Wheeling, W. Va. - In 2025, the Wheeling University Acrobatics & Tumbling team embarked on their inaugural season on the mat. After finishing the year 2-6 overall and 1-5 in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play, the season will continue for the Cardinals in the event finals. The Wheeling University Trio Pass has qualified for the MEC Individual Event Championships on Saturday, April 12th, hosted by Fairmont State University, marking the first-ever individual event to qualify for the championship by the first –year program.
"This year, our trio has put in an incredible amount of effort," said Wheeling University Head Acrobatics & Tumbling Coach Alexis Kelly. "They've consistently gone above and beyond, exceeding all the expectations I had. I truly couldn't have asked for a better team – they make coaching feel effortless."
As one of the top evnts for the Cardinals throughout the season, the trio pass enters as the third highest qualifying heat in the conference, sitting behind Fairmont State and West Liberty University. Through their six events this season, the group of tumblers has put together an average score of 7.033 in the event, their highest average score among any of the tumbling events this season. Several different Cardinals have taken on the event throughout the season, with Keala McCurry, Gianna Bjorn, Gabrielle Jantz, Courtney Hurst, and Emma Jackson each having previously been part of the trio. Their highest score of the season would come in the dual meet against West Liberty and Kutztown where the trio of McCurry, Jantz, and Bjorn combined to put up a 7.800 in the event. As a whole, the Cardinals have scored 7.00 or higher three times during the season and are looking to do so again this week.
The 2025 MEC event finals will be hosted by Fairmont State University on Saturday, April 11th, beginning at 11 AM. Th event finals fall a day after the semifinal round of the team event and proceed the 2025 MEC Acrobatics & Tumbling Championships that night at 5 PM. For the Cardinals, it will be freshman Gianna Bjorn, freshman Emma Jackson, and junior Courtney Hurst competing in the event for the Cardinals, with all three having previously tackled the event this season. They will compete as the 11th event of the night and will be the first of the three teams to take the mat in the trio event. They will be followed by the trio pass from West Liberty and finally the trio pass from Fairmont State to round out the day.
The 2025 MEC Acrobatics & Tumbling event finals will be held on Saturday, April 12th, with the first events beginning at 11 AM inside the Joe Retton Arena on the campus of Fairmont State University. You can watch the event live by clicking HERE.
