MEQUON, Wis. – The Trine University acrobatics and tumbling team came up shy of top-seeded University of Mary Hardin-Baylor by the score of 264.025 to 245.665 in today's NCATA Division III Tournament championship match. They finish as runners-up for the second season in a row.
The Crusaders took the lead from the start winning the Compulsory Event by three points despite the fourth best Thunder showing in program history. Trine scored 33.85 in the event. They had their fifth best showing in the tumbling heat with a score of 6.75 and went better than nine in both the pyramid heat (9.25) and toss heat (9.325).
Trine fell behind further during the Acro Event, posting a 25.4 to the opposition's 28.475. The team's best score came in the open heat where they went for 9.025.
The Pyramid Event went better for the Thunder, as they fell by just over one point to the Crusaders. Trine posted a score of 28.25 in the event, with a fifth best showing in the synchronized heat with a 9.450. They broke nine in all three heats including a 9.275 in the inversion heat and a 9.525 in the open heat. The score was 94.775 to 87.500 at the half.
Trine had a great showing in the Toss Event, tied for third best in program history, but it wasn't enough with the Mary Hardin-Baylor winning again, 27.6 to 26.175. The Thunder posted a score of 9.0 in the open heat, the second best showing for the program. They had a sixth best showing in the 450 salto with an 8.85.
The Thunder finished the individual events with a 46.65 in Tumbling. They posted near program records in three passes, including a second best showing in the quad pass with an 8.0. They posted their fourth best in the aerial pass with an 8.65 and a fifth best in the open pass with an 8.875.
Trine finished the day with an 85.340 in the Team Event. The Thunder fall to 7-3 following the loss.
The team was well represented on the All-Tournament Team which was announced following the completion of the event. Mel Low and Brayanna Kelly were selected to first team while Sydney Jundt, Mia Giurini, Lauren Alexander and Mikayla Sutherland were all named to the second team.