It was close.
By the time No. 2 Oregon acrobatics and tumbling made it to the team event of its semifinal matchup with No. 3 Quinnipiac University, it was oh-so-close. The Bobcats, who had led after the toss event only to relinquish their slim lead in the tumbling event, trailed by just 0.95 points.
The Ducks, though, had been behind before. Earlier this season, they trailed Quinnipiac at the same place in a regular-season meeting in Hamden, CT. It was a team event win that saved Oregon that day on the road.
On Friday, it was the same solution. Oregon (7-2) posted a 90.530-point score in the final event to slide past Quinnipiac (8-2) 270.455-263.595, and secure its berth in the final round. The Ducks struggled in the first half despite a season-high score in five-element acro and trailed at the break, but pulled ahead in the final event and eventually downed the Bobcats for the second time in 2025.
The two teams tied in the compulsory event — another sign of how evenly-matched the two schools are. Since Susnara took her first position as an assistant coach with Oregon in 2019, the Ducks had posted a 2-3 record against the Bobcats before Friday’s meet.
Five-element acro prompted the Ducks’ best score of the meet, a 9.925 season-high from freshman duo Angelica Martin and Cassidy Cu. It’s one of Oregon’s most consistent events, and the two have continued to be an engine in Oregon’s second event.
The Ducks scored less than nine points (8.925 against QU) in six-element acro for the second meet in a row, though, and eventually dropped the event despite a 9.625 score in seven-element.
A trio of high scores in pyramid couldn’t salvage the lead, either; despite Oregon posting three straight scores over 9.750 in what’s regularly been its best event. Quinnipiac rocketed back with three scores over 9.800 to secure a halftime advantage that stood at 0.725 points.
Just like the regular-season meet, the Ducks had failed to win any of the three first half events.
But then, just like in the regular season, they began to fight back. It started with a toss event win that cut the margin to just 0.475 points in the Bobcats’ favor. Oregon scored a 9.625 in the 450 salto toss — one of the few heats where its start value is set at 9.90 and not 10.0. It was a gasp for air.
The tumbling event backed it up. Six-element tumbling led the way for the second day in a row — with an event-high 9.825 points — and the Ducks took the lead for the first time of the afternoon. They weren’t in the driver’s seat — a 0.95-point lead doesn’t warrant that.
What happened next did.
The Bobcats are one of the few teams who approach Oregon’s lofty 109.23-point team event start value. Quinnipiac, though, scored just 84.620 of a possible 106.12 points and left the door swinging open.
Oregon didn’t need a second glance.
The Ducks threw down a 90.530-point performance that, while by no means their best, handed them the keys to the final round of the NCATA Championships. It was exactly what they needed exactly when it was needed most.
Their prize?
A rematch with either No. 1 Baylor or No. 4 Augustana, in Saturday’s final. The Ducks are 0-2 against the Bears this season — the only team to whom they’ve lost in 2025 — and have not faced the Vikings this year. The championship meet is set for Saturday, at 3:00 PM Pacific Time.
