CALDWELL, N.J. -- The Caldwell Acrobatics & Tumbling squad scored 8.0 or above in ten different events, including two over 9.0, as it rallied to defeat Georgian Court in the season opener at the Newman Center on Wednesday evening.

The compulsory toss event got the Cougars off to a strong start, with the unit of junior Kaytence Vining (Latham, N.Y.), freshman Avery Dunn (Chalfont, Pa.), freshman Carly Gleason (Ocean City, N.J.), freshman Jackie Vereen (Suffolk, Va.), soph Zimayah Mosley (Newark, N.J.), junior Piper Fitzmaurice (Middletown, N.J.), sophomore Jahnessa Morales (Hamburg, N.J.), sophomore Mariana Aiello (Concord, Calif.), senior Eliah Cardone (Bristow, Va.), freshman Neriyah Sims (Bayonne, N.J.) and senior Mickennah Lanza (Middletown, N.J.) combining for the near-perfect effort.

Caldwell also earned a 9.05 in the Open Pyramid, as Gleason, Mosely, Morales, Vining, Dunn, soph Mariajose Bucheli (Belleville, N.J.) and Lanza closed the first half with that fine performance.

CU trailed by the narrowest of margins, 100.30 to 100.05, entering the Tumbling, but outscored the Lions (1-1), 43.2-36.875, in the discipline to take a 6.5 point lead entering the Team Event. Top tumblers were Fitzmaurice with an 8.425 in the Six Element and Vereen at 8.175 in the Aerial.

The next highest scoring event for the Cougars was an 8.6 in the 450 Salto toss (Vining, Dunn, Gleason, Vereen, Mosley, Lanza).

Caldwell next visits American International College on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m., and returns home to face those same Yellowjackets on Tuesday, March 11.

The Cougars and Lions will meet again on April 10 in Lakewood, N.J.