University of Oregon
Baylor
Ducks Conclude Historic Season With Second-Place Finish at Nationals
04/29/17 | Acrobatics & Tumbling
AZUSA, Calif. - The University of Oregon Acrobatics and Tumbling team finished runner-ups at the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling (NCATA) national championships to the Baylor Bears 279.400 - 275.625 Saturday night at the Felix Event Center.
The Ducks close the 2016-17 season with a record of 8-2, with Baylor finished 9-1.
Saturday's appearance in the NCATA championship meet was the seventh consecutive for the Ducks and the third consecutive year the Ducks have earned runner-up.
How it Happened: In the Compulsory event, the Ducks and Bears both came out with incredible energy, backed by a packed house of evenly split fans at the Felix Event Center. The Ducks scored a 9.60 in the Acro heat and matched the Bears in the Toss heat with 9.80's. With a differential of just .10, the Bears claimed the event 38.20 - 38.10.
The fight continued into the Acro event as the Ducks earned marks of 9.75, 9.60, and 9.75 to win the event with a total of 29.10 - 28.95, giving them a slight advantage in the overall score, 67.20 - 67.15.
In the Pyramid event, the Ducks put up a 9.40, 9.70 and 9.85 in the inverted, synchronized and open heats, respectively. With a high mark of 9.90 in the Open heat, the Bears took the event 29.25 - 28.95, gaining back the lead heading into half, 96.40 - 96.15.
The Ducks came out with palpable energy in the Toss heat, winning the event with a score of 28.35 - 28.00 and took back the lead by .10, 124.50 - 124.40.
In the Tumbling heat, All-Americans and individual event champions in their respective heats Taylor Galvin and Krista Phillips put up high scores of 9.85's. Baylor didn't score below a 9.40, giving them the event 57.35 - 56.225.
Heading into the team event, the overall score of the back-and-forth meet stood at 57.35 - 56.225 advantage Baylor.
With a team event score of 97.65 - 94.90, the Bears would secure their third consecutive NCATA national title.
What it Means: Saturday's appearance in the NCATA championship meet was the seventh consecutive for the Ducks and the third consecutive year the Ducks have earned runner-ups.
Earlier in the day, the Ducks earned four individual national championship titles, two All-Americans and Shaw was named the NCATA Coach of the Year.
The Ducks were named national champions in the Salto Toss, Quad Tumbling pass, 6-Element Tumbling pass, and the Open Tumbling pass. Senior Krista Phillips and junior Taylor Galvin were both named to the 2017 NCATA All-American team.
Quotes: Head coach Chelsea Shaw -
On what this season did to help build on seasons to come ...
"This was a fantastic season. What a great group of athletes to work with. It was truly a blessing to coach these kids, especially the seniors. This class has done a lot for our program and I think they taught everybody else the right way to do things. They started a fire and things are only looking up. We don't want to forget all the things we accomplished this year. Although it hurts now and the loss is hard, this was a great year."
On at what point she knew the team had something special this year...
"Literally from day one. These kids came in with a mindset that you just couldn't stop. As a coach, you want nothing more than for your kids to want it and for them to succeed. It's really not about our own accolades, our coaching record - we just want them to walk away satisfied. From the very first meeting, they wanted it. They've trained harder than they've ever trained. We've revamped our preseason training, which really helped them throughout the season. The bonds that this team has is really special. They love and support one another and the chemistry has been phenomenal. So although today hurts, it's been a fantastic year."
On where the team improved the most this season...
"I think throughout the season they just kept getting better in everything really. There wasn't maybe one area where they kept improving on - they wanted it, so every time something went wrong, they wanted to go back and fix it, tweak it and make it right. This was the group of kids that would do another 15 minutes worth of stuff just because they wanted to get it right. It was a mindset from the beginning."
Junior Taylor Galvin
On what the team has to do next season to win the national championship...
"Coming in this year, we had that great fire and I think that after tonight, we don't want to go into next season feeling this was again. I think that if everyone comes in with the right mindset, embraces and loves another and keeping our bonds strong, we will have success."
Senior Krista Phillips
On what the team can take with them from lessons that the senior class taught them...
"I think keeping that bond, loving on each other and just never giving up. If they believe in themselves day in and day out and never doubt what their bodies and their minds are capable of, I know the sky is the limit for this team."
Follow the Ducks: Follow all of the University of Oregon Acrobatics and Tumbling team action both on and off the mat. Make sure to follow @OregonAcroTumb on Twitter. Also follow the team on Facebook by "liking" Oregon Ducks Acrobatics and Tumbling and following @OregonAcroTumb on Instagram. Go further by adding @oregonacrotumbl on Snapchat for behind-the-scenes looks at practice, team events, and competitions.
#GoDucks
