. It would mark the first of back-to-back 200+ point performances for the Cardinals as they finished with 205.165 points in their final tri-meet with Kutztown and West Liberty. They would honor their seniors in their final home event, and wrapped the regular season up with a win over Bluefield State 198.190-174.900. Although it was their final team event, it would not be their final event as their Trio Pass qualified for the 2025 MEC Event Finals. The trio of Gianna Bjorn, Courtney Hurst, and Emma Jackson posted a score of 5.525 to round out the season, sending the team into the offseason with momentum on their side.

Throughout the season, it was the Tumbling and Pyramid events that would prove to be the two strongest events for the Cardinals. Despite facing the injury bug throughout the year, the Open Pyramid proved to be one of the Cardinal's top events throughout the year, scoring consistently in the 9.00 range. Savannah Warren stepped in as the base for the group and helped elevate them to their highest score of the season at 9.10. However, the highest scoring event of the season for the team would come in the Compulsory toss as Bjorn and Keala McCurry would go flipping through the air. That group would produce the highest score of any individual event during the season, scoring a 9.20 out of 10 and was one of the most consistent events throughout the season.

However, it was the Tumbling events that would shine, with McCurry leading the way in the Aerial Pass. She would pick up the first-ever Individual event win when she beat Fairmont State's Aerial Pass in the second event of the season with a 7.800. The highest scoring individual pass would be Bjorn in the 6-element, scoring an 8.200 in the win against West Virginia State. Although she was unable to compete in the MEC Individual event Championship, it would be Gabriella Jantz who led the way in the Open Pass. Jantz and teammate Courtney Hurst would both take on the event during the season, with both scoring 7.80 or higher during the season. With a strong corps in the tumbling events set to return, the Cardinals look to build on that strength as the season goes on.

The Wheeling University Acrobatics & Tumbling team now heads into the off-season as they look to continue to build off their efforts from the 2025 inaugural season.