Acrobatics and Tumbling 5/30/2025 10:00:00 AM

Goulding Announces the Additions of Bryant and Balderstone to her Staff

Canisius acrobatics and tumbling head coach Mel Goulding announced the additions of Cam Bryant and Susannah Balderstone to her staff as assistant coaches ahead of the program's inaugural season.

"I'm thrilled to be adding so much experience to our staff as we prepare for our first season," Goulding said. With a coach like Cam Bryant, who brings energy and passion, and a coach like Susannah Balderstone, who brings expertise and knowledge as a tumbling coach, we are setting up our program for long-term success. These hires turn our staff into a well-rounded team. I am excited to make history with them!"

Bryant arrives on Main Street after serving as the head coach at Texas Lutheran for the past three seasons. The first head coach in program history, Bryant helped guide the Bulldogs to a pair of NCATA Tournament appearances during her time in Seguin, Texas.

The 2025 season saw Texas Lutheran finish with a 6-4 record, the most wins in program history, highlighted by its first victory against a ranked opponent after posting a win versus No. 12 Hawaii Pacific. The Bulldogs went on to secure the No. 2 seed in the NCATA Division III Tournament, finishing as runners-up at the event.

During her collegiate career at Baylor, Bryant was a four-time national champion, helping guide the Bears to a combined 43-2 record during her five years with the program. She holds a bachelor's degree in health kinesiology and a Master's in Sports Pedagogy from Baylor.

"I am beyond excited to join the staff of the first-ever acrobatics and tumbling team at Canisius University," Bryant said. "It's an incredible honor to help build a program from the ground up, especially alongside Coach Goulding and Coach Balderstone. I am thrilled to help shape the future of this program and support our student-athletes as we make history together. Go Griffs!"

Balderstone joins the Golden Griffins after five years at Limestone University in Gaffney, South Carolina. She competed as a tumbler and base, earning First-Team All-Conference Carolinas honors in 2021, before joining the coaching staff upon her graduation in 2024.

Balderstone helped the Saints to four consecutive Conference Carolina Championships, three as an athlete and one as an assistant coach. During her time at Limestone, the team advanced to the NCATA National Championship on two occasions. The Saints reached the semifinals of the national championship in 2023, representing the best finish in program history, while the 2024 team finished the season ranked 9th in the final NCATA rankings.

A native of Cherry Hill, N.J., Balderstone graduated from Limestone with a bachelor's degree in Biology.

"I am so excited to not only be a part of an inaugural program, but also to further my education about acrobatics and tumbling while coaching at Canisius alongside coach Goulding and coach Bryant," Balderstone said. My primary motivation is to cultivate a welcoming and supportive environment where athletes can thrive, reach their full potential and experience the same incredible sense of teamwork and passion that I cherished."

Canisius announced the addition of the acrobatics and tumbling program, the University's 21st varsity program, on Nov. 1, 2024. The program is set to begin competition in the 2025-26 academic year.

The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics voted in May 2025 to recommend that all three divisions sponsor legislation to establish a National Collegiate Championship in acrobatics and tumbling.

The recommendation is contingent on official confirmation of the sport's sponsorship and participation numbers for spring 2025 competition, which will occur over the summer. If approved, the inaugural National Collegiate Championship is projected to take place in the spring of 2027.

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