FULLERTON, Calif. – Making their fourth College STUNT National Championship appearance in as many years, the Missouri Baptist University STUNT team trekked to California this week as one of five teams competing in the NAIA Division's national championship.
As the No. 4 seed, MBU kicked off the event with a bang, soundly defeating No. 5 seed Ottawa University (Ariz.) by a score of 23-5. It marked the sixth time this season that the Spartans have hit the 20-point mark in a game. Power players in the nationals win included
Sophia Welch with 56 points,
Kylie Lamb with 55 points, and
CiCi Mallqui-Thomas with 52 points.
With the win over OUAZ, MoBap advanced in the bracket to face top-seed and host Hope International University bright and early Friday morning. The Royals took a 7-0 lead into halftime before the Spartans scored their first points of the game in the third period. HIU saved its best for last, scoring all 12 possible points in the fourth quarter while MBU increased its total to five in the 22-5 loss. Against Hope International, six different Spartans tied for the team lead in power points including
Starla Greenlee,
Isabel Huenink,
Grace Ketterer, Lamb, Welch, and
Alanah Williams. Each recorded 12 power points.
Dropping down to the loser's bracket, MBU wasted little time prepping for its next matchup with No. 3 seed Vanguard. The Lions were bounced to the bottom of the bracket after a narrow 17-14 loss to William Jessup on Thursday evening. The Spartans' run at the College STUNT National Championship came to an end on Friday night with a 22-2 loss to Vanguard. MBU scored one point in the first and third quarters, while the Lions pulled away in with 16 second-half points. The trio of Lamb, Welch, and
Olivia Topping each collected 10 points, as all three were in partner stunt and jumps & tumbling routine 5.
MBU STUNT concludes its 2024 campaign with new program bests in wins (13) and winning percentage (.684), both improvements from last year's 9-8 record and .529 winning %. The Spartans amassed 302 points throughout the season for an average of 15.89 points per game, a nearly five-point per game improvement from last year.
