Ducks Face Gannon in Home Opener

EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon Acrobatics & Tumbling competes in Matthew Knight Arena for the first time this season against No. 2 Gannon. The Ducks are coming off a bye week after earning their second victory of the season against Azusa Pacific.

Friday's meet will be the first of two home meets in the month of March for head coach Taylor Susnara and the Ducks.

MEET INFO
When: Friday, March 3
Where: Matthew Knight Arena
Time: 6 p.m. PT
Watch: https://pac-12.com/live/university-oregon-10
Live Scoring: https://goducks.com/sports/2022/2/28/acro-scores.aspx

THE DUCKS vs. THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Friday's meet between Oregon and Gannon will be the sixth meeting between the two programs. The Ducks lead the all-time series, 4-1, with the Golden Knights winning last season's meet in Eugene. Gannon is off to a 3-1 start this season after a runner-up finish at last season's NCATA National Championships. The Ducks are 2-0 after earning an upset victory over Azusa Pacific for the second conesecutive season their last time out. Gannon head coach Brandy Duren will serve as head coach for the first time against her alma mater. A four-year letter winner at Oregon, Duren helped the Ducks to three consecutive national titles from 2012-2014.

DUCKS REPEAT HISTORY AGAINST AZUSA
Oregon continued its historical success against Azusa Pacific on Feb. 17 with an upset 272.510-269.275 victory over the No. 3 Cougars. The Ducks showcased improvement and resiliency throughout the meet, improving overall scores in three of six events from the first meet. The Ducks and junior Lindsey Tarr secured a 9.95 in the inversion portion of the pyramid event, which matched the best score under Susnara. Karly Nowak highlighted Oregon's tumbling event with a 9.90 in the aerial section.

NOWAK NAMED NCATA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Senior Karly Nowak was awarded for her efforts against Azusa Pacific on Feb. 22 with her first career NCATA Athlete of the Week award. The Howell, N.J., native became the first Duck since Addie Lacewell in 2021 to take home the honor. The senior helped the Ducks earn season-best scores in eight of the 10 events in which she competed in, with notable performances in the aerial tumbling heat and the pyramid and toss sections of the compulsory event. Nowak's recognition is the 14th NCATA Athlete of the Week award in program history as she becomes the eighth UO athlete to win the weekly honor.