No. 1 Baylor A&T Sweeps NCATA Weekly Awards

[Allen, Madelon]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Feb. 26, 2025

No. 1 Baylor A&T Sweeps NCATA Weekly Awards
Fifth time in program history the Bears take all accolades

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

WACO, Texas – Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling has swept the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) awards, announced by the organization on Wednesday.

It is the fifth time in program history that the Bears have earned all three awards in the same week.

Payton Washington earned Athlete of the Week, Jordan Gruendler was named Specialist and Leavy McDonald was named Freshman.

This is McDonald’s second career weekly honor from the NCATA after being named for the same award on February 19. Gruendler and Washington have both been named Honorable Mention previously this season for both the Athlete and Specialist awards.

This is Washington’s first Athlete of the Week award, being named Freshman of the Week twice last season. The sophomore competed in eight heats against No. 4 Oregon, not including team event. She did not have a score below a 9.3 across those heats, with her highest score coming in Compulsory Toss at a 9.95. Along with that heat, she competes in Compulsory Acro (9.75/10) and Compulsory Tumbling (9.30). In the optional portions of the meet, Washington is a top in the synchronized acro, heat two, which earned a 9.75. She is also a top in Toss heat one (9.75/9.90) and the synced heat two (9.40/9.90). In the Tumbling heats, she competes in the Quad pass (9.3/10) and the solo Open pass (9.625). In the Team Event, she competes two standing passes with a 9.80 start value and two synced running passes that start at a 9.55. She also competes a 9.90 Toss and a synced Acro sequence.

Gruendler, a top from San Antonio, earns her eighth career Specialist of the Week honor. The senior earned the accolade for Pyramid, having competed as a top in all three heats. Both the Inversion heat (heat one) and the Open heat (heat three) earned a 9.90/10, while the Synchronized heat (heat two) earned a 9.7/10. In all three heats, she is based by McDonald. In the Open heat, she competes the reverse planche and is the only top in the country to do so in a pyramid.

McDonald, a redshirt freshman also from San Antonio, bases in six heats, not including team event. In those heats, none scored below a 9.7 and five of them scored a 9.9 or above. She is seen in all three heats of Pyramid with Gruendler and is in both heat one and three of Acro, each earning a 9.9 against the Ducks. In the third heat of acro, she completes a straight slide to split before rotating into a straddle as Gruendler competes the reverse planche. She is the only base in the country to compete this skill. In Team Event, McDonald is in seven of the 30 required Acro elements, five of which are scored at a 10.0-start value, none below a 9.80.

Baylor NCATA Weekly Award Sweeps
Date
Athlete
Specialist
Freshman
February 21, 2018
Ceara Gray
Kaylee Adams
Morgan Celum
April 8, 2021
Kamryn Kitchens
Emily Tobin
Riley Chimwala
April 16, 2021
Kamryn Kitchens
Emily Tobin
Riley Chimwala
February 28, 2024
Riley Chimwala
Jordan Gruendler
Payton Washington
February 26, 2025
Payton Washington
Jordan Gruendler
Leavy McDonald

NEXT UP
The Bears return home to face Azusa Pacific on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Ferrell Center for the Go Gold meet.

To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, 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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