Acrobatics & Tumbling

NCATA Announces 2020 Meet Schedule, Season Begins Feb. 1

The National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association today announced its schedule for the 2020 season, which will begin on Sat., Feb. 1 in Belton, Tex. with the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor hosting the defending national champions, Baylor University.

The NCATA will open the 2020 season with 26 members competing in 82 meets across the country. Four first-year programs will begin competing this season, including Erskine College (Feb. 8), Presbyterian College (Feb. 23), Saint Leo University (Feb. 2) and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Feb. 1).

The NCATA will also crown a conference champion in the Mountain East Conference for the second-consecutive season. Fairmont State won the first-ever MEC Regular Season and Tournament Championship last April.

The 2020 season will cap with the three-day NCATA National Championship event at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. The 2020 national championships will be the 10th anniversary of the event, and will take place from April 23-25. Oregon will be hosting the championship for the second time in program history. UO hosted the inaugral NCATA Championships back in 2011.

Other Notable Matchups
  • Feb. 1 – The five-time defending national champion Baylor Bears will open the 2020 season on the road against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Feb. 1. The Cru will be hosting its first-ever match to open the 2020 season.
  • Feb. 2 – The opening weekend will also feature two more dual meets on Sunday, Feb. 2 when Concordia-Wisconsin travels to Adrian College, and Saint Leo hits the road for its first-ever meet against Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C.
  • Feb. 6 – The 2020 Mountain East Conference schedule will begin on Thursday, Feb. 6 when West Virginia Wesleyan travels to West Liberty for a showdown of first-year coaches. Former Fairmont State athletes Alexa Johnson (Wesleyan) and Kelsey Kyle (West Liberty) will face off in the season opener for both teams.
  • Feb. 8 – Five 2019 NCATA National Tournament qualifiers will compete in a loaded Saturday on Feb. 8. The day will be headlined by a 2019 quarterfinal rematch when Hawaii Pacific travels to the University of Oregon. Converse will also travel to Erskine College as the Flying Fleet host their first meet in program history. The day also features Adrian at Gannon, Azusa Pacific at Arizona Christian, and Urbana at Davis & Elkins in an MEC match.
  • Feb. 18 – Hawaii Pacific will travel to the west coast on Tuesday Feb. 18 when the Sharks battle Azusa Pacific in a matchup of two 2019 national tournament teams. HPU earned the seventh seed a season ago, while APU was the No. 3 seed.
  • Feb. 23 – Oregon and Baylor will meet for the first time during the 2020 season on Sunday, Feb. 23 in Waco – the same place the two programs met for the 2019 NCATA national championship crown.
  • Feb. 27 – Just four days later, Oregon will head west for a showdown of last season’s NCATA semifinal matchup between the University of Oregon and Azusa Pacific.
  • Mar. 3 – In another NCATA tournament rematch, Gannon and Baylor will face off in Waco on Tuesday, Mar. 3 in a 2019 quarterfinal rematch at the Waco Center.
  • Mar. 6 – Gannon will remain on the road for a meet against Hawaii Pacific just four days later. Both teams earned NCATA tournament bids a season ago.
  • Mar. 8 - Quinnipiac, a 2019 national semifinalist will compete against two national qualifiers during a six-day period in early March. The Bobcats will travel to Oregon on Sunday, Mar. 8, before returning home to host Fairmont State on Saturday, Mar. 14. Fairmont State and Quinnipiac is a rematch of last season’s NCATA quarterfinal 4/5 matchup.
  • Mar. 22 – Quinnipiac’s difficult stretch will continue later in the month when the Bobcats host Baylor in an NCATA semifinal rematch from the 2019 tournament.
  • Mar. 28 – King University and Converse College will meet in a matchup of top 10 teams from the 2019 season.
  • April 2 – The month of April will begin with a rematch of the first-ever MEC Championship meet as Fairmont State travels to Glenville State.
  • April 4 – Two days later Baylor and Oregon will meet for the second time during the 2020 season, this time at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
  • The 2020 regular season will wrap up on Wednesday, April 8 with three meets; including Belmont Abbey at Erskine, West Virginia Wesleyan at Alderson Broaddus, and East Texas Baptist at Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
To view the complete schedule, CLICK HERE
 
Be sure to follow the NCATA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates during the 2020 season.