GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Valeria Guevara has been named the first head coach of women's acrobatics and tumbling at Gettysburg College, announced by Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation Troy Dell on Thursday.

The College announced the addition of women's acrobatics and tumbling among three new sports in March. The program, which was one of four new NCAA championships approved in January, will begin as the Bullets' 26th varsity athletic program during the 2027-28 academic year.

Guevara is a graduate of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where she was part of four straight National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) Division III championship teams.

"We are excited to have Val join us to start our acrobatics and tumbling program," Dell said. "She knows what it takes to build a championship program. Her experience will be invaluable as we build this program from the ground up."

As part of the Cru's national championship performance, Guevara was an NCATA Division III tournament event final champion in synchronized pyramid in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2024, she was also champion in five element acro. As a junior, she recorded 11 heats of a 9.7 or higher, including a 9.9 in compulsory toss on Mar. 19 against Iona. She was also named to the NCATA Academic Honor in 2026.

In addition to her success on the mat, she also assisted the coaching staff this past spring with all aspects of the program, including travel logistics and recruiting, as part of the team's fourth straight national championship run.

"I am incredibly honored and excited to join Gettysburg College as the head coach for acrobatics and tumbling," Guevara said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to help build a program that reflects Gettysburg's commitment to excellence, integrity, and community while contributing to the continued growth and success of Gettysburg Athletics and the sport of acrobatics and tumbling. I want to express my sincere appreciation to Troy Dell, the search committee, and the entire Gettysburg athletic staff for their support and belief in the future of this program."

In 2019, she founded the youth acrobatics and tumbling program at Showcase Gymnastics, leading the program as head coach for the first three year and collecting two Youth Acro National Championships. She has also served as an assistant coach for five TeamGym national championships.

Prior to competing at the collegiate level, she competed in trampoline and tumbling at for Gymnast Factor and Showcase Gymnastics. She was a nine-time qualifier for nationals. She was a trampoline state champion, tumbling silver medalist and three-time TeamGym national champion. She also competed internationally for the USA TeamGym team and was a Junior Olympic Games TnT bronze medalist.

In addition to being a part of the acrobatics and tumbling team at Mary Hardin-Baylor, she was a sports management major and served as a student assistant in the sports information office, where she created photo and video content to promote the program and athletes. She collaborated with the staff to enhance the visibility of the program as part of her work.

Guevara will spend the next year recruiting and preparing for the launch of the first season of intercollegiate competition in 2027-28.