Acro posts record year, returns to nationals

The acrobatics and tumbling team capped off its fourth season with record-breaking performances and a return to the national championships — all during a historic moment for the sport itself.

Entering the season ranked No. 5 in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) preseason coaches poll, the Vikings backed up that rank with results.

Augustana opened with a program-record season-opening score of 265.485 in a tri-meet sweep of Missouri State (245.130) and Presbyterian (243.695) on February 13. The Vikings won all six events and posted a 53.525 in tumbling (fifth-highest in program history) and a 91.600 in the team event — the best season-opening team score in program history.

The momentum carried into the home-opener win over Concordia Wisconsin on February 28, where Augustana improved to 3-0 with a 267.585–219.720 victory. The Vikings again swept all six events while breaking a program record in the pyramid event with a 29.650 and surpassing 54.000 in the tumbling event for the first time with a 54.025.

“Everyone’s really leveling up this year,” senior top and tumbler McKenna Trowbridge said. “It’s just crazy to think of what we’ve grown into, what we’ve become.”

On the road, Augustana added one of its most significant wins in program history, defeating No. 8 Mary Hardin-Baylor 265.375–256.305 on March 8. The Vikings won five of six events, set a then-program record in acro with a 28.700, and recorded a 29.550 in pyramid — the second-highest total in program history at the time.

Two days later, the Vikings posted a 269.050 in a win over Texas Lutheran (108.350), the second-highest team score in program history at that point. Augustana swept all six events, set its acro record again by 0.050, and closed with a 92.450 in the team event, the fifth-highest total in program history.

The team’s only loss came in a high-scoring home meet on March 18 against then-No. 4 Iona, 271.685–268.225, where the Vikings still delivered the fifth-highest team score in program history. The meet included a program-record 38.100 in the compulsory event and a team event score of 90.450, just 0.160 points behind Iona despite a start value 3.0 fewer points.

The regular season concluded with the strongest performance in program history on April 4. Augustana defeated Missouri State 270.205–250.105 on senior day, setting a program-record team score. The Vikings swept all six events, opened with a 38.350 in compulsory (another program record), and achieved the program’s first-ever perfect heat (10.0) in pyramid. The team also posted a 53.675 in tumbling and a 92.380 in the team event to cap the performance.

“For us to start at or score a 270 is huge,” senior base and tumbler Raena Rost said. “You can start out of 300, but teams usually don’t start that high, so that’s a really good score.”

Augustana finished the regular season 6-1, with five meets scoring 265.000 or higher and three meets above 268.000, highlighting the team’s consistency.

That consistency earned the Vikings the No. 5 seed entering the NCATA National Championships at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California. On April 23, Augustana faced No. 4 Fairmont State in the quarterfinals, but fell 254.950–250.800.

Despite the loss, the Vikings qualified for two event finals across four heats, advancing in the acro 7-element heat and three tumbling passes: trio, quad and 6-element.

“Even though they’re having a tough time with [the loss], the girls did everything in their power during that meet,” head coach Kaelyn Dillon said. “There was no major fall, no major anything. We’re super proud of what they did. And if we were to do it again, we’d have the same performance and I’d still be proud.”

This season also unfolded during a landmark moment for the sport. This past January, the NCATA announced that acrobatics and tumbling had officially been approved as an NCAA championship sport. The milestone came after a 16-year effort that began with just a handful of programs and has since grown to more than 50 collegiate teams nationwide. The first official NCAA championship is set for spring 2027.

For Augustana, that timing is especially meaningful. The program will graduate its first full senior class of 18 athletes, including 17 who spent all four years helping to build the program from its early stages into a national contender.

“Our seniors are the heart of the program,” Dillon said. “Without them, we wouldn’t be here today.”

Individually, the Vikings earned multiple postseason honors. Trowbridge was named a first-team All-American for the second consecutive year, while junior Elaina Matuszewski and senior Paige Simon earned second-team All-American honors. Senior Natalie Homerding was named to the NCATA All-Academic Team.

By the numbers, the 2026 season stands as the most successful in program history: a 6-1 record, a program-record 270.205, multiple event records and a second consecutive trip to nationals. Combined with the sport’s elevation to NCAA championship status, the season represents both a high point for Augustana acrobatics and a glimpse at what comes next.