Fresno Pacific University launches STUNT team, competition begins in February

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno Pacific has a brand new women's sport on campus.

The STUNT team is preparing to kick off its first season in the spring.

More than two dozen young ladies are flipping and flying.

Alyssa Troutt is the head coach of the brand-new STUNT team on campus.

"I've been coaching for like a really long time, for like 20-plus years," Troutt said.

For the past eight years, she taught skills and choreography for the Sunbirds cheer team.

It was a natural transition when the position for head coach of the STUNT team opened up.

STUNT is a sport focused on the technical and athletic components of cheer.

There are a variety of skills involved, including partner stunts, pyramids, group jumps and tumbling.

Every team in the conference learns the same routines and then goes head-to-head on the mat.

"So it's four quarters. There are four rounds per quarter. Each quarter has different elements," Troutt said.

Since it's the first year of the program, many team members are freshmen. That includes Briseida Cano.

She first joined STUNT as a freshman in high school at Matilda Torres in Madera.

"I got to be part of the first team at Torres High. Now I get to be first team again back here at FPU, and I'm just glad we get to start this legacy," Briseida said.

Briseida, like many of the young women on the team, is on a scholarship, making their dreams of higher education and being a collegiate athlete possible.

"The scholarships really helped because I also got a lot of scholarships from high school, and then the scholarship here. I just knew it was not going to be a financial problem for me, and I knew that I could do it," Briseida said.

Competition gets underway in February, so they're using this time to learn the choreography and perfect their stunts.

Coach Troutt says she's eager to watch these young women compete.

"We're going to get some really tough teams that have been around for eight plus years. We have a lot to learn and a lot to catch up on. I just want to score some points, then have a good season and make sure that this is a time for them to remember," Troutt said.

You can check out the Sunbirds STUNT team when they host the PacWest championship April 2-4, 2026.

For news updates, follow Jessica Harrington on Facebook, X and Instagram.