BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – Kutztown University has accepted an invitation from the Mountain East Conference (MEC) to join the league as an associate member in the sport of acrobatics & tumbling starting with the upcoming 2025 season, the conference office announced Thursday.
 
The Golden Bears have competed without a conference affiliation since their inception in 2022. With the new agreement in place, Kutztown student-athletes will have a chance to compete for team and event conference championships, while also gaining opportunities to earn MEC Athlete of the Week and All-MEC honors.
 
"Kutztown University is excited to join the Mountain East Conference as an associate member," director of athletics Renee Hellert said. "The benefits to our acrobatics & tumbling student-athletes are abundant, and we are excited for the possibility to enrich our student-athlete experience by providing consistent scheduling, postseason competition, and athletic and academic awards and honors."
 
Kutztown head coach Karah Paull, a former All-American at MEC member Fairmont State, earned MEC Athlete of the Year honors and led the Falcons to MEC regular season and tournament championships as a senior in 2019.
 
The Golden Bears have enjoyed quick success under Paull's leadership, with .500 or better records in each of their first three seasons. KU knocked off nationally ranked West Liberty in 2023 and qualified its acro 5-element squad for the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) Event Finals last spring.
 
"We are extremely excited to be joining the Mountain East Conference this season," Paull said. "We are thrilled to provide our student-athletes more postseason opportunities. The MEC is a very competitive conference, and we are eager to set additional goals to work towards this year. Being part of the MEC brings back wonderful memories for me and I'm excited for this team to have the opportunity to build memories of their own."
 
"The MEC is very pleased to expand competitive opportunities in Acrobatics & Tumbling with the addition of Kutztown University as an associate member," MEC Commissioner Reid Amos said. "Considering the MEC's geographic footprint and the nature of scheduling in this sport, this was a natural fit. Our league was the first in any division to sponsor an Acrobatics & Tumbling conference championship, which continues to be a source of pride for us. We appreciate the opportunity to support the growth and stability of this emerging sport as it continues to pursue becoming an NCAA championship sport."
 
The MEC currently has five full-time members with established acrobatics & tumbling programs (Fairmont State, Frostburg State, Glenville State, West Liberty and West Virginia State) and a sixth adding the sport this coming season (Wheeling). Kutztown's associate membership will assist in the MEC's effort to grow its membership in the sport and secure sport sponsorship as a league.
 
"Kutztown University is committed to the sport of acrobatics & tumbling and offers the MEC stability, enhanced competition and a convenient geographical location," Hellert added.
 
The annual MEC Acrobatics & Tumbling Championship is staged at the site of the highest team seed (top four teams and event qualifiers) following a round robin regular season schedule between all MEC members, as scheduled by the NCATA.
 
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN EAST CONFERENCE
Founded in 2013, the Mountain East Conference has established itself as one of the top all-sports conferences in the country in NCAA Division II. In just eleven years, MEC institutions have produced six NCAA Division II champions and have competed in 13 NCAA Championship games. In addition to the athletic success, the MEC recognizes over 2,500 student-athletes annually for their academic success and ten MEC student-athletes have been recognized as "NCAA Elite 90" winners, which honors the individual with the highest cumulative grade-point average at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships.

The Mountain East Conference is headquartered in Bridgeport, W.Va., which is the geographic center of its membership. The MEC has full-time members in three states, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.