Glenville, W.Va. - Brianna D'Angelo will long be remembered as one of the first superstars in the sport of Acrobatics and Tumbling. 

Glenville State College became only the 12^th institution in the nation to add the emerging sport back in 2015, and D'Angelo became a key competitor on the school's very first team in the spring of 2016. Now, with the sport growing nationwide, D'Angelo will be helping lead a Pioneer squad into the first ever Mountain East Conference A&T Championship meet in April.

This journey has been filled with a variety of ups and downs, but her A&T career has included a very positive senior year with a talented team.

"I like the group we have this year, and how we have worked very hard together," D'Angelo said. "We are very excited to compete in the Championship meets coming up."

D'Angelo's journey began in her hometown of Endicott, New York. The picturesque town of 12,000-plus is located in upstate New York on the Susquehenna River.  Brianna was a triplet, born with her siblings Michael and Nicholas. Her parents, Nino and Lisa D'Angelo, kept the trio busy in many activities throughout their youth.

"People always ask me what it was like being a triplet. I really never know how to answer that because it is all I have ever known…it has never seemed like a big deal," D'Angelo said. "We shared birthday parties and toys when we were little, and as we got older we shared cars and had a lot of common friends…it was just something you got used to."

D'Angelo was active in both dance and gymnastics as a youngster. She was a member of the Aero Gymnastics team in nearby Vestal, New York. She participated with this group while attending George F. Johnson Elementary School, and competed with Aero from the age of seven until she was 12.  

"My mom tells stories about when I was little and teaching myself to do a cartwheel," D'Anglelo said. "Once I learned how, I started going all around the house doing cartwheels."

At the age of 12, D'Angelo began competing with Southern Tier Gymnastics in Endwell, New York.  At Southern Tier, D'Angelo was coached by the legendary Coach Dale Van Patten. She would compete for the squad from the age of 12 until she was 18 and signed with Glenville.

"Coach VP is a big name coach in our sport, and he had coached my Aunt Nikki (Nicole Swartz)…he helped her get a college scholarship, and she competed in college at George Washington University," D'Angelo said. "During my time at Southern Tier, I was able to compete against a lot of high level competition and was able to improve a lot as a gymnast. I always looked up to my Aunt Nikki, so it was very exciting to be following the same path as her in gymnastics."

During this time, D'Angelo attended Jenny F. Snapp Middle School and Union Endicott High School, where she graduated with her brothers in a class of over 300. Michael and Nicholas were standouts in track, and Brianna joined them on the team in high school; she competed in 100, 200, long jump, and the 4x100 relay.
 
As her senior year developed, D'Angelo was a highly sought after gymnast on the recruiting trail. Going into the spring of 2015, she had narrowed her choices down to two schools; SUNY-Cortland, a local Division III school, and the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, a D-II gymnastics power. After much deliberation with her family, she decided on Bridgeport and gave a verbal commitment.

"It was well into May of my senior year, and I was preparing to sign with Bridgeport. I can remember specifically that is was May 17^th…the day after prom. That is when I first heard from Coach (Amber) King at Glenville," D'Angelo said. "I had never heard of the sport to be honest. My mom told me that it wouldn't hurt to call, so I did. Coach King told me all about the sport, and how I could be a part of something new and exciting"

Shortly afterward, D'Angelo sat down with Coach King, and the Glenville option was beginning to look more appealing. Early in the summer, she committed to becoming a Pioneer, and joined the A&T program; the historic first team for the school.

"I had never been to West Virginia in my life, but being from a small town my adjustment may have been easier than most," D'Angelo said. "We had athletes from California, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, New York…we were from all over, and it was a new sport for just about everybody, so we were all in it together."

Glenville produced a very competitive team right away, and the program became quickly established in the world of collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling.  For D'Angleo and her teammates, the adjustment was much more than simply adapting to college and a new town.

"I had never tumbled in shoes, so that was a very big adjustment for me," D'Angelo said. "Now, after doing Acro for four years, I think it would feel awkward to tumble without shoes. Those are some little nuances where A&T is different from gymnastics. But more than anything, it is an adjustment to compete on a dead floor as opposed to a spring floor."

After that freshman year for D'Angelo, the program has undergone a series of unexpected changes. Amber King left after the first year, and the program was taken over by head coach Amanda McGill in 2017. Sarah Moreno took over for the 2018 season, and now the program is under the direction of head coach Melanie Goulding, who was hired in July of 2018.

Through it all, the team has remained competitive, and has posted some national appearances in individual events. Last year, the team brought home a national title in the Individual Pyramid event.

Under Coach Goulding the team is reaching new heights, and is currently ranked ninth as a team in the nation. They also have several individual events that are nationally ranked. They are currently ranked second out of six teams in the MEC standings.

"I am very thankful that I have been blessed with some good coaches and good teammates," D'Angelo said. "I have been able to adapt to different coaches and different coaching styles. It hasn't been easy for the program at times with all the changes, but for me personally, I feel like I have learned a lot of things that will help me after college. I feel like I have learned a lot about what to do and not to do when being in a leadership position or when working in a group."

D'Angelo has witnessed the steady growth of the sport during her four years. With Glenville being only the 12^th team to add the sport in 2015. That total has now almost tripled. In fact, the Mountain East will have seven schools sponsoring the sport in 2020.

"This has been a satisfying year. We had high expectations, and I feel we have exceeded many of those," D'Angelo said. "We have been within a point of the school record for a team score at a meet, and we have gotten closer as a team. We are starting to peak, and our team has a very strong bond. It is also exciting to be a part of the first conference to ever host a championship in our sport. Our team is very aware that we are a part of history by competing in the MEC Championships. Our group of seniors…we have been with each other from the start, so this is a special way for things to end."

"Brianna has been a great leader for us, and she is a very hard worker," Goulding said. "She has fought back from some injuries this season, but she has been very smart and done the right things to get healthy and get back to 100%. She is someone we know we can count on when it comes time to compete. Brianna is very respectful, and just overall a very wonderful young lady."

With the MEC Meet and the National Meet directly in front of them, D'Angelo and her teammates have been very focused on the task at hand. Still, the next chapter of her life is looming in less than two months. Majoring in Coaching and Athletic Conditioning, she is weighing her options moving forward.

"I have a potential job opportunity in the coaching profession, but that is still a year away," D'Angelo said. "For now I will probably go home and coach in the gym back home for a year."

Diangelo's long term goals are little more open.

"I want to get my Masters and from there I will go wherever life takes me," D'Angelo said. "We will see what opportunities arise. I want to get into coaching, but I would also like to do something in the beauty industry…perhaps on the side."

For now, Briana D'Angelo and her teammates have another goal to chase…making their mark on history in a young and growing sport!