Purcellville, Va. — Woodgrove High School senior Marlena Costanzo has made a commitment to join the acrobatics and tumbling team at Limestone University starting in the 2021-2022 school year.
“It feels really nice to be committed to college, I don’t have to stress about getting into a college anymore,” the 5-foot-2 Costanzo said. “I am so excited to continue my athletic career with a whole new journey ahead of me.”
[adrotate banner=”15″]Costanzo’s new journey will not only include a change of scenery as she moves from Loudoun County, Virginia to Cherokee County, South Carolina but will also include a transition from gymnastics to acro and tumbling.
Limestone is one of 36 member schools in the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association—the national governing body for acrobatics and tumbling, working to bring the sport through NCAA emerging sport status to become a fully sanctioned NCAA championship sport.
Led by head coach Michaela Soper, the Saints finished their 2019-2020 season ranked No. 10 in the country.
“I plan to add my background from gymnastics and a strong work ethic to the Saints team,” Costanzo said. “I will also add positivity and encouragement to my teammates.”
Costanzo is excited to join the Saints, not only because of the opportunity they’ve granted her to compete at the collegiate level, but also because of how the Limestone campus made her feel.
“I chose Limestone because everyone was so nice, and the campus is beautiful,” said Costanzo, who calls Lovettsville home. “It felt like home as soon as I stepped foot on the campus.”
Before heading down to Gaffney, South Carolina in the fall, Costanzo will finish her senior year at Woodgrove High School while competing for APEX Gymnastics.
“Competing for APEX has been amazing,” Costanzo said. “I am so grateful for all of my coaches and teammates, and I will miss them so much when I leave for college.”
While she’ll be leaving her coaches and teammates en route to Limestone, the relationships Costanzo has made over the years will help guide her through her next journey.
“I compete because I love this sport, and it has given me a second family,” Costanzo said. “I love the feeling of accomplishment when you nail a routine that you’ve been working really hard on.”
