Division III Champions!

ADRIAN, Mich. – The Falcons took the crown on Sunday! The CUW acrobatics & tumbling team won the first-ever NCATA D3 Championship on Sunday afternoon. The Falcons topped the host Bulldogs of Adrian with a season-high score in the 254.955 – 248.245 victory. The Falcons finish the storybook season with a 6-1 record and a crown that no program has ever claimed before.

"Being a part of the first-ever NCATA postseason for DIII was such a humbling experience," said head coach Sarah Koenig. "It gave us the opportunity to share the impact each athlete is making by competing in this sport and to reflect on how far we've come both as a program and as an organization."

The Falcons started the day competing in the event finals, where the birds won seven titles, one more than Adrian at six, with Trine and Stevenson both claiming one title.

The team of freshman Alexis Pfeifle (Macomb, Mich.), sophomore Amanda Owens (Stevens Point, Wis.), sophomore Eliana Schmit (Germantown, Wis.) and sophomore Erin Wagner (Waukesha, Wis.) were champions in the five-element acro heat.

The synchronized pyramid team of sophomore Paityn Taormina (Geneva, Ill.), senior Kara Skevis (Lockport, Ill.), sophomore Morgan Schnulle (Janesville, Wis.), Eliana Schmit, Erin Wagner, Alexis Pfeifle, junior Amy Eberth (Basehor, Kan.), Ellen Marie Sanders and Nicki Jack won gold.

The open pyramid team of Paityn Taormina, Morgan Schnulle, Kara Skevis, Eliana Schmit and Erin Wagner were victorious.

The team of Alexis Pfeifle, Nicki Jack, Kara Skevis, April Johnston, Erin Wagner, Paityn Taormina, Jessi Alexander, Kara Skevis, Eliana Schmit, freshman Amy Eberth (Joppa, Md.) and sophomore Haleigh Komprood (Orsfordville, Wis.) won the synchronized toss title.

In the open toss, Paityn Taormina, junior Jessi Alexander (Plainville, Wis.), Kara Skevis, Eliana Schmit and senior Nicki Jack (Orange, Calif.) won the title.

The quad pass took gold with Paityn Taormina, Alexis Pfeifle, Kara Skevis and Erin Wagner.

Paityn Taormina was the champion in the open pass.

The Falcons closed the day in the championship match against Adrian and finished with the second-most points in program history.

"We could not be more proud of the way the team competed tonight," said Koenig. "They put in the work and push to the end. We talked about how we wanted to end the season, how they wanted to feel after their last team event and they achieved that as well as their goal for a score of 250.0. We could not have peaked at a better time and we walked away with a historic win."

CUW took a commanding lead with a season-high score of 36.30 points in the compulsory event. CUW tied the program record of 9.75 points in the pyramid heat. The birds also had season-high scores of 8.75 in the acro heat and 9.85 in the toss heat.

The Blue in White added to the lead with a program record of 28.60 points in the acro event.

The trio of sophomore Dakoda Spaeth (West Bend, Wis.), Jessi Alexander and Amy Eberth broke the school record with 9.75 points in the six-element heat. The birds also tied the school record with 9.55 points in the seven-element heat.

The birds continued to build the lead in the pyramid event with a season-best score of 28.45 points. CUW scored nine or more points in all three heats, anchored by a 9.75 performance in the open pyramid.

The Falcons continued to soar in the toss event with 26.50 points.

Concordia continued to pile onto the lead with a season-high score of 46.025 points in the tumbling event. The duo pass with Jessi Alexander and Ellen Marie Sanders posted a season-high score of 7.300 points. The quad pass broke the school record with Paityn Taormina, Alexis Pfeifle, Kara Skevis and Erin Wagner at 8.150 points.

The Falcons officially caged the 'dogs with 89.08 points in the team event to secure the victory.

CUW finished the day breaking the school record in one event and either broke or tied the school record in four heats. Concordia had season-best scores in four events and seven events. CUW scored better than Adrian in all but four heats on the day.

Trine finished in third place in the competition with a 200.970 to 131.600 victory over Stevenson.