Bobcats Set for 2023 NCATA National Championships

Thursday, April 27

ASRC | West Liberty, West Virginia

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

#5 Gannon

Acrobatics & Tumbling During Meet in Hamden (April 14 vs. Caldwell)

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

4/26/2023 10:00:00 AM | Acrobatics & Tumbling

#4 QU Faces #5 Gannon in Quarterfinals on Thursday

By: QU Athletic Communications

2023 NCATA National Championships
#4 Quinnipiac vs. #5 Gannon
Thursday, April 27, 2023 | 7:00 PM
ASRC | West Liberty, Virginia

Watch: YouTube
NCATA Championship Central: Click Here

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Quinnipiac acrobatics & tumbling is set to begin postseason play on Thursday night, as the Bobcats square off with Gannon in the #4/#5 matchup at 7:00 PM – televised live on ESPN+.

2023 NCATA CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Quinnipiac acrobatics & tumbling program has secured the No. 4 seed in the upcoming 2023 NCATA National Championship field following the completion of the regular season. The Bobcats posted a 5-1 record during the 2023 campaign, and will now square off with No. 5 Gannon in the quarterfinal round of the tournament on Thursday, April 27 at 7:00 PM.
The eight-team, single-elimination tournament will begin on Thursday, April 27 with four quarterfinal matchups, followed by semifinal matchups on Friday, April 28.
Tickets for the 2023 NCATA National Championships are on sale now (Click here to purchase online). All meets will also be streamed live on the Watch ESPN app.
In addition to the announcement of the championship field, the NCATA also announced the at-large selections to individual event finals, which are set for 11 a.m. on Sunday morning to wrap up championship weekend. Click here for the complete list of at-large selections.

QU's 2023 SEASON

The Bobcats posted a 5-1 overall record in 2023, earning the No. 4 seed in the postseason tournament.
Quinnipiac defeated Kutztown University, Augustana University, Presbyterian College, Frostburg State University and Caldwell University during the regular season.
The Bobcats have advanced to the championship round of the NCATA postseason tournament twice (2013, 2018).

HEAD COACH MARY ANN POWERS

Mary Ann Powers enters her 26th season as head coach for Quinnipiac Acrobatics & Tumbling in 2022-23. Powers has coached at several levels including Pop-Warner, All-Star level 6 squads and at the university level.
Her greatest career achievement lies in her success with Quinnipiac University, where the team has remained a top-ten nationally ranked team since 2005. Their personal-best finish was fifth place in All-Girl Division I in 2007. In 2009, Powers became one of the founding coaches of the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA). In 2020, Powers' hard work along with her fellow co-founders reached new heights as the sport was adopted as an emerging sport for women by the NCAA.
Quinnipiac has been competitive nationally in every season since the NCATA's creation. Over the last six seasons, the Bobcats have been ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation. Powers has led the Bobcats to the NCATA semifinals in eight of the last 11 seasons and has made to NCATA Championship meet appearances, most recently in the 2018 season.
Most recently, in 2022, the group of Tiffany Zieba, Layla Tracey, Lyndsey Rudolph, and Summer Knoell earned an Individual Event Final National Championship by posting an 8.775 in the Quad Pass heat of the Tumbling event at this weekend's NCATA National Championships. The Bobcats defeated Hawaii Pacific in the event to earn the National Title in Saturday's Event Finals that would be the final competition of the 2022 season.
Powers was recognized by the NCATA in 2016 as the Coach of the Year and was named the ECAC Coach of the Year in three straight seasons from 2017-19.

NCATA HONORS

Quinnipiac acrobatics & tumbling student-athletes Bri Marks, Lyndsey Rudolph and Melanie Reed all earned NCATA honors ahead of the 2023 NCATA National Championships in West Liberty, West Virginia.
Bri Marks and Lyndsey Rudolph were selected to the 2023 NCATA All-America Team, while Melanie Reed was chosen to the All-Academic squad.
Marks and Rudolph are both first-time selections to the 2023 All-America Team. The 16-member All-American Team featured six multi-time selections, including a trio of three-time All-Americans (Riley Chimwala, Emily Tobin and Jacie Van de Zilver). Baylor's Bayley Humphrey (2022) and Kamryn Kitchens (2021) and Gannon's Ali Price (2022) were each named NCATA All-American for the second time in their careers.
Bri Marks and Lyndsey Rudolph were also selected to the 2023 NCATA All-America Team from the Bobcats. Quinnipiac's All-Academic Team selection Melanie Reed was one of three members with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average (Criminal Justice, MBA).
Melanie Reed earned the Bobcats' lone major award, as she received the Louis Goodrum Academic Achievement Award. The Louise Goodrum Academic Award is given annually to recognize the true meaning of student-athlete. Modeled after the NCAA's Elite 90 award, which honors the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport while also achieving the highest academic standard in his/her sport. In the NCATA, the award is presented to the junior or senior student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average whose team earned a berth participating in the NCATA national championship tournament.