SIOUX FALLS, SD – The number six seed Iona University acrobatics & tumbling team competed in their first appearance at the NCATA National Championships, squaring off against the number three seed Quinnipiac.  

The Gaels fought well with a season-high points total in the Toss event along with strong individual efforts by Alyssa Lentz, Ty Upton, and Portia Dryden in the tumbling event. Despite the team's efforts the Gaels would go on to drop the matchup by a score of 263.545-255.875 

COMPULSORY

The Gaels kicked off the 2025 NCATA Championships starting in the Compulsory round. The Maroon & Gold started strong, with a 9.575 in the toss heat, up from their 9.542 season average in that respective heat. Despite the Gaels strong opener, the Bobcats took the first event by a score of 37.575-35.800. 

ACRO

The Maroon & Gold stayed competitive through the acro event, challenging themselves with a 9.95 starting value in the 7-Element heat and taking in 8.775 points. Quinnipiac's higher starting values in the event caused the Gaels to drop the Acro event by a score of 28.100-25.400. 

PYRAMID

The Gaels closed out the first half with great performances in the Inversion and Open heats, posting scores of 9.525 and 9.725 points respectively. The 9.725 mark in the open heat counted towards Iona's second-best score in that heat this year. In the end, The Gaels would be bested by less than a point in the event with the 29.350-28.450 scoreline going in favor of Quinnipiac. 

The two sides headed into the break with the Maroon & Gold down by a score of 95.025-89.650. 

TOSS

The Gaels posted their strongest effort in the dual meet yet, posting their highest points total in the Toss event in the 2025 season. With a season-high 9.60 out of 10.00 in the open toss, the Gaels' strong scores ended up only 0.100 points behind Quinnipac who took the event win. 

TUMBLING

Portia Dryden and Alyssa Lentz set the tone early with a 8.900 in the Duo pass, while The Gaels posted scored of 9.625 three times in a row in the Aerial, 6 Element, and Open passes. 

With the strong showings from Alyssa Lentz, Ty Upton, and Portia Dryden, The Maroon & Gold snatched their first event victory in the quarterfinal by a score fof 54.075-53.150, taking the two sides into the final team event with Iona closing the gap to less than five points.  

TEAM EVENT

The two sides ocmpleted the first quarterfinal of the 2025 NCATA National Championships with Iona dropping the event by a score of 87.020-83.900 

OVERALL

The Gaels took home 255.875 out of a possible 291.800 points, while Quinnipiac fell 31.385 points short of a possible 294.930 starting value. 

THE LINEUP

#1 Georgia Mason         
#2 Mylah Vanden Elsen         
#4 Alyssa Lentz         
#6 Teresa Jennings         
#8 Rachelle Ricafranca         
#9 Olivia Montalbano         
#11 Samantha Gonzalez         
#12 Ty Upton          
#13 Josie Hewett         
#14 Sophia Huertas         
#15 Violet Strong         
#19 Alexandra Swaris         
#20 Riley Beauchmin         
#21 Julienne Templeman         
#22 Nicole Bonnett          
#23 Jenna Roby         
#24 Kendall Vess         
#25 Emersen Johnson         
#26 Rebecca Lane         
#27 Leilani Morales         
#28 Demi Brown          
#29 Aspen Lentz         
#30 Karryn Wieda         
#31 Portia Dryden         
#32 Mya Brayak          
#33 Cristiana Abreu         
#35 Haley Merrill         
#43 Gia Arias    

UP NEXT

 The Event Finals at the 2025 NCATA National Championships will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 27 from the Elmen Center at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.