Wheeling, W. Va. - Riding high off a senior day win at home, the race for the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Acrobatics & Tumbling Tournament is on. The Wheeling University Acrobatics & Tumbling team (2-3, 1-2) is looking to set themselves up for their first team appearance in the tournament in program history when they hit the road on Saturday to take on Kutztown with first events beginning at 2 PM. The Cardinals have seen their team score go higher and higher each time they have taken the mat, and they look to continue that trend to close out the month of March.
Last time out, the Cardinals honored their group of five seniors when they welcomed in West Virginia State back on March 15th. It was a big day on the mat, with the Cardinals setting 12 new season-records and winning each of the six events on the night. The night started with a bang in the Compulsory event, with Wheeling having their first 9.00 score of the night. It would come in the Toss Heat, with Wheeling putting together a 9.300 out of 10.00 and winning the entire event 30.05-26.00. Wheeling would put together a score of 25.00 or higher in each of the six events, including all three before halftime, and the Cardinals lead 78.70-67.45 at halftime. In the second half, their Tumbling event took the meet out of reach, with the Cardinals putting up 38.400 points out of 44.35, and they rounded out the night with the Team event. They would put up a 65.700 in the final event, rounding off the 205.700-126.590 victory.
Throughout the preseason, Head Coach Alexis Kelly has praised the team's Pyramid event, and that would shine in the win two weeks ago against the Yellow Jackets. Two of the seven 9.00 scores would come in the event, the most of any event on the night, with the team setting a pair of team records in the event. The success began with the Inversion Pyramid, where the Cardinals scored a 9.200 off a start value with 9.70 to set a new program record. It broke the previous mark by 0.100 and fueled them through the event. The final heat of the event would be the nail in the coffin as they started the Open Pyramid with a start value of 10.00. They would score a 9.450, beating West Virginia State by 0.650 to secure the event win.
On the individual side of the competition, Gabriella Jantz continued her dominance in the 6-Element Pass. Jantz would raise her start value for the third event in a row, starting off with a value of 9.75. She would finish with a 9.025 to score the highest individual point total on the day and mark the third straight event in which she has eclipsed the 9.00 mark in the event. Laicey Angelle followed her up in the Open Pass, putting together another strong performance to continue her freshman season. She would put up a score of 8.475 on a start value of 8.90 as she rounded out the event. The Cardinals would put together a total of 38.400 in the Tumbling event as a whole, and it was enough to slam the coffin on the Yellow Jackets.
Heading into Saturday's event, the Cardinals have a lot to play for in terms of battling towards one of the top four spots in the conference. A win would move them to 2-2 in MEC play, and would help them leapfrog both Kutztown and West Liberty for the #4 spot in the standings. Saturday's meet is the final MEC meet for the Kutztown, while West Liberty has Glenville State remaining on their schedule. Wheeling will battle Kutztown, followed by Frostburg State and Fairmont State  on April 3rd. A win would give Wheeling the head-to-head season match-up with Kutztown, setting them up with a chance to clinch an MEC Tournament spot as soon as next week.
The Match-up
The Cardinals and Golden Bears are meeting for the second time in program history, with Kutztown winning the first meeting 248.03-205.16. It will be Wheeling's first trip to Kutztown, with the first meeting coming in a neutral site match-up. The Cardinals would score 200+ points for what was the second time in program history and the Cardinals look to continue that success on the road.
The first meeting between the two teams came at the West Liberty tri-meet on March 22nd, 2025, in a meeting that Kutztown would win 248.030-205.165. The pyramid event would lead the way, with the Cardinals scoring 25.90 points across the three heats. In the individual events, former Cardinal Keala McCurry led the way with 8.30 points in the Aerial pass, while Gabriella Jantz put up a 7.825 in the Open Pass.
The Details
First events for Saturday's meet are scheduled for 2 PM inside Keystone Arena on the campus of Kutztown University. You can watch the game live by clicking HERE.
