SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College acrobatics & tumbling team faced off against Long Island University and nine-time defending NCATA Champion No. 1 Baylor University on Saturday, March 7, with Baylor winning the meet with a score of 279.180 and LIU scoring 237.440 to also defeat AIC, which raised its program high to 59.425.

AIC is now 0-4 on the season.

The Bears were particularly impressive, winning every event and building a significant lead quickly. They scored a perfect 10 score on the compulsory toss heat and followed with another 10 in the inversion pyramid heat; only once in the first half did they score fewer than nine points in any event. 

AIC's top two first-half events were the five-element acro heat, as AIC scored a 7.00, and the final event of the half, the open pyramid, where the team notched a 7.65 score.

For the Sharks, they scored the best in the five-element acros as well at 9.75, and then a 9.55 in the inversion pyramid.

The Bears nearly added three more 10s in the second half, scoring 9.90 in the open pass of the tumbling heat and 9.80 in the open toss and the tumbling aerial pass. AIC did well with its tumbling, with a 6.35 in the duo pass and a 6.575 from rookie Jocelyn Doura in the six-element pass. 

The sum of 59.425 points moved the needle forward for AIC; the team improved from its previous best in the season opener against Georgian Court University when it scored 57.300 points.

Legendary Baylor Head Coach Felecia Mulkey, a 14-time national champion coach, was highly complimentary of AIC's team, saying in a postgame interview "You guys are doing a fantastic job...I am so impressed with the support AIC is putting into this program...at one point, Baylor was a second-year team...if you can see it, you can be it, and they did awesome today."

After the match, AIC celebrated its three seniors, recognizing Kylee Rinker, Grace Boisvert, and Nevaeh Graham, who will all graduate in the spring.

AIC next visits Stevenson University on Saturday, March 21.