KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University acrobatics & tumbling made substantial strides as a second-year program in 2023, finishing with its first winning record and first victory over a nationally ranked opponent. The Golden Bears will try to carry that momentum forward into a new season and elevate their goals for 2024.
 
Head coach Karah Paull has done an excellent job growing the KU program from scratch. From trying to piece together the inaugural roster to competing with some of the nation's elite squads in the span of three years is nothing short remarkable.
 
Kutztown faced two of the top five teams in the country to open the 2023 season in No. 4 Quinnipiac and No. 2 Gannon. The Maroon and Gold's gains were clear from the outset as they set consecutive program records for meet scores while hanging tough with two of the eight programs that qualified for the 2023 National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championships.
 
The experience and development of student-athletes who have grown alongside the program paid dividends each time the Golden Bears hit the mat. The culmination of those efforts was a program record 249.280 score in a three-point victory over 15th-ranked West Liberty at Keystone Arena, March 25.
 
Under Paull's leadership, Kutztown set an impressive 20 season and 15 meet records last year between heat, overall event and team scores.
 
This year's squad is comprised of 23 athletes, eight of whom were part of the inaugural team in 2022. Third-year members of the team include base Shayla Anderson-Buchanan (Philadelphia, Pa./New Hope Christian Academy), utility Allison Fernandez (Westfield, N.J./Westfield), base Natalie Harkins (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem), base Abby Kiely (Glenolden, Pa./Interboro), top/tumbler Tiffani Lincoln (Oneonta, N.Y./Oneonta), top/tumbler Ashley Ryan (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus), base/tumbler Paige Saxey (Clearfield, Utah/Clearfield) and base RoseMary Werkheiser (Easton, Pa./Easton).
 
Returning to the team for their second seasons as Golden Bears are Hannah Fortuna (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park), Catherine Lewis (Limerick, Pa./Spring-Ford), Cecelia Marshall, Jordyn Osner (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown), Destiny Satterlee (Shenandoah Junction, W.Va./Jefferson), Haley Sullick (Mountain Top, Pa./Crestwood), Briana Walker (Bristow, Va./Patriot), Maddie Welsh (York, Pa./Central York) and Julia Yeager (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg).
 
Kutztown's incoming freshman class is comprised of six athletes: utility Sienna Barbarisi (New Providence, N.J./New Providence), top/tumbler Elaina Blackstock (Brookhaven, Pa./Sun Valley), top/tumbler Gianna Costanzo (Lovettsville, Va./Woodgrove), base/tumbler Evyn Heberlig (Newburg, Pa./Shippensburg), base/tumbler Gia Sarullo (Frenchtown, N.J./Delaware Valley Regional) and base/tumbler Zoe Tuttle (Ocean View, Del./Indian River).
 
The 2024 schedule pits KU against a nice mix of familiar and new opponents. The Golden Bears open at home with a tri-meet against fourth-ranked Gannon and East Stroudsburg, Saturday, Feb. 10, at Keystone Arena.
 
First-time opponents include Georgian Court (away, Feb. 23), Glenville State/Bluefield State (tri-meet at Glenville State, March 13), Long Island (away, March 25) and Iona (home, April 6). Kutztown also travels to Stevenson, March 2, and hosts Caldwell, April 2.
 
As the season progresses, the NCATA will release three sets of championship rankings before the top eight are announced to compete in the 2024 NCATA National Championships at Fairmont State University's Joe Retton Arena, April 25-28.