COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Concordia University Irvine STUNT team had a successful weekend opening up their season at Vanguard University in a two-day tournament.
The Eagles' first match was Friday, where they were set to take on William Jessup University. The Eagles made some history here as they were William Jessup's first opponent in the Warriors' inaugural season in competitive STUNT. The Eagles handled business in this match and cruised to victory, defeating the Warriors 19-4.
Concordia opened up the match taking the early 4-1 advantage in the first quarter. By halftime, the Eagles were able to expand their lead to 8-1 and not give up any points to the Warriors. In jumps and tumbling, the Eagles were then able to extend their lead to 10-3 at the end of the third. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles were able to secure their victory, limiting the Warriors to only one point to end their first match. Overall, it was a great team effort and notable performances by senior base Ryann McDermott, junior base Devan Doyle and junior base Ashton Mudry stuck out in this match, as they performed exceptionally well in the majority of the mid-to-higher-level stunts.
In the second match, Concordia took on the Vanguard University Lions. This match is always back and forth as it is one of the most heated rivalries in STUNT. After quarter one, Concordia fell behind by a count of 4-2. However, Concordia was able to erase the early deficit and was able to pull ahead by a point leading the Lions at halftime, 6-5. At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles were able to hold the Lions off and retain their lead 8-7. The Lions and the Eagles were going back and forth as expected, making this a nail-bitter heading into the final quarter. New Eagle Carmen Karg was lights out in her performance this weekend, hitting her full-twisting layout every time the Eagles threw level six and hitting her whip in level five in jumps and tumbling. The Azusa Pacific transfer adds depth to Concordia's jumps and tumbling skill set.
Stellar performances in jumps and tumbling by senior Joanna Rivers, sophomore Adriana Rodriguez, and sophomore Mackenzie Garman also helped lead the Eagles to victory as they narrowly defeated the Lions by a final score of 12-10.
The last match of the weekend was against California Baptist University (CBU). Concordia came out guns-a-blazing against a very skilled and talented CBU Lancer team. Senior backspot Erica Cogswell's key performance helped the Eagles stay competitive with the Lancers throughout the first half. The match was tied 6-6 going into the second half, and the Eagles were feeling confident going into the third quarter.
However, the Lancers took control in the second half, eventually defeating the Eagles by a final score of 17-8. E ven though the Eagles came up short to the Lancers, senior tumbler and two-time Second Team All-American Joanna Rivers was encouraged by the effort.
"Regardless of the score, the CBU match was our best team performance of the weekend," said Rivers. "I am proud of what we left on the mat."
In her first season as CUI head coach, Karli Shutt was also impressed with how the team responded. Shutt had a successful weekend inking her first two wins at the helm.
"This weekend was a huge overall success for our team," responded Shutt. "No matter the opponent, our team was locked in and intentional in every step. In our program, we put a lot of emphasis on being a family, and this weekend, everyone really showed up for each other! It's only the beginning, and we know there's plenty of room for growth, but this team is hungry– I'm excited for what this season holds!"
The Eagles are set for a rematch against the CBU Lancers on Thursday, Feb. 25, with the team's home opener now scheduled to start at 7:00 PM at CU Arena.
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