UND Aerobatic team members (left to right) Patrick Mills, Jennifer Slack, Amelia Gagnon and Alexander Volberding stand in front of one of UND’s aerobatic planes. Photo by Chester Beltowski/The Dakota Student.

Beating the United States Air Force Academy and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the UND Aerobatic team once again earned  the top spot at the International Aerobatic Club competition this fall.

This marks the seventh year UND has earned the No. 1 spot in nationals of the IAC — the world’s largest aerobatic association throughout the country.

“It’s fantastic (to win the national championship),” said senior Amelia Gagnon, who placed 12th at the IAC national championships. “I’m really glad we had an opportunity to win again.”

The 2014 competition season opened with the Midwest Aerobatic Championship in Seward, Neb. and ended at the IAC U.S. Nationals in Dennison, Texas, where UND took the win.

The team was led by coaches Michael Lents, Greg Gilmer and Jonathan Sepulveda and faculty adviser Joe Vacek.

“I am really excited to get the team ramped up,” Lents said. “One of the advantages we have is that even though it is an individual sport, the team can help each other and share knowledge, which gives us a leg up over the competitors.”

The winning team comprises of Wolfgang Brink, Rosemary Coe, Amelia Gagnon, Cameron Jaxheimer, Patrick Mills, Houston, Alexander Sachs, Jennifer Slack, William Sullivan, Jackson Hole and Alexander Volberding.

“I feel like the season went very well,” Gagnon said. “The team as individuals competed well, which helped us score well as a team.”

The team will begin it’s next season in April, where it will start with tryouts and team practices.Throughout the season, the aerobatic team will compete against airshow, military and many other pilots.

“I want to train up and get things together a little bit earlier and get some more team practices in,” Lents said. “I want to help everyone get ready in their own categories to up the collegian standings for the next years. We will work on tailoring flight maneuvers to everyone’s individual style.”

Katie Haines is a staff writer for the Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].