Lander University

Hailey Franklin

Acrobatics & Tumbling 3/6/2026 9:25:00 PM Hailey Franklin - Assistant Sports Information Director

No. 14 Lander drops tight meet at No. 11 Saint Leo

SAINT LEO, Fla. - No. 14 Lander acrobatics & tumbling dropped a competitive road meet to No. 11 Saint Leo on Friday night, falling 252.435–247.440. The Bearcats move to 3-2 overall with the loss.

Lander stayed within striking distance throughout the meet but was unable to overcome Saint Leo's early advantage. The Lions built momentum in the opening compulsory event, edging the Bearcats 36.45-35.45 to take a one-point lead after the first four heats.

In the acro event, Lander recorded its highest score in the five-element heat with a 9.65, but Saint Leo responded with a strong performance in the seven-element heat to claim the event, 28.60-26.90.

The Bearcats showed strength in the toss event, where they outscored Saint Leo 27.85-26.95. Lander posted solid marks in the 450 salto and open toss heats, including a 9.70 in Heat 1 and a 9.20 in Heat 3, helping trim the Lions' overall lead.

The Bearcats also produced a consistent showing in pyramid, totaling 28.50 points. Lander highlighted the event with a 9.65 in the open pyramid heat and a 9.50 in the synchronized heat, but Saint Leo narrowly took the event with a 29.30 total.

Tumbling proved to be one of the tighter events of the night, with Saint Leo holding a slight 53.525-52.400 edge. Lander's strongest passes came in the aerial pass from Julie Szmitko (9.525), the open pass from Jaedien Irizarry (9.650), and the 6-element pass from Audra Kaiser (9.125), helping keep the meet close entering the final rotation.

In the team event, Saint Leo scored 77.61 to Lander's 76.34 to secure the victory and close out the meet.

Despite the setback, the Bearcats delivered several strong heats and remained within reach of the Lions throughout the competition.

Lander now sits at 3-2 on the season as it looks to regroup following the top-15 matchup on the road.

The Bearcats return to competition Saturday, March 14, traveling to Montevallo, Ala., for a 2 p.m. meet against Montevallo.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Jaedien Irizarry: 5' 2"; Junior

#12 Julie Szmitko: 5' 2"; Graduate Student

#25 Audra Kaiser: 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Jaedien Irizarry
: 5' 2"; Junior

#12 Julie Szmitko
: 5' 2"; Graduate Student

#25 Audra Kaiser
: 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Jaedien Irizarry

#12 Julie Szmitko

#25 Audra Kaiser

Players Mentioned

#10 Jaedien Irizarry

#12 Julie Szmitko

#25 Audra Kaiser