Saturday, February 21
Eugene, Ore.
4:00 PM ET (1:00 PM PT)
Quinnipiac University
at
Oregon
Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com
No. 3 Quinnipiac, No. 2 Oregon Set for Battle in Eugene
2/20/2026 4:26:00 PM | Acrobatics & Tumbling
HAMDEN, Conn. – It's a Top 3 battle in the NCATA on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 3-ranked Quinnipiac acrobatics and tumbling program heads west to take on No. 2 Oregon in an early-season showdown in Eugene.
Both teams are coming off season-opening victories, as the Bobcats took down Gannon and Oregon knocked off Missouri State. The meet is set for a 4 p.m. start and can be seen live on BTN Plus.
OFF TO A GOOD START
For an inside look at the Quinnipiac Acrobatics & Tumbling program, be sure to follow it on social media @QU_AcroTumbling or go to gobobcats.com/acro.
Both teams are coming off season-opening victories, as the Bobcats took down Gannon and Oregon knocked off Missouri State. The meet is set for a 4 p.m. start and can be seen live on BTN Plus.
OFF TO A GOOD START
- The Bobcats knocked off No. 9 Gannon on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Golden Knights 266.710-247.995.
- The meet was highlighted by an open pyramid that scored 9.95 out of a start value of 10, while the Bobcats also scored 9.90's in compulsory toss and five-element acro.
- They earned a 9.80 or higher in each of their three pyramid heats.
- At the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area, NCAA members from all three divisions voted this week to add acrobatics and tumbling as a championship sport. The NCAA's first acrobatics and tumbling championship is projected to take place in spring 2027.
- Acrobatics and tumbling and stunt join six other sports that earned NCAA championship status through the Emerging Sports for Women program: rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003), beach volleyball (2015) and wrestling (2025).
- The Bobcats entered last season's national tournament as the third seed, knocking off Iona before dropping its semifinal matchup to Oregon. It was Quinnipiac's eighth consecutive trip to the final four and is seeking its first national title match appearance since the 2018 campaign.
- Quinnipiac is coming off a 2025 regular season that featured a 7-1 regular-season record, its only blemish coming in a 1.15-point loss to then-No. 2 Oregon. The Bobcats are 13-1 over their last two regular-season campaigns.
- Mary Ann Powers is in her 29th season as head coach for Quinnipiac Acrobatics & Tumbling in 2026. 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 eight seasons, the Bobcats have been ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation. Powers has led the Bobcats to the NCATA semifinals in ten of the last 13 seasons and has made to two NCATA Championship meet appearances, most recently in the 2018 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.
For an inside look at the Quinnipiac Acrobatics & Tumbling program, be sure to follow it on social media @QU_AcroTumbling or go to gobobcats.com/acro.
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