It may come as a surprise, but one of the loudest sports to attend is acrobatics and tumbling. No. 15 Duquesne hosted No. 1 Baylor on Tuesday, and whether it was a six-element tumbling pass or successfully stacking multiple people on top of each other in what is called a pyramid, the fans and athletes were cheering from start to finish.
The Dukes were cheering on the Bears. The Bears were cheering on the Dukes. After the tumblers for Duquesne competed in their events, they ran through a tunnel of teammates in celebration. Oh, and, win or lose, those players will be in the concourse talking to fans for a while.
Acrobatics and tumbling is a new sport, starting back in 2009 with the original six member schools. The sport combines elements of gymnastics and competitive cheerleading. Duquesne joined this year, but there are over 40 programs that compete, 12 of which are Division I.
It’s quite a different experience attending a meet at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. You’re not going to hear any heckling of players, coaches or officials. But that’s what makes the sport special for coach Michaela Soper.
“We're building young teams across the country and trying to empower women all over,” Soper said. “We're always trying to constantly cheer for the team next to us. We're not a defensive sport, so we get to actually support each other. We’re trying to empower everybody at each step of the way, where we're laying our foundation.”
It’s a sport that showcases the grace and strength of women. There are four disciplines — acro, pyramid, toss and tumbling — which are showcased over six events. There are the specific disciplines, as well as the compulsory and team events, which include elements from every aspect.
Athletes are either considered tops, tumblers or bases. Most competitors compete as tops and tumblers or bases and tumblers, but Duquesne also has three athletes that are considered specialists. Mia Dipner is an example of that, as she is only considered a base. She’s already been recognized as the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association national Rookie of the Week for the heavy lifting she does.
Duquesne doesn’t shy away from the fact that most fans probably don’t know what each event means. Before every round, they show an explainer video to help new fans learn a little bit more each time. The meet on Tuesday had quite the crowd of young athletes, which Soper was very excited about.
“We're hoping to continue to spread the word in the Pittsburgh area, just for people to understand that this sport is available and it's out there,” Soper said. “A lot of people still don't know about it. To have a young crowd like that out in the stands seeing that, there's a quote that, ‘If you see her, you can be her.’ That's something that we always try to instill in our athletes and then obviously for future generations.”
Something else unique about acrobatics and tumbling as opposed to other sports is most get to the college level having never competed. Bases Alia Ellis and Abby McDermott are the only two on the roster with prior experience. The rest of the 36-person roster is all freshmen.
When the squad gathered for the first time back in August, it wasn’t as easy as jumping into routines and skills. Soper and her staff had to break down even the most basic rules. Most of the athletes came into it with a gymnastics or cheerleading background, but it’s still an adjustment.
But it’s been a life-changing experience for Soper.
“To have the opportunity to start something from the ground up, completely new and a sport like this that's brand new, too, was just an incredible opportunity,” Soper said. “It's been so rewarding, especially in these past couple months. Just starting the season and seeing the team come together, it's been probably one of the most rewarding experiences that I have up to date.”
She had to hold back the tears when Duquesne competed in its first meet. Not only did the Dukes win their inaugural competition, but it came against No. 3 Gannon, which was last year’s national runner-up.
“It was everything and more than it could have been,” Soper said. “It was a great way to start off their career. It was a great way for the community to understand more about what the sport was. Yes, we won at the end of the day, but the actual environment in the arena was just incredible. The support from the fans, from administration, from all of the people in the community that were able to come out and be there that night, that's what pushed us over the edge.”
The Dukes won their next two meets on the road against West Liberty and Missouri State before suffering their first loss of the season against Iona. It was a tough pill to swallow, especially considering Baylor was next on their schedule.
Soper and the rest of the coaches actually dropped some difficulty for their routines against the Bears. While high scores are important, Baylor does some incredibly high-difficulty skills and executes them cleanly. Soper wanted to prioritize cleanliness.
It resulted in higher overall scores on two events — pyramid heat three and tumbling trio — but also earned the Dukes their highest score of the season. Baylor still won the meet 275.030-256.210, but Soper said she felt like the confidence from her team was through the roof and should help them as they prepare for their final two regular season meets.
“They're hungry,” Soper said. “They're passionate about the sport. We've explained a lot about what the sport means, the rules. They're all brand new at it. They want to prove something and ultimately, they're very passionate about what they're doing.”
As far as what the sport means, it’s way bigger than winning meets or successful basket tosses. Every day, they’re making history simply by stepping on the mat.
“We're starting a sport from the ground up for women by women,” Soper said. “They're trailblazers for so many young women behind them. They know that they're creating the opportunity for the next generation. It's not just about them and what they're going out there and competing now but that every young woman will have the opportunity to compete at Duquesne in the coming years because of the foundation that they've laid.”
First Published: March 12, 2025, 6:53 p.m.
Updated: March 12, 2025, 11:07 p.m.
