No. 1 Baylor A&T Crumbles No. 8 Limestone in Quarterfinals

Thu Apr 24 20:02:45 CDT 2025

POST-MEET PRESSER: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XghuuMABuZvomK1_htGAKUWJUuyWVht9/view?usp=sharing

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – April 24, 2025

No. 1 Baylor A&T Crumbles No. 8 Limestone in Quarterfinals
Bears score two 10s en route to meet win

For more information contact: Madelon Allen, madelon_allen at baylor.edu<mailto:madelon_allen at baylor.edu>, 254-252-7168

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The No. 1-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling team defeated No. 8 seed Limestone 279.670 – 246.725, on Thursday afternoon at the Elmen Center in the Quarterfinals of the NCATA Championship.

The Bears (10-0) defeated the Saints (12-2) by 32.945 points to increase the winning streak to 48 meets. BU started the meet with a 13.72-point advantage in start value on Limestone.

To start off the meet in Compulsory, BU and the Saints all executed the required skills with a start value of 10 in each heat. In the Acro heat, Limestone had an 8.875 and Baylor followed with a 9.525. The second heat, Pyramid, Limestone had 9.45 with BU scoring a 9.775. In the Toss heat, the Saints scored 8.95, with Baylor scoring 9.875. To round out Compulsory, Limestone scored 7.90 in Tumbling while Baylor scored 8.50. Heading into the Acro event, the Bears were up 37.68 to 35.18.

To start the optional portion of the meet, BU and the Saints competed the 5 Element Acro heat, featuring Leavy McDonald as the base with Jordan Gruendler as the top, competing a straddle to handstand to reverse planche, scoring a perfect 10, only the second time a 10 has been scored in that heat for BU in the NCATA Championships. The Saints went before them, with a 9.575/10 score in their heat. In the synchronized 6 Element heat, with four different pairs of tops and bases (Alyiah Thomas/Meredith Wells, Cassie Karnbach/Gabby Kaminski, Payton Washington/Addi Grandy, and Adelaide Vezzosi/Ellie LaNeve), the Bears scored a 9.475/10, outscoring a 7.00/9.90 from Limestone. Washington and Thomas competed a high press, lowered, and pop-around before Kaminski and Vezzosi competed the inverted handstand. In the third heat, 7 Element Acro, Gruendler and McDonald scored a 9.95/10 after competing a high handstand to straddle, press up to handstand, then straight handstand while McDonald performs a straight slide to split. To end it, Gruendler presses down to straddle. Limestone had scored a 9.50/10 in its outing. For the Acro event, BU scored 29.425 to 26.075, now totaling 67.100 to the Saints’ 61.250 through two events, and Baylor leading by 5.85 points.

In the Pyramid event, Limestone started it off with a 9.375/9.80 score in the Inversion heat, which BU followed with a perfect 10/10 with Gruendler and McDonald with the one-handed handstand; this was the second time a 10 has been scored for the Bears in the inversion heat in the NCATA Championship. Topping the Synchronized heat were Washington and Bott, based by mid-level bases McDonald and Wells, respectively. They scored a 9.825/10 on their high walk-in to extension, outdoing the Saints’ 9.525/10. In the Open heat, Limestone earned a 9.775/10, then Baylor’s Gruendler topped McDonald and competed the inverted high-handstand, scoring a tying 9.775/10. For the Pyramid event, Baylor scored a 29.60, while the Saints scored a 28.675.

At the half, BU was up 96.700 to Limestone’s 89.925, leading by 6.775 points.

To kick off the second half in the Toss event, it was Washington topping the Salto heat, competing the kick-double and finishing with a score of 9.60/10, which followed the Saints’ score of 9.30/9.90. In the Synchronized heat, Washington and Gabby Kaminski were the tops, scoring 9.475/9.90, while the Saints had a score of 8.825/9.40. In the final heat, the Open heat, Kaminski was the top, scoring a 9.675/9.90 with her back-double, whereas Limestone scored an 8.775/9.40. At the end of the Toss event, Baylor totaled 28.750, while the Saints had a 26.90. Through four events, BU had a score of 125.45 while Limestone had a 116.825, the Bears up by 8.625 points.

In the Tumbling event, Limestone started in the Duo pass, scoring an 8.925/9.75. For the Bears were Thomas and Gigi Rendino, who scored a 9.10/10 on their roundoff whip Arabian to roundoff back handspring back layout 540. In the Trio were Bott, Sophia Neylon, and Nova Schmit, competing a roundoff back handspring back layout 540 roundoff to whip back layout 360, earning a score of 9.075/10. LU came out first in that heat with an 8.025/8.75. In the Quad pass were Washington, Aliyah Kaloostian, Sarah Kerr, and Kaminski, scoring a 9.325/10 for their front punch to roundoff back handspring back layout 540 roundoff back layout 360, while Limestone put up a score of 7.30/8.00. For the Aerial pass, it was Thomas, who scored a 9.6/10 after competing a roundoff whip arabian roundoff back handspring back layout 540, while Limestone earned an 9.725/10 score. Competing in the 6 Element heat was Bott competing a roundoff whip whip whip back handspring back layout 540, earning a 9.725/10 score; Limestone earned a score of 9.175/9.55. Washington earned a 9.925/10 for the Open heat with a punch front roundoff back handspring back layout 540 roundoff back layout 360, with the Saints showing up with a 9.7/10. Combined, Baylor had a score of 56.750 to finish the Tumbling event while Limestone had a score of 52.850. After five events, BU led 182.200 to 169.675, up by 12.525 points.

In the Team event, the Saints performed, scoring a 77.05. Baylor competed and scored 97.47.

The meet was finalized, and BU came out on top with a 279.670 score against Limestone’s 246.725; the Bears won by 32.945 points.

HIGHLIGHTS

  *   Baylor’s perfect 10s in both Heat 1 (5-Element) Acro and Heat 1 (Inversion) of Pyramid were just the second times in program history to have a 10 in those heats in an NCATA Championship meet.
  *   The Bears have won 48 meets in a row.
  *   This was just the second time BU faced Limestone in program history.

NEXT UP

The Bears will face the winner of the No. 4 Augustana and No. 5 Fairmont State matchup in the Semifinals, set for 7 p.m. CT on Friday night.

To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok and Instagram: @BaylorAcroTumb.

- BaylorBears.com -

__________________________________

Madelon Allen | Associate Director of Athletics Communications
A&T, EQ, VB, BaylorBears.com
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-252-7168

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