Awards are given by NCATA and conference offices.
Athlete of the Week
Payton Springer – Azusa Pacific
Springer, a senior top and base from Newbury Park, Calif., competed in 10 heats and team event to lead Azusa Pacific to a win at Hawaii Pacific last week. In six heats, Springer helped APU record a score of 9.50 or higher, including a meet-high 9.90 as a top in the synchronized pyramid heat. She also helped the Cougars to a 9.85 in the compulsory toss and a 9.80 in the 450 salto toss.
Specialist of the Week
Kylie Brophy – Belmont Abbey
Brophy, a junior base from Fort Myers, Fla., competed as a base in all three tumbling heats for Belmont Abbey last week. She helped Crusaders to three scores of 9.70 or higher in the pyramid event, including a meet-high 9.90 in the open pyramid heat.
Freshman of the Week
Ashley Fry – Azusa Pacific
Fry, a freshman top from Troy, Mich., competed in three heats and team event for Azusa Pacific last week. Her performance was highlighted by a 9.85 in the compulsory toss heat, while also helping APU to scores of 9.80 and 9.60 in the 450 salto toss and synchronized toss, respectively.
Athlete of the Week
Kayla Young – Coker
A senior from Staten Island, New York, Kayla Young of Coker competed in 11 heats and the team event as a main base and tumbler in a thrilling tri-meet win over Belmont Abbey and Francis Marion. Young helped the Cobras to five scores of 9.50 or above that was highlighted by the Compulsory Pyramid scoring a 9.70/10 and the Five Element Acro with a 9.70/9.95. She was also a part of the group competing in the Inversion Pyramid that scored a 9.70/9.80 and helped the team to score a 9.25/9.40 in the Open Toss heat. Throughout the tri-meet, Young played a large role in improving the scores in a majority of the heats she participated in from the previous meet. Her contributions helped the team to win an important conference meet ultimately separated by 0.20.
Specialist of the Week
Kaylin Francavilla – Coker
A junior from Lone Tree, Colorado, Kaylin Francavilla of Coker was the main base in all three pyramids in the tri-meet against Francis Marion and Belmont Abbey. She helped the Cobras to two near perfect scores. In the Inversion Pyramid, Francavilla helped the team score a 9.70/9.80 and in the Open Pyramid a 9.95/10.0. In the Synchronized Pyramid heat, she helped the team score a 9.60/10.0. Throughout the pyramids, she competed on two different structures, standing on a thigh stand for the Inversion pyramid and a backbend for the other two pyramids. These scores helped the Cobras to the conference tri-meet victory.
Athlete of the Week
Kayla Gandy – West Liberty
Gandy, a junior from Washington, Pa., helped West Liberty to five scores of 9.40 or higher, including a 9.75 in both the compulsory and open pyramid heats. She also competed in the aerial tumbling pass, turning in a score of 9.35 (out of 9.75). In team event, Gandy competed as a top and tumbler, helping West Liberty score an 86.96 in the Hilltoppers’ tri-meet sweep over Notre Dame College and West Virginia State.
