On the back of a confident win over No. 5 UMHB, three Oregon acrobatics and tumbling athletes were recognized by the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association with weekly awards.
Sophomore base Bella Swarthout was named an honorable mention for the NCATA Athlete of the Week award for the first time in her career. Swarthout, who competes in eight total heats for the Ducks, shone in the open pyramid, seven-element acro and the team event. Six of those heats earned a 9.50 or higher score.
After a role as a base in the open pyramid during her freshman year, Swarthout has transitioned to the mid-base role. Both years, Oregon has earned a perfect-10 score in the heat with Swarthout participating. She also debuted a new seven-element acro skill alongside top Bethany Glick against the Cru after the Ducks struggled with the heat earlier in the season and head coach Taylor Susnara made the change. The two scored a 9.85 (out of a 10.0 start value) and drew praise afterward from Susnara.
Blessyn McMorris, who celebrated her senior night against the Cru, has been one of Oregon’s most consistent performers in 2025 and was named an honorable mention for the Specialist of the Week award.
The senior competes alongside Swarthout in the open pyramid, and was named NCATA Athlete of the Week after the Ducks’ season-opening win over Morgan State University — still the only Duck to earn that honor this season. She competed in every pyramid heat for Oregon, scoring at least 9.75 in all three.
Angelica Martin, who was named an honorable mention for the Freshman of the Week award a week after winning it outright, has been one of Oregon’s best freshmen. Alongside fellow first-year Duck Cassidy Cu, Martin debuted an all-new five-element acro skill that has proven to be one of Oregon’s most consistently-high-scoring heats this season — the two tied their season-high 9.85 score against UMHB. She also competes the five-element slide-to-split skill in the Ducks’ team event, and is included in six total heats.
Oregon heads on the road this weekend for the first time in 2025 to take on No. 2 Quinnipiac University on Sunday morning. The meet is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
