<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;
panose-1:2 11 0 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#467886;
text-decoration:underline;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ligatures:none;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="margin-bottom:4.0pt;text-align:right;background:white">
<b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#242424">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 8, 2025</span></b><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#242424;mso-ligatures:none"><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 Continues Road Trip at No. 15 Duquesne<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Bears face Dukes for first time</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="font-size:9.0pt;color:#242424">Media materials:
<a href="https://baylor.box.com/s/x3ndkhba0y9zwh4zerbl0qbeh9vylaf2">https://baylor.box.com/s/x3ndkhba0y9zwh4zerbl0qbeh9vylaf2</a><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" style="background:white"><b><span style="color:#242424">PITTSBURGH, Pa. –
</span></b><span style="color:#242424">The No. 1-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling team stays on the road as they face No. 15 Duquesne on Tuesday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, with start time set for 5 p.m. CT.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424">The Bears (5-0) face the Dukes (3-1) for the first time in program history. DUQ is in its inaugural season and is a fellow Division I program in the NCATA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424">The meet will be streamed on
</span><span style="color:black"><a href="https://www.espn.com/espnplus/player/_/id/71b677e7-07d5-4a1e-9a50-8e4758b2676f">ESPN+</a></span><span style="color:#242424"> and live scoring can be found
</span><span style="color:black"><a href="https://goduquesne.com/sports/2025/1/2/live-acrobatics-tumbling-score.aspx">here</a></span><span style="color:#242424">. Fans can also follow along with the scores on the team’s X account (formerly Twitter). A full
recap and scoresheet will be posted to BaylorBears.com after the conclusion of the meet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424">Baylor is coming off a 73.525-point win over first-year program Missouri State, where sophomore Payton Washington recorded her first 10.0 score in a solo tumbling pass
(Open Tumbling). So far this season, Washington has averaged a score of 9.858 in that pass, having competed it three times. She has increased her score each meet. Top Jordan Gruendler and base Leavy McDonald also debuted two new skills against MoState, both
in the 7-Element heat of Acro. The duo once again competed the stacked-hands handstand, but now Gruendler removes a hand before dismounting. McDonald continues to compete the straight slide to split, the only base to do so in the country, but against the Bears,
Gruendler competed the “ring” instead of the “arch”, scoring a 9.75/10 in the combo’s debut.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424">Duquesne is the only first-year team of the seven debuting in the 2025 season to earn a preseason ranking and is averaging a final score of 251.221 through its first
four meets in the inaugural season. The Dukes are coming off their first loss to host Baylor, having fallen to No. 8 Iona on March 3. DUQ is embarking on a three-meet homestand, currently 1-0 at home.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;background:white"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#242424">To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, X, TikTok and Instagram: @BaylorAcroTumb.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="color:#242424"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;background:white"><i><span style="color:#242424">- BaylorBears.com -<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div>
<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@01DB901E.14FB3E30" alt="signature_3999525758"></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>