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<b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#242424">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 5, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:#242424">No. 1 Baylor A&T Captures Second-Straight NCATA Weekly Award Sweep<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Sixth time in program history the Bears take all accolades</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#242424"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#242424">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#242424">Madelon Allen; 254-252-7168,
</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:blue"><a href="mailto:madelon_allen@baylor.edu">madelon_allen@baylor.edu</a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#242424">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#242424"> </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#242424"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424">WACO, Texas – </span></b><span style="color:#242424">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. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Payton Washington earned Athlete of the Week, Jordan Gruendler was named Specialist and Leavy McDonald was named Freshman.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424">Baylor NCATA Weekly Award Sweeps<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424">Date<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424">Athlete<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424">Specialist<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424">Freshman<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">February 21, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Ceara Gray<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Kaylee Adams<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Morgan Celum<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">April 8, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Kamryn Kitchens<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Emily Tobin (Acro)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Riley Chimwala<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">April 16, 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Kamryn Kitchens<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Emily Tobin (Acro)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Riley Chimwala<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">February 28, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Riley Chimwala<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Jordan Gruendler (Acro)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Payton Washington<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">February 26, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Payton Washington<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Jordan Gruendler (Pyramid)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Leavy McDonald<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">March 5, 2025<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Payton Washington<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Jordan Gruendler (Acro)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#242424">Leavy McDonald<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#242424">NEXT UP</span></b><b><span style="color:#242424"><br>
</span></b><span style="color:#242424">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.
<br>
<br>
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram: @BaylorAcroTumb.<br>
<br>
</span><b><span style="color:#242424"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="color:#242424">- BaylorBears.com -</span></i><span style="color:#242424"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#385623;mso-ligatures:none">Madelon Allen</span></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#385623;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">| </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Associate
Director of Athletics Communications <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">A&T, EQ, VB, BaylorBears.com</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">C: 254-252-7168<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><img border="0" width="159" height="44" style="width:1.6562in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DB8DE7.D1A70F70" alt="signature_2629358111"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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