INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The NCAA formally elevated acrobatics and tumbling to championship sport status this week, marking a historic milestone for one of the nation's fastest-growing women's sports and further validating the rapid rise of Iona University's nationally ranked program.
 
Approved at the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C. area, the measure adds acrobatics and tumbling as the NCAA's 93rd national championship and paves the way for the first National Collegiate Championship in spring 2027. Student-athletes from Divisions I, II and III will compete together for a single national title.
 
For Iona, the announcement comes as the program prepares for its third season of competition in 2026, having already established itself among the sport's elite. In just its second year, the Gaels climbed to No. 6 in the national rankings and earned a team bid to the 2025 NCATA National Championship. Iona will again compete head-to-head during the regular season with Oregon, Baylor and Quinnipiac, programs projected to rank among the nation's top three.
 
Iona University head coach Jacquie Eshleman brings a unique and deeply personal connection to the sport's journey. A founding student-athlete on the first acrobatics and tumbling team at the University of Oregon in 2009, Eshleman is one of only two remaining coaches from the sport's inaugural season and the only current head coach from that original team.
 
"When I was a college athlete at the University of Oregon, competing in 2009 on the first acrobatics and tumbling team, I could only dream of what this sport might one day become," Eshleman said. "That first team in 2009 used to say we were 'Changing the World,' and we did. To see it officially earn NCAA Championship status is overwhelming, emotional, and deeply meaningful, not just for me, but for every woman and man who believed in this sport when it was still being built. To those trailblazers, thank you."
 
Eshleman emphasized the collective effort that sustained the sport through its formative years.
 
"I am incredibly grateful to the coaches who took risks, the administrators who said yes, the athletes who poured their hearts into this sport, and the families who trusted us with their daughters," she said. "To the pioneers who laid the foundation, the NCATA, and every program that helped push this forward, thank you. This moment belongs to all of you."
 
Added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program in August 2020, acrobatics and tumbling surpassed the required 40 varsity-sponsoring institutions to qualify for championship status. Currently, 52 NCAA schools sponsor the sport, with more than 1,300 student-athletes set to compete during the 2026 season.
 
"It is a major win for the NCAA to add acrobatics and tumbling as a championship sport," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "We thank everyone who played a role in supporting this effort and look forward to continue providing world-class opportunities for women to compete in this incredible sport."
 
A fast-paced, team-based discipline, acrobatics and tumbling features synchronized skills across six events, including acrobatics, pyramid, toss, tumbling and team routines. Meets typically span 90 to 120 minutes, with routines evaluated on both difficulty and execution. The sport draws athletes from gymnastics, cheerleading, diving, dance and other strength-based disciplines and is governed by the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association.
 
"This moment represents an unprecedented collaborative effort by the individuals and member institutions in the acrobatics and tumbling community," said Janell Cook, executive director of the NCATA. "The vision, resiliency and innovation required to accomplish this goal has been carried out with passionate resolve, and today is a celebration of every student-athlete, coach and administrator who has invested in the development of the sport."
 
An NCAA Women's Acrobatics & Tumbling Committee will be established to oversee championship administration, playing rules, format and host site selection, capping a 16-year effort to earn full NCAA championship recognition.
 
The sport becomes the latest to graduate from the Emerging Sports for Women program, joining rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling, beach volleyball, women's wrestling and stunt. The designation coincides with continued growth in women's participation and scholarship opportunities across all three NCAA divisions.
 
"As a coach, a former student-athlete, and a mom of two little girls, this milestone hits especially close to home," Eshleman said. "It means more opportunities, more equity, and a future where young women can chase their dreams at the highest level with the resources they deserve, with the recognition and respect they have earned."
 
"I'm so proud of how far we've come and so excited for what's ahead," she added. "Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we keep building."

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