Ben Deihl | sports editor

Duquesne’s acrobatics and tumbling team opened their second season in program history in grand fashion, sweeping all six events in a 255.130-217.645 win at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Thursday.

The Dukes dominated from the jump, winning 18 of 19 heats across the six events. Their only loss came in the second heat of the second event, the Dukes swept 14 straight heats after their early and lone defeat.

“Last year, we were all really new to the sport with a team of basically all freshmen,” base Anna Trent said. “This year, we’re a little more seasoned. We have huge goals.”

The Dukes started with two program records in the compulsory round, scoring 9.20 in acro and 9.75 in toss, tying a program-best 37.10 points in the opening event. A unit eight Dukes deep helped lead the way for the beginning of what would become a record-breaking night for Duquesne in their second-ever season.

After the first event, the Dukes led by 3.90 points. Duquesne notched a program best in every event, totaling seven new records for the Dukes across their first meet in 2026.

An injury during halftime warm-ups forced Duquesne to reevaluate skill-level points and put Claire Piper in a starting role, where the sophomore impressed immediately. Piper participated in the tumbling and final team event in place of Lea Philarom, while also being a part of the record-setting compulsory acro heat.

“We all had to come together as a team under adversity,” Mireya Maymi said. “In the preseason, we’ve been going with the flow. Having something unexpected happen and coming together as a team for her and for the person next to us was really special.”

In a sport dominated by synchronicity and togetherness, being able to work as a unit and ground each teammate is essential to overall success.

“The moments before we step out onto the mat with coach [Nikki Pizzi] are really important to each heat we’re in,” Longenecker said. “Whether it’s deep breathing or bringing the energy to get in sync with each other, finding your niche with the group is really important.”

Duquesne’s side of the fieldhouse was packed with loyal fans, friends and family members passionately cheering on the young team. Multiple other Duquesne athletics teams showed up to show support for the university’s newest sport, showing a growing sense of community and camaraderie across the Bluff.

Duquesne’s dominance continued into the acrobatics event, as the five-element acro heat saw Carly Longenecker, Alaina Baumgartner and Alia Ellis score a near-perfect 9.90, just a tenth of a point off a flawless run. The seven-element run saw Abby Eberle, Trent, Mia Kenny and Mia Dipner score a 9.75 out of 10, a 0.25-point improvement from the team’s best mark last season.

In the 450 Salto toss, Dukes earned an 8.85 out of a possible 9 points, while synchronized posted a 0.30-point improvement over last season’s best, posting an 8.80 to keep the Dukes rolling into the tumbling heat.

The Dukes dominated in tumbling, beating West Liberty by 9.575 points throughout the event. Duquesne collected three straight 9+ point heats to close out the six-heat event, settling Duquesne’s event total at 51.150 points out of a possible 54.85.

The Dukes only missed 29.80 points in the entire meet, one of the best spreads on record for Duquesne. Their 255.130 final score is good for their third-best score to date, just 5.630 points behind their program-best 260.760 score in last year’s season finale.

“Our music this year really brings a spark that we didn’t have last year,” Maymi said. “When it starts with hard-hitting music, it’s like, ‘It’s game time.’”

A thrilling finale brought the fieldhouse to its feet as the Dukes executed the two and a half minute run with impeccable accuracy, scoring an 84.33 to double their lead, cruising to a 37-point victory in their season opener.

“When we do a big deep breath in and ground ourselves, it almost feels like all of our hearts are beating at one moment,” Trent said. “We really are one unit. And I think we went out there and showcased that tonight.”

Duquesne will travel to Erie to face No. 9 Gannon for its first away meet of the 2026 season. The Golden Knights and Dukes will face off at 7 p.m. on Friday, with the meet streaming on PSAC Digital Network.

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu