BRISTOL, Tenn.- For the third consecutive year, the Limestone University acrobatics and tumbling team hoisted the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship Trophy after defeating No. 3 seed Lander by the final of 259.010-252.820 on Sunday evening inside the Student Center Complex on the campus of King University.

MEET INFORMATION
Score: No. 9 Limestone 259.010, Lander 252.820
Records: No. 9 Limestone (12-0), Lander (9-4)
Location: Student Center Complex | King University

HOW IT HAPPENED
The early portion of the contest was evenly contested as the Saints jumped out to a small 37.025-36.075 lead following the compulsory event. Three-of-four heats were within .200 points of each other, but Limestone gained a bit of separation after outscoring the Bearcats 8.375-7.675 in the tumbling heat of the event.
 
However, Lander was able to take its first lead of the championship finals with an impressive 27.900-25.625 win in the acro event. A slight mishap by the Blue and Gold in the 7-element heat allowed the Bearcats to outscore the top-ranked team, 9.775-7.425. Lander led 63.975-62.650 after two events.
 
That lead expanded in the pyramid event as visitors earned wins in two-of-three heats. Limestone was able to tally its lone win in heat three open pyramid, outdueling Lander 9.725-9.675. However, it would be the Bearcats that led going into the break 93.050-91.180, the first time Limestone has been behind entering the intermission.
 
Coming out of the break, Limestone was able to edge out a win in the toss event, besting the Bearcats by .100 points. The 450 salto toss proved beneficial to the Saints as they posted a score of 9.475 to only 9.250 for Lander.
 
Just as they have done all year, the Saints asserted their dominance in the tumbling event, picking up wins in four-of-six heats, the largest margin coming in the duo pass (8.975-5.775). In total, Limestone posted a score of 52.675 to 48.050 for the Bearcats heading into the final team event.
 
With a sizeable lead, the Saints left no doubt following the completion of the team event, beating Lander by an impressive 3.340 points to claim a 259.010-252.820 win and the third consecutive tournament championship for the Blue and Gold.

UP NEXT
Limestone will now await the final NCATA rankings to see if its resume is enough to enter the 2024 NCATA National Championships. The top eight teams in the country will earn an invite to Fairmont, West Virginia on April 25-28 to compete for the crown. The 2024 championship field and at-large qualifiers for event finals will be released on Monday, April 15.