Lander University

Francisco Jauregui

Acrobatics & Tumbling 4/25/2026 12:14:00 PM Hailey Franklin - Assistant Sports Information Director

Lander Qualifies for NCATA Event Finals in Acro Heat 1 at 2026 National Championships

AZUSA, Calif. - Lander University's acrobatics & tumbling team has qualified for the event finals in Acro Heat #1 (five-element) at the NCATA National Championships, continuing a strong run of postseason success for the Bearcats.

Lander secured an at-large berth based on its adjusted average score of 9.710 during the regular season. The Bearcats posted a high of 9.900 and a low of 9.400 across seven meets, totaling 67.850 points. Under NCATA qualification rules, the highest and lowest scores are dropped to determine the adjusted average, with ties broken by the overall average of all regular-season scores.

Lander will compete against Duquesne University, Quinnipiac University, Baylor University, and the University of Oregon in the event final and is the only Division II program in the Acro Heat 1 field.

The Bearcats will be represented in the event by Ashlyn Shively, Paloma Dean, Makayla Krusen, Laney Carrell, and Rhianna Philcox.

Event finals begin at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) and will be hosted by Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. Fans can watch the event live on ESPN+.

Lander's qualification continues a trend of national appearances, as the program has reached nationals four times in the past five seasons under head coach Sarah DiSpaltro. The Bearcats qualified for two events in 2022, followed by one each in 2024, 2025, and 2026. This marks the program's second appearance in Acro Heat No. 1 (five-element), having previously advanced in 2022 when qualification was determined by top score rather than average. That season, Lander posted a 9.95 in the heat.

The national berth caps a historic stretch for the Bearcats, who recently captured their first team title at the Conference Carolinas Championship. Lander also won seven total events at the conference event finals, including the Acro Heat 1 (five-element) title with a score of 9.700.

With momentum from both a conference championship and consistent regular-season scoring, Lander enters the national event finals positioned to compete among the top programs in the country with a chance to bring home a National Event Title.

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