INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- West Virginia State battled throughout Thursday night's NCATA meet but ultimately came up short against Bluefield State in a competitive showing at the Walker Convocation Center.

In the opening three events, the Yellow Jackets showed flashes of strong execution while keeping pace early. WVSU posted a 20.400 in Compulsory, highlighted by a 6.600 in acro and an 8.300 in pyramid, but a low tumbling score proved costly. The Jackets responded with a solid Acro event total of 18.700, led by a 7.800 in Heat 1 to take a slight edge in the running score at that point. In Pyramid, WVSU continued to perform well with a 23.300, showcasing consistency across all three heats to remain in contention heading into the second half.

In the final three events, Bluefield State pulled away as West Virginia State was unable to match the scoring pace. Despite continued effort in Toss, the Yellow Jackets couldn't keep up after Tumbling. WVSU continued to fight through the Team Event, but Bluefield's late-event execution sealed the result, handing the Yellow Jackets a tough home loss.

Yellow Jackets Acrobatics & Tumbling closed out their 2026 campaign against the Big Blues, and look forward to carrying momentum into next season.