By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
No. 1 Baylor acrobatics & tumbling has maintained its dominance as it enters the second half of the season. The Bears just moved to 5-0 with a near 10-point win over previously undefeated No. 12 Frostburg State University.
Head coach Felecia Mulkey said the team is on the right path in hopes of another national championship.
“We’re on a good trajectory team-wise and mentality-wise, we’re in a good spot,” Mulkey said. “You have to find that balance and we’re in a good position. Now, we’re working towards execution. Those are the places we’re going to be focused on throughout the rest of the season.”
The seven-time defending national champions have won 21-consecutive meets, going back to 2021. Including playoffs, defeat is something this program has hardly had to face over the years.
Junior base Riley Chimwala said despite all the winning, the team still has ups, downs, ebbs and flows.
“We always have good days and bad days,” Chimwala said. “We just remember that we’re human and at the beginning of practice — we always — if we’re having a tough day or we’re not feeling our best, we’re sure to tell everyone that so no one feeds off our energy and that we can help [and] pick each other up.”
So far, the biggest challenge for the squad came from then No. 5 University of Oregon, who really gave the Bears a run for their money. Baylor won the meet 283.305-278.910, which was its narrowest margin of victory this season. Mulkey said she always enjoys competing against her former team, whom she coached to four national titles before coming to Waco.
“It’s always so fun going against Oregon, they’re a great program and they always push us to another level,” Mulkey said. “Our team always grows when we play them, so, outside of the win, we took a few steps forward at that meet. It was well worth the 8-10 hour trip.”
Up next, the Bears host Quinnipiac University at 5 p.m. Saturday for the second of three-straight home meets in the Ferrell Center.
