Spartanburg, S.C. – While the program has seen it's fair share of firsts checked off the list in now their seventh season on the hilltop, tonight's win will be one to be remembered for years to come as the West Liberty University acrobatics & tumbling team knocked off No. 14 Converse, 261.815-257.120, for the first-ever win over a ranked opponent in program history. With two event wins in the opening half, the Hilltoppers built a 7.350 point lead with convincing wins in acro and pyramid before the Valkyries trimmed down the final margin. Adding to the memorable night were a pair of school records with new marks etched into the record books in the 7-element heat of acro and the team event.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: West Liberty 261.815, No. 14 Converse 257.120
Team Records: West Liberty 3-3 (2-2 MEC), No. 14 Converse 3-3 (3-2 Conference Carolinas)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The opening event of the evening went the way of Converse as they earned a 37.550-36.800 win in the compulsory event. West Liberty scored above 9.0 in three of the four heats, notching marks of 9.250 in the acro heat, 9.750 in the pyramid heat, 9.650 in the toss heat, and 8.150 in the tumbling heat. The pyramid heat was once again the highest score of the event for WLU as it featured Avery Ray and Kayla Gandy as tops while Katelyn Emborsky and Abbey Swinderman were mids.
• The Hilltoppers secured their first win of the evening as they scored a 28.400-23.500 win in the acro event, taking a 65.200-61.050 lead in the meet. All three WLU scores were above a 9.0 in the heat as they recorded a 9.450 in the 5-element heat, a 9.050 in the 6-element heat, and a school-record mark of 9.900 in the 7-element heat. Helping West Liberty break the school record in the 7-element heat was Gandy as the top while the bases were Abbey Horvath, Chloe Palmer, and Swinderman, and the counter was Peyton Fry.
• West Liberty extended their lead in the meet to a margin of 7.350 (93.250-85.900) at the halftime break as they notched their second event win of the night in pyramid, 28.050-24.850. The Hilltoppers posted scores of 9.650 in the inversion heat, 9.750 in the synchronized heat, and 8.650 in the open heat. WLU's highest score in the event, the synchronized heat, featured Gandy and Ray as tops while Swinderman and Emborsky were mids as they were able to tie a season-best score.
• The Valkyries began to chip away at the Hilltopper lead with their first of three second half event wins, scoring a 25.100-24.700 victory in the toss event. The Black & Gold recorded scores of 8.550 in the 450 salto heat, 7.150 in the synchronized heat, and 9.000 in the open heat. Helping West Liberty notch their best mark of the season in the open heat was Ray on top with Emborsky and Prater as bases while Savannah Turner-Davis was positioned in the front and Paige Lawrence in the back.
• Converse earned another event win in tumbling with a score of 52.900-51.125, trimming the Hilltopper lead to a margin of 5.175 with one event remaining. WLU posted scores of 8.350 in the duo pass, 7.800 in the trio pass, 7.900 in the quad pass, 9.450 in the aerial pass, 8.825 in the 6-element pass, and 8.800 in the open pass. The highest score of the event, the aerial pass, saw Gandy tie a season-best mark.
• While The Valkyries earned a 93.220-92.740 win in the team event, the Hilltoppers earned their second school-record of the night with the mark in the event.

UP NEXT
West Liberty remains in the Palmetto State as they conclude their trip on Saturday, March 9, against No. 7 Limestone. The Hilltoppers and Saints are set for a 1 p.m. start time inside the Timken Center in Gaffney, South Carolina.