Lander University

NCATA

Acrobatics & Tumbling 4/27/2026 11:44:00 AM Hailey Franklin - Assistant Sports Information Director

Bearcats Cap Historic Season at NCATA Event Finals

AZUSA, Calif. - The Lander acrobatics & tumbling team closed out a historic 2026 season with a fifth-place finish in Acro Heat 1 (five-element) at the NCATA Event Finals, posting a score of 8.825 against a field made up entirely of Division I programs.

Competing on the national stage, the Bearcats held their own against some of the sport's top teams, continuing a steady rise for the program in recent years. Lander's appearance in the event finals marked another milestone in a season filled with firsts and program-defining achievements.

The Bearcats' 2026 campaign was highlighted by the program's first-ever Conference Carolinas Championship, along with the program's first Conference Carolinas Athlete of the Year honor, earned by Ashlyn Shively. Shively also added NCATA All-Academic honors to her list of accolades.

In the classroom, Lander continued to excel, placing 23 student-athletes on the NCATA Academic Honor Roll: Morgan Axiotis, Jalynne Barrientes, Olivia Brewer, Laney Carrell, Kaleigh Cato, Paloma Dean, Alana Eckert, Jade Gerhard, Cayden Groome, Jaedien Irizarry, Audra Kaiser, Makayla Krusen, Danielle Kuusisto, Cayla Martin, Maizie McMenamy, McKenna Monkelien, Rhianna Philcox, Kaitlyn Schlau, Ashlyn Shively, Jaidyn Simonetti, Julie Szmitko, Za'Ria Walker, and Rachel Webster.

With a conference title, a national event finals appearance, individual event titles, multiple season and program-high scores, and numerous individual honors, the Bearcats wrap up one of the most successful seasons in program history.

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