Gannon’s sixth-ranked acrobatics & tumbling team started off the 2022 season with a pair of victories over fourth-ranked Quinnipiac and East Stroudsburg Saturday.

The Knights beat back the Bobcats 266.955-262.235 in a fight between two, Top 10-ranked squads.

In addition, the Knights also defeated the Warriors 266.955-170.125, a dominating performance that puts the Knights at 2-0 to start the season.

The win over Quinnipiac was a history-making performance for the Knights, who had never defeated the Bobcats before, finishing with a lifetime record of 0-7.

The win also marked the first time that the Knights had ever beaten an NCAA Division I program and stood as the first victory against a high-ranked squad.

The Knights have now won eight straight matches on top of their 6-0 finish to last season.

Coach Jacquie Eshleman was proud of the team in its dominating weekend.

“We have worked a lot this week on flipping our switch and forcing focus,” Eshleman said. “The athletes truly did that today; they were confident and vocal with their needs and kept incredible self-awareness, while also being aware that they are a team and must be a team during every heat that they touch the mat.”

The largest margin of victory for the Knights came during the toss event, as Gannon notched a three-heat sweep and outscored the Bobcats 28.10-25.60. In the 450 salto toss, the Knights scored an impressive 8.90 as well as a 9.50 in the synchronized toss and a 9.70 in the open toss heat for an event-high.

However, the Knights did fall behind the Bobcats in the tumbling heats, losing five out of six tumbling contests to be outscored by Quinnipiac 53.625-52.525.

Despite that loss, it was a highlight for Knights sophomore Caitlyn Crawford, who achieved the highest-scoring pass of the tumbling event by producing a 9.65 in the open pass; this allowed the Knights to finish on top.

The Knights walked away with a 93.73-91.81 victory in the team event over the fourth-ranked Bobcats.

Meanwhile, East Stroudsburg finished the meet with a 51.95 team event score.

The Knights will head home and begin preparing for a dual meet against 11th-ranked Fairmont State at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18.

MICHAEL GUIDO

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