BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference has announced the winners of this week’s MEC Acrobatics & Tumbling Player of the Week awards. The MEC Player of the Week awards are presented by The Health Plan.
 
Fairmont State’s Taryn Laurence has been named the MEC Acrobatics & Tumbling Player of the Week while fellow Fighting Falcon Caitlyn Clendenin has been named the MEC Acrobatics & Tumbling Specialist of the Week.
 
Laurence, a senior top/tumbler from Euless, Texas, opened the season in major ways for the Falcons. She maxed out in events for us Fairmont State. She competes in all compulsory events and is a top in 6 element and 7 element. She is a key contributor in the pyramid event, competing in all 3 heats. She also competes two back double tosses in the toss event. She performs wh, wh, bhs, and bhs 1.5 in duo and the wh and wh 1.5 in aerial event, with the highest scoring individual pass. She is all over the mat in team event- competing one standing pass, one running pass and topping in both tosses as well as one pyramid. The pyramid event and is a top in all 3 events. The Falcons did not score below 9.5 in the pyramid event and scored a perfect 10.0 in open pyramid- a program high. She had the highest scoring individual tumbling pass with a 9.675/10.0.  Started the season with a 260 final score.
 
Clendenin, a sophomore base/tumbler from Greenville, South Carolina, competes as a mid-base in sync pyramid which is a 270 straddle hold on a backbend. with a 360 dismount. She competes as a mid in the open pyramid which consists of a 270 L-sit with a flip 360 dismount on a backbend. Caitlyn competes solely in pyramid event and team event for the falcons and excels in her position.
 
2026 MEC ACROBATICS & TUMBLING ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
2/9: Taryn Laurence, Fairmont State
 
2026 MEC ACROBATICS & TUMBLING SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
2/9: Caitlyn Clendenin, Fairmont State