The Ashland University STUNT team headed down to Lexington, Ky. for an eventful weekend of competition.

To start their weekend, the Eagles took on California Baptist University on Friday, March 10, before finishing up competition against Drury and Central Michigan on Saturday, March 11.

Heading into their busy weekend, the team kicked off play against the Lancers, a team with a national championship underneath their belt and just one loss since 2020. In that contest, the Eagles were unable to find their opening points until the third quarter as they were down 8-0 at halftime. Needing to pick up points in the second half, the Eagles grabbed one in each of the final two quarters en route to a 24-2 loss.

“We played against the two-time national champ and being able to even put two points up on the board felt amazing. It is for sure a learning experience playing against them,” said flyer Lily Boldman. “Their technique, execution, and consistency is something that we can work for and aspire to be later on as the program continues to grow.”

While the loss comes at a 22-point differential, the Lancers had only given up two points through the three games prior to facing the Eagles. The loss also gives the Eagles things to take away from one of the top teams in the country.

“Coming off a couple of really tough losses last weekend we wanted to put the focus back on our mental game,” said Head Coach Denise Farnsworth. “We knew that playing CBU would be incredibly challenging because they are the #1 ranked D1 team in the country so we wanted to play clean and focus on control to better prepare ourselves for our Saturday games.”

On Saturday, they had a doubleheader against Drury Panthers and Division I Central Michigan Chippewas, a team they had beaten just weeks prior.

To open the day at 10:00 a.m. they took on the Panthers and showcased the elite play they had to start the season.

In the first half, the Eagles piled on five points compared to just one from the Panthers. After a low-scoring first half between the two sides, the Eagles were able to bounce back and score 14 points through the final two quarters, 10 coming in just the fourth. The Panthers only found one more point, coming in the fourth, for a 19-2 loss.

After the team’s contest against the Panthers, they had a few hours to rest and regroup before taking on Central Michigan.

Coming into their contest against the Chippewas at 2:30 p.m., the Eagles had confidence after breaking a three-game losing streak.

“We worked together as a team and we are each other’s strength so we fought until the very end,” said base Shila Hartzler.

Heading into halftime, both teams were tied at 4, as the Eagles took one point in the opening quarter while the Chippewas took three. In the second quarter, the Eagles took three, while the Chippewas grabbed just one.

With these two teams battling back and forth it was a matter of time until one took the edge over the other. In the third quarter, the Eagles and Chippewas tied making the score 7-7 heading into the final quarter.

The Chippewas decided to call level 4, an average difficulty of tricks and stunts, and the Eagles dominated as they were able to grab eight total points. The Chippewas were only able to gain five, securing the Eagles’ second victory of the day, 15-13.

“The team is feeling reenergized and motivated after our back-to-back wins, especially after not being on our A game last weekend. We put in a lot of hours this past weekend fixing mistakes and getting in reps to feel confident for this weekend,” said Boldman. “We found ourselves again, came together and fought for everything we put out on the floor.”

The highest-rated players in the Eagles’ wins were tumbler/flyer Boldman, base Kayla Pitts and tumbler/flyer Chloe Colvin. With the win over the weekend, the Eagles’ record improved to 7-4 on the season.

“It feels amazing to come off the weekend 2-1 against some great and tough competition,” said Hartzler. “We kept our heads up, and stayed positive because those are how we win together! Now, we are ready for the rest of the season.”

After the team’s busy weekend, they look to their first homestand of the season in Kates Gymnasium. They will take on Olivet College and Hiram College Saturday, March 18, with game time set for 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

“We knew the middle section of our schedule was going to be super tough and we are headed home feeling very proud of our team and coaches,” said Farnsworth. “We still have a few goals to accomplish this season and we have our eye on the prize—the GMAC Championship.”