Quinnipiac Acrobatics and Tumbling will maintain their number two ranking, beating Morgan State in their opening meet of the year.
This was a Bobcat decimation, marked by a near 24-point victory. For a program in its fledgling stages, Morgan State showed a lot of promise.
“Morgan State’s coach is actually very different,” said Quinnipiac head coach Mary Ann Powers, “She actually started one of the original [NCATA] programs back in 2009. What she’s done in two years is nothing short of spectacular. Last year she completely transformed the team. She’s got them buying in.”
Morgan State is the NCATA’s first program at an HBCU, and their head coach Regina Smith has built the program from the ground up. While they’ve been impressive for a program on the rise, it’s clear they weren’t a match for a program as established as Quinnipiac.
The meet started close in the compulsory event, with Quinnipiac snagging a narrow three-point lead. They doubled that lead in the acrobatics event, and it was a foot race from there.
The Bobcats continued to build their lead through the remaining four events and refused to let their foot off the gas. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get to see some great moments from both sides.
For Morgan State, in their Acro 7-Element heat, they did a trick where the base went into a front split while the top held a v-sit. All of M&T Bank exploded once they landed it, going to show just how rare it is to see.
“This was a sport created for women, by women, and I think we have to really support every team, even if it’s your rival team,” said senior base Hallie Fowler.
After losing 13 seniors and graduate students coming into this 2025 campaign, getting this early win was very important for the Bobcats. Luckily, they were able to keep Tiffany Zieba and Chloe White on as assistant coaches, both of whom are poised to have a significant impact on previous teammates and newcomers alike. A lot of those newcomers have stepped up to the plate in big ways too.
“Julia Turrisi, she comes from competitive cheer and had to learn a brand new sport,” said Powers, “Morgan Pektor and Olivia [Robins], they were both great too.”
This first meet was also important to the Bobcats for one more reason. They got to sign an Impact Player, Sofia Lettiero. She’s a 12-year-old cancer survivor who’s already endured 90 treatments. She’s shown courage beyond words, and the Quinnipiac community have all thrown their arms around her.
“We had a Zoom call the other day, and I felt so unprofessional because I wept,” said Powers. “As a cancer survivor myself from the past two years, it’s hard to be 12 and take that challenge. This organization is probably one of my favorite nationwide nonprofits because they realize that kids with childhood diseases need a village behind them.”
For their next meet, Quinnipiac Acrobatics and Tumbling will visit Iona on Feb.15 at 6 p.m.
