No. 1 Baylor A&T Captures Second-Straight NCATA Weekly Award Sweep

[Allen, Madelon]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 5, 2025
No. 1 Baylor A&T Captures Second-Straight NCATA Weekly Award Sweep
Sixth 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 for the second week in a row, announced by the organization on Wednesday.

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

It is the sixth time in program history that the Bears have earned all three awards in the same week, and the second time BU has done it in back-to-back weeks. The first was in the 2021 season, Baylor earning all three awards on April 8 and again on April 16.

This is Washington’s second Athlete of the Week award. Her meet against No. 7 Azusa Pacific was highlighted by her 9.95 score in the Open Tumbling pass, which had a start value of 10, with her competing a front tuck to round off back handspring, back layout 540, round off to back layout 360. She also competed in Compulsory Acro (9.35/10), Compulsory Toss (9.90/10) and Compulsory Tumbling (8.30/10) while competing in Heat 2 of Acro (9.40/10) and the Synchronized Pyramid (9.85/10). She was also the top in two tosses, Heat 1 (9.65/9.90) and Heat 2 (9.35/9.90), along with being in the Quad Tumbling pass (9.05/10). In the Team Event, the sophomore competes two standing tumbling passes with a 9.8 start value, along with two synchronized tumbling passes with a 9.55 SV, a toss with a 9.9 start value and a synchronized acro sequence.

Gruendler, a top from San Antonio, earns her ninth career Specialist of the Week honor and her third career for Acro. The senior competed in two of the three Acro heats against APU, including the Bears’ first perfect 10/10 score of the season, coming in Heat 1 (5 Element). She also earned a 9.85/10 in Heat 3, 7 Element, where she and Leavy McDonald debuted two new skills. She competed a stacked-hands handstand before popping off into a two-handed handstand before performing the reverse planche (arch) while her base slides to splits and then turns to straddle.

McDonald, a redshirt freshman also from San Antonio, was seen in six different heats, including the two Acro heats mentioned above with Gruendler as the top. She is the mid-level base with Washington in the Synchronized Pyramid, and the mid-level with Gruendler for Pyramid Heat 1 (Inversion) and Pyramid Heat 3 (Open). Against the Cougars in the third heat, McDonald and Gruendler competed a new pyramid for this season and are the only athletes in the country to do so – performing an inlocate all the way to the top handstand. In addition to the Pyramid event, McDonald competes the Compulsory Pyramid (9.85/10). In the Team Event, McDonald competes seven of the required 30 elements for Acro, five of which have a start value of 10 and none below a 9.8. She also is the mid-level base for a synchronized pyramid with an SV of 10.

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 (Acro)
Riley Chimwala
April 16, 2021
Kamryn Kitchens
Emily Tobin (Acro)
Riley Chimwala
February 28, 2024
Riley Chimwala
Jordan Gruendler (Acro)
Payton Washington
February 26, 2025
Payton Washington
Jordan Gruendler (Pyramid)
Leavy McDonald
March 5, 2025
Payton Washington
Jordan Gruendler (Acro)
Leavy McDonald

NEXT UP
The Bears hit the road for two meets at the NCATA’s newest Division I institutions. First stop is at Missouri State on March 8 for a 5 p.m. CT meet, then on to Duquesne for a 5 p.m. meet on March 11.

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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