The Quincy University Stunt team won 3-1 at their first home tournament at Pepsi Arena. QU hosted 4 different teams in their 2026 season opener, where they won over Central Methodist, St. Norbert, and Buena Vista.

Quincy was up against Maryville in their first tournament game, they fell 27–4 in the opener despite steady progress throughout the game. 

The Hawks bounced back in one of the most exciting games of the weekend, pulling out a 20–19 win over Central Methodist in an eight-round triple overtime thriller. The game was tied after the first quarter before Quincy pulled ahead in the second.

Central Methodist fought back in the third and fourth quarters to send the game into overtime. In the extra rounds, Quincy stepped up when it mattered most, edging the Eagles 7–6 in overtime to seal the walk-off win and fire up the home crowd.

A performance like that from the team made Grace Welch, number 8 for the Stunt team, very proud of the work and progress the team has made in a year.

“I am beyond proud of all of us. From last year to this year, we have had a huge jump in improvement, and every game we played this weekend, win or loss, we had a great game, and we all played to our fullest potential. I think so, I am super proud,” Welch said.

The head coach for the stunt team Diane Shoemaker emphazises that the progress her team has made is impressive.

“The progress that I saw specifically was in scoring just the sort of lack of minor deductions we were getting. We cleaned up some of the simplest stuff. And by cleaning up those simple minors that we were getting in the past, we were able to earn points on teams that we haven’t ever earned points on before, nationally ranked teams that I was so pleasantly surprised to see us earning points on. So, that was awesome,” Shoemaker said.

From being established just last year to now earning points against nationally ranked teams, the growth of the Quincy University stunt team has been impressive, due in large part to head coach Diane Shoemaker.

“My favorite routine is quarter four because it brings everything together, the stunts, tumbling, and pyramid,” Shoemaker said. “It’s the most exhausting for the athletes, but it shows how their hard work pays off.”

As the program continues to develop, Shoemaker’s leadership is pushing the stunt team to compete at a national level.

For spectators, the tournament was also an experience for life. Mathilda Rumpf, a student from Germany, attended her first stunt competition.

“I have never seen a sport like this before. In Germany, we do not really have stunt, so it was amazing to see how athletic and intense it is. I could never do the things they do,” Rumpf said.

Quincy closed the tournament with a pair of dominant performances, shutting out St. Norbert 10–0 and Buena Vista 8–0. Both matches were contested over eight rounds, with the Hawks controlling every routine and showcasing their growth across all areas of competition.