Today, the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) wraps up its 2020 preview series with a look at the six-member programs from the Mountain East Conference, five of which reside in West Virginia, and one from Ohio.
Fairmont State was crowned the first-ever conference champion in the sport of Acrobatics & Tumbling after topping Glenville State in last spring’s inaugural MEC Championship.
Fairmont State has also been picked to win the 2020 Mountain East Conference Acrobatics & Tumbling Championship, the league announced last week after a vote of the six league coaches.
The Falcons finished atop the poll with 24 points, including four first-place votes. Fairmont State was 8-2 last year and won the first-ever MEC Championship before advancing to the NCATA Championship as the No. 5 seed. However, Fairmont State lost all six all-conference athletes from last season and will feature just one senior in the lineup in base/tumbler Madeline Rushing. A group of five juniors will also help lead the team in 2020, led by Alexis Smith, who was an event finalist in open tumbling at the national championships last year. NCATA All-American Karah Naples also graduated following the 2019 season, and joined the programs coaching staff as an assistant coach this season.
West Liberty was slotted second in the poll with 21 points and had two first-place votes. The Hilltoppers will be led this year by first-year head coach Kelsey Kyle, who competed last season for Fairmont State and won the MEC Specialist of the Year award. West Liberty brings back four student-athletes who earned All-MEC laurels last season, led by first-team selection Theresa Evangelista. Kylee Buzzard, Kenzie Kyle and Lexus Ficca all earned second-team honors last year and return to the lineup for West Liberty in 2020.
Glenville State, the runner-up at last year's conference championship, was picked to finish third with 15 points. The Pioneers went 6-2 last year, but will have to replace several student-athletes who earned all-conference recognition a season ago. The Pioneers ranked as high as No. 9 in last season’s NCATA national rankings.
Davis & Elkins was picked fourth with 12 points. The Senators return sophomore Nina Day as they try to qualify for the MEC Championship.
Picked fifth with 11 points, West Virginia Wesleyan will be led by a pair of first-team All-MEC selections in Nicole Johnson and Joniah Howell.
Urbana was sixth with seven points. The Blue Knights return two student-athletes who earned second team All-MEC honors last year in top/tumbler Sarah Calk and base/tumbler Kate-Lynn Sidenstacker.
The 2020 MEC Championship will be held April 10-11 on the campus of Fairmont State University. The MEC will also crown individual event conference champions on Saturday morning during individual event finals at Fairmont’s Joe Retton Arena.
The NCATA is entering a historic season, as the association and its 32 member programs were voted to NCAA Emerging Sports Status at the Division II and Division III levels on Saturday, Jan. 25 during the NCAA Convention. NCAA Division I will vote in April. For additional information about the vote,
CLICK HERE
2020 Mountain East Conference Acrobatics & Tumbling Preseason Poll
1. Fairmont State -- 24 (4)
2. West Liberty -- 21 (2)
3. Glenville State -- 15
4. Davis & Elkins -- 12
5. West Virginia Wesleyan -- 11
6. Urbana -- 7
Below, hear from each of the head coaches from around the Mountain East Conference as they preview their 2020 teams.
Davis & Elkins College
Hearing from Head Coach Shelby Armstrong:
- Which of your returning athlete(s) will provide leadership for your team this season?
“Deanna Blood has worked very hard since last season to accomplish competing a 10.0 pass. She has dedicated a lot of time into putting the perfect combination together that she can master confidently, and I feel good about her success with that this year.”
“Portia Durden has stepped up as a strong top. Initially recruited as a freshman from artistic gymnastics, we planned for her to be a tumbling specialist specifically. Now as a sophomore, she has stepped into and excelled in unfamiliar positions. I see her as more of an acro specialist. She is a top for our inverted pyramid and her body lines are beautiful in the air; I am very excited for her debut as a top in many events this season and to see how her strength reflects in our scores.”
“Elizabeth Caterino is coming back this season after a torn achilles last fall that put her out for her entire freshman year. She’s super strong and started tumbling less than a year post-op, showing tremendous growth as a base in a few events. We knew her tumbling was going to take some time to get back to normal, so she has worked hard to become the strongest base possible. I think she has surprised a lot of the team with how much she’s willing to try, literally anything I throw at her. She was an artistic gymnast and here she is throwing basket tosses and basing toe pitches after tearing her achilles on a skill she has done her whole life.”
- Which newcomer(s) have been the most impressive during fall/spring practice, and will provide immediate impact for your team this season?
“The freshmen class is awesome. We had a big class this year and I could talk about every single one of them and the asset they are. Every single freshman is on the mat and in important place.”
“Elizabeth Markley will really help carry us in the tumbling event, she’s so clean with great body lines and just awesome power. I think she tries and accomplishes a new pass every week, and I am excited for everyone to see her tumbling.”
“Roy Gannon is one of most versatile athletes as one of best tops, bases, tumblers, all in one. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was and athlete. She’s still getting used to things at the college level and started off a little timid, but she’s so strong and her confidence continues to grow.”
“Our West Virginia girls Kaitlynn Bolyard and Caitlyn Swecker have shocked us all. Coming from school cheer on a non-tumbling team, I wasn’t sure if they’d even like it or how they might adjust. They are both strong, fearless and have become two people I can count on to make anything work. Kaitlynn Bolyard was throwing an upperclassman in un-assisted toe pitch tuck offs in the first few weeks and is now a key player in compulsories! Caitlyn has probably never flown in her life, but when she walked in, I put her in the air and she killed it. Then I asked her to base and same thing – she made it happen. These girls have become huge assets for us.”
- Which event/heat are you most excited for (did you make the most improvement) this season, why?
“We have made the most improvement in the tumbling event. As a team that has had smaller numbers in the first two years, we also didn’t have the tumbling that our opponents did. I went out last year and sought out as many gymnasts as I could in the recruiting cycle. Our scores are going to jump big time this year and I am so excited for their passes.”
4. Talk about your schedule, and the challenges that are ahead of your team this season?
“I am excited about the schedule; we have quite a few meets each month so that is going to be tough. Good reps will be key for us this year to limit impact. For spring break, we travel to Quinnipiac, a DI program that has always been great and will no doubt be our toughest opponent. Our most exciting meets are typically with West Virginia Wesleyan and West Liberty, because we all started our programs at the same time and our meets have always felt a little more competitive with them.”
Fairmont State University
Hearing from Head Coach Kristi Kiefer:
- Which of your returning athlete(s) will provide leadership for your team this season?
“With only six juniors and seniors on the roster this season, we will be looking for all of our upperclassman to step up and lead in their own way. Senior Madie Rushing and sophomore Priscilla Richmond are two returners who have really helped provide leadership for our team this season.”
- Which newcomer(s) have been the most impressive during fall/spring practice, and will provide immediate impact for your team this season?
“Both Peyton Barnes and Sophie DelGreco have proved to be very vesitile athletes during the fall and spring practices and they will be key members of our lineup during meets this season.”
- Which event/heat are you most excited for (did you make the most improvement) this season, why?
“Team Event is the event that has made the most improvement this season. I am excited to see this event take the mat.”
- Talk about your schedule, and the challenges that are ahead of your team this season?
“Outside of conference play, we will travel to compete against Quinnipiac University, while Gannon University will be traveling to our campus. With a smaller roster this year, one of our challenges is to keep all athletes healthy throughout the season.”
Glenville State College
Hearing from Head Coach Melanie Goulding:
- Which of your returning athlete(s) will provide leadership for your team this season?
“All of our seniors (Bethany Mote, Amiee Asbury, Larissa Hayman, and Taylor Corey) provide leadership in different areas and different aspects. They have really stepped up to the plate as far as giving guidance to our team after losing seven key players from a year ago. I am really proud of their commitment to the program.”
- Which newcomer(s) have been the most impressive during fall/spring practice, and will provide immediate impact for your team this season?
“Paula Urquidi and Morgan Wagnitz both have stepped in for former graduating seniors and will make an immediate impact in compulsory acro, tumbling, and team event.”
- Which event/heat are you most excited for (did you make the most improvement) this season, why?
“I am most excited for our team event. Every single athlete on the team is doing their job and even with the small roster in a rebuilding year, we have maintained our level of difficulty.”
- Talk about your schedule, and the challenges that are ahead of your team this season?
“We have three roads contest and two home contests which are all conference meets this season in the Mountain East Conference. There is no room for mishap, we have to show up and compete during all five meets.”
Urbana University
Hearing from Head Coach Courtney Stack:
- Which of your returning athlete(s) will provide leadership for your team this season?
“With the young team we have, the four returners- Sarah Calk, Cassey Poe, Kate-Lynn Sidenstecker, and Kayla Walder have taken on the leadership role. All four athletes bring a lot to the table while demonstrating strength and versatility along with good academic success that sets a good example for our program.”
- Which newcomer(s) have been the most impressive during fall/spring practice, and will provide immediate impact for your team this season?
“I am excited to see all of our newcomers take the mat this competition season. As newcomers, Abigail Swinderman and Christina Bapple will be all around strong assets for our team. Another newcomer, Rosemary Sponable, brings a lot of strength to our team within the Acro, Pyramid, Toss and Team Events.”
- Which event/heat are you most excited for (did you make the most improvement) this season, why?
“I am looking forward to the team event the most, since we did not complete in this portion of the meet during our inaugural year. Putting all of our pieces to the puzzle on the mat at one time is going to be a special moment for this group.”
- Talk about your schedule, and the challenges that are ahead of your team this season?
“Our 2019-2020 schedule focuses on opponents within the Mountain East Conference, with the exception of Adrian College. There is a lot of fierce competition within our conference that should make for closer scores and exciting match-ups.”
West Liberty University
Hearing from Head Coach Kelsey Kyle:
- Which of your returning athlete(s) will provide leadership for your team this season?
"We remain a very young team with no seniors on the roster but our returning juniors have really stepped up into leadership roles during the preseason. We have six juniors who have been part of the program since its inception and they have provided outstanding guidance and inspiration for their teammates."
- Which newcomer(s) have been the most impressive during fall/spring practice, and will provide immediate impact for your team this season?
“We are extremely pleased with the 12 newcomers we've added to our roster as it appears, they will each play a vital role on our team this season. I'm especially excited for Mareena Scalia. She has a very strong gymnastics background and has really worked hard on her tumbling skills. We look for her to make an immediate impact in the tumbling event.”
- Which event/heat are you most excited for (did you make the most improvement) this season, why?
“As a first-year head coach, my main focus was to improve on compulsory events in order to build off those skills moving forward. To that end, I was very happy with the improvement we made throughout the preseason. We worked very hard on skills designed to improve our start values so I'm excited to see us compete for the first time with all 10.0 start values in the first half.”
- Talk about your schedule, and the challenges that are ahead of your team this season?
“We're fortunate to be part of the Mountain East Conference as most of our schedule is composed of conference matchups. We are especially looking forward to a Saturday night matchup at defending MEC champion Fairmont State, my alma mater. Although we are still a relatively young program, we fully expect to be competitive in our conference matches and hope to move up in the national rankings, as well.”
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Hearing from Head Coach Alexa Johnson:
- Which of your returning athletes will provide leadership for your team this season?
“With such a young team many of our freshman have had the opportunity to step up and rise the occasion of taking on leadership roles and have done very well with this. The two returning athletes that consistently show leadership qualities are senior Jaycie Blankenship and junior Kayla Wade. These two are always willing to do what helps the team and do great with helping out the underclassmen adjust to acrobatics & tumbling.”
- Which newcomers have been the most impressive during fall/spring practice, and will provide immediate impact for your team this season?
“I am excited to see the impact the newcomers will have on the mat. Megan Miles and Kaelin Withrow are two that will take on event roles in almost every single event for us. These two have become very versatile athletes and will greatly impact the team in all events, especially the tumbling, toss and pyramid events.”
- Which event/heat are you most excited for (did you make the most improvement) this season?
“The acro and pyramid heats are what I’m excited for this year. We have increased difficulty from last season and we continue to improve these events in every practice.” I look for scores to be very elevated from last season.”
- Talk about your schedule, and the challenges that are ahead of your team this season?
“We have a very good schedule with all of the highest ranked teams in the MEC. We will stay in state for all of our away meets, which I think will be very beneficial to draw a “hometown crowd” at all of our meets not just the home ones. Our first meet is at West Liberty and I believe that will be a good first meet for us.”