It’s the most wonderful time of year . . . the NCATA National Championship season.
The build-up to this point has been growing for Quinnipiac throughout the year. After being down five starters from the beginning of the season, this moment has been something the Bobcats have been fighting for.
“This is a very mentally tough team, we’ve faced a lot of adversity this year,” said Quinnipiac’s Halle Fowler. “From the beginning to the end you constantly push, so I think that mindset has been there from the beginning, but now it’s even more there now that we’re at the end of the season.”
Fans could hear the cheers from the teams and the in-person audience no matter where they were, setting the mood early on for what was to come.
“It’s a family atmosphere here at Quinnipiac, and I’m really proud we built that culture within the program,” Quinnipiac Head Coach Mary Ann Powers said.
Knowing that the stakes were high, both teams entered the compulsory round ready to go. With Iona being set as the away team, the Gaels hit the mat first to kick off this year’s tournament.
“To be able to be here as a second year program is absolutely incredible,” said Iona Head Coach Jacquie Eshleman. “The last time that happened was in 2018, so to be able to be here as a second year team, we could just not be more grateful for this opportunity.”
Despite being so new to the NCATA and their first season competing in the postseason, Iona didn’t let it get to them.
They set the standard high with earning a 9.600 in the pyramid heat and a 9.575 in the toss heat. Being the veteran team, the Bobcats came out ready to roar and earned three scores higher than a 9.0, and ended the Compulsory Event with a 37.575 to 35.800 lead.
After making it through the first event, it was time for both teams to show off their control and balance in the next three heats. With a start value of 9.995, Iona’s Alyssa Lentz balanced on the hands of Haley Merrill and Ty Upton to push herself from a handstand down into a pike and earn a score of an 8.775.
Quinnipiac stayed on top with the help of five-year veteran Mia Rose King. King did what she does best and performed her forward fold while balancing on the hands of Hallie Fowler. Despite a little shakiness, she still earned a score of 9.325 and increased Quinnipiac’s lead to 65.675 to Iona’s 61.200.
“Today, our acro had a bit of a struggle,” said Powers. “I don’t expect to see that tomorrow. I think they’re going to bring that back.”
It was time for the Pyramid Event, a bright spot for Quinnipiac throughout their season. Both teams earned their highest score of the Pyramid Event in the open heat. Nothing changed for Quinnipiac from their regular season as they had almost perfect balance to earn a 9.850. Iona was right there with them with their score of 9.725.
The Bobcats were right where they wanted to be as they entered the second half of the meet with a score of 95.025 to the Gaels score of 89.650.
With three stagnant events in the first half of the meet, it was time to see some of the energy lifted with the Toss Event. Despite the large score gap, the Gaels were not ready to give up fighting yet.
“I think it’s very easy in any sport when you see someone start to have a large gap, to start to give up,” said Eshleman. “They didn’t today, and they did not at any point back down.”
Their effort showed in their scores, as they only lost to the Bobcats in this event by one-tenth of a point.
With Quinnipiac’s struggles in the Tumbling Event throughout the season, there was still a chance for Iona to come back in the quarterfinals.
Despite earning a neutral penalty in Quinnipiac’s duo pass, resulting in a 0.5 deduction, the Bobcats still had one of their best Tumbling Events of the season. Gabriella Pierce was the anchor for the Bobcats as she earned a score of 9.75 with her six-element tumbling pass, the best out of both teams in the Tumbling Event.
“The second half with our tosses and our tumbling, coaches are going to make a few strategic decisions to rope them back in,” Powers said.
As the Bobcats maintained their lead moving into the final event, it was time for the event of chaos, the Team Event. Throughout every meet, there has been one theme for the Bobcats as they prepare for the Team event.
“Breathe, breathe . . . and have a little bit more fun,” Powers said.
The energy was high for both teams as they competed in the biggest event of the meet. Even with a few falls during the tumbling portion of the Team Event, Quinnipiac managed to outscore Iona 87.020 to 83.900.
The Bobcats won the quarterfinals meet with a final score of 263.545 to 255.875. While Quinnipiac was off to a solid start today, the work isn’t over yet.
“I think that the saying ‘confidence over jitters’ will really help our team,” said Quinnipiac’s Sarah Abladian. “I think that everyone can do everything that they have on that mat, and I think we just need to attack it with confidence.”
Even though Iona may have lost in today’s meet, this is only the second time since 2018 that a first or second-year program has made it to nationals. The best is yet to come for the Gaels.
“Next season we’re coming, we’re coming for Baylor,” said Iona’s Ty Upton. “We’re hungry for more, and we have people coming, so it’s exciting.”
The Bobcats will look to redeem themselves from last year’s semi-final loss to Gannon University in Friday’s meet.
“Last year our word was undeniable, and I think that in all capital letters that should be our word again this year, because this team truly is undeniable,” Fowler said.
Quinnipiac will face No. 2 Oregon University Ducks in the semifinals on Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST.
