ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University acrobatics and tumbling team opened their season with their second-best performance in program history despite falling to national powerhouse Baylor University. The Bears, who are the reigning Division I National Champions, came out on top with a score of 284.200 to the Thunder's 236.045.
Trine immediately showed that today would be a good one for the team, as they posted near program bests in the first two heats of the day. During the Compulsory Event the team posted a 7.65 in the acro heat and a 9.55 in the pyramid heat, before adding a respectable 9.15 in the toss heat and eventually finishing with 31.20 for the event. Baylor would take an early lead with 39.00 points in the event.
The Thunder followed up with program best scores in the first and third heats of the Acro Event. They scored a 9.15 during the 5-element and 9.10 in the 7-element. A slight stumble in the 6-element gave them a final score of 24.35 in the event. Once again, the Bears showed their skill posting a near perfect 29.75 during the event.
The team posted a new program record for the Pyramid Event with a 28.25 total score. The new best came on the back of two new heat bests with a 9.60 in the first heat and a 9.75 in the third heat. The event was the closest of the day with Baylor posting a score of 29.75 just one and a half better than Trine.
After a halftime break the Thunder continued to perform well turning in the program's second-best score in the Toss Event with 25.05 points. The near record was based on solid scores from top to bottom. They tallied 8.70 in the first heat and an 8.30 in the second heat, tying or becoming the new bests. A solid 8.05 finished off the event. The Bears posted a 29.10 during the event.
Another program record fell during the Tumbling Event where Trine scored 44.075. While they didn't break any individual heat scoring, the finished with solid scores in each pass. Their lowest score came in the first pass, the lone sub-seven of the event. They finished strong with an 8.375 in the open pass. Once again it wasn't enough however with the reigning champions posting a commanding 57.750.
Trine put the final touch on the day with their third best showing in the team event, scoring 83.12 to bring them to their final total. Baylor would post a 98.80 in the event.
The Thunder will travel to face Adrian College for their next match. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, February 24.