No. 1 Baylor A&T Storms No. 4 Augustana in NCATA Semifinals

Fri Apr 25 22:10:52 CDT 2025

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – April 25, 2025

No. 1 Baylor A&T Storms No. 4 Augustana in NCATA Semifinals
Bears earn another 10 in Acro

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. 4 seed and host team Augustana, 279.325 – 256.465, on Friday night at the Elmen Center in the Semifinals of the NCATA Championship.

The Bears (11-0) defeated the Vikings (7-1) by 22.86 points to increase the winning streak to 49 meets. BU started the meet with a 9.05-point advantage in start value on Augie.

To start off the meet in Compulsory, BU and the Vikings all executed the required skills with a start value of 10 in each heat. In the Acro heat, Augie had an 8.95 and Baylor followed with a 9.425. The second heat, Pyramid, Augustana had 9.725 with BU scoring a 9.825. In the Toss heat, the Vikings scored 9.65, with Baylor scoring 9.90. To round out Compulsory, AU scored 8.225 in Tumbling while Baylor scored 8.60. Heading into the Acro event, the Bears were up 37.75 to 36.55.

To start the optional portion of the meet was Acro, both teams starting at a 10 for all three heats. BU and the Vikings 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 9.95. The Vikings went before them, with a 9.475 score in their outing. 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, outscoring a 7.375 from Augustana. 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 perfect 10 after competing a high straddle to handstand to reverse planche, where McDonald slides to split and then rotates to straddle. It is the first perfect 10 Baylor has ever earned in the third heat of Acro at a Championship meet. Augie had scored a 9.325 in its showing. For the Acro event, BU scored 29.425 to 26.175, now totaling 67.175 to the Vikings’ 62.725 through two events, and Baylor leading by 4.45 points.

In the Pyramid event, all three heats with an SV of 10 for both teams, Augustana started it off with a 9.5 score in the Inversion heat, which BU followed with a 9.85 with Gruendler and McDonald with the one-handed handstand. Topping the Synchronized heat were Washington and Bott, based by mid-level bases McDonald and Wells, respectively. They scored a 9.8 on their high walk-in to extension, outdoing AU’s 9.725. In the Open heat, Augustana earned a 9.825, then Baylor’s Gruendler topped McDonald and competed the inverted high-handstand, scoring a 9.875. For the Pyramid event, Baylor scored a 29.525, while the Vikings scored a 29.05.

At the half, BU was up 96.70 to Augustana’s 91.775, leading by 4.925 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 9.55/10, which followed the Vikings’ score of 9.2/9.9. In the Synchronized heat, Washington and Gabby Kaminski were the tops, scoring 9.625/9.90, while the Vikings had a score of 9.15/9.90. In the final heat, the Open heat, Kaminski was the top, scoring a 9.70/9.90 with her back-double, whereas Augustana scored an 9.6/10. At the end of the Toss event, Baylor totaled 28.875, while Augie had a 27.95. Through four events, BU had a score of 125.575 while AU had a 119.725, the Bears up by 5.85 points.

In the Tumbling event, Augustana started in the Duo pass, scoring an 8.775/9.75. For the Bears were Thomas and Gigi Rendino, who scored a 9.125/10 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 8.775/10. AU came out first in that heat with an 7.55/8.85. In the Quad pass were Washington, Aliyah Kaloostian, Sarah Kerr, and Kaminski, scoring a 9.25/10 for their front punch to roundoff back handspring back layout 540 roundoff back layout 360, while Augustana put up a score of 7.475/8.750. For the Aerial pass, it was Thomas, who scored a 9.7/10 after competing a roundoff whip Arabian roundoff back handspring back layout 540, while AU earned an 9.5/10 score. Competing in the 6 Element heat was Bott competing a roundoff whip whip whip back handspring back layout 540, earning a 9.775/10 score; Augie earned a score of 9.30/9.75. Washington earned a 9.975/10 for the Open heat with a punch front roundoff back handspring back layout 540 roundoff back layout 360, with the Vikings showing up with a 9.75/10. Combined, Baylor had a score of 56.600 to finish the Tumbling event while Augustana had a score of 52.35. After five events, BU led 182.175 to 172.075, up by 10.1 points.

In the Team event, the Vikings performed, scoring an 84.39. Baylor competed and scored 97.15.

The meet was finalized, and BU came out on top with a 279.325 score against Augie’s 256.465; the Bears won by 22.86 points.

HIGHLIGHTS

  *   Baylor had its third perfect 10 of the championship, this time in Heat 3 Acro – the first time BU has had a 10 in the 7-Element heat at a championship meet.
  *   Payton Washington’s 9.975 score in the Open Tumbling pass ties Baylor’s all-time high at a Championship meet (2022 Final against Gannon).

NEXT UP

The Bears will face No. 2 seed Oregon in the National Championship meet on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

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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