By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Captained by head coach Felecia Mulkey, No. 1 seed Baylor acrobatics and tumbling won its 10th-straight NCATA National Championship, defeating No. 2 Oregon 276.015 to 266.355 Saturday night at the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Bears (12-0) extended their winning streak to 50 straight meets, taking 16 heats against the Ducks (7-3) and losing just three. Oregon, which the Bears beat in the 2023 NCATA National Championship, was the last team to defeat Baylor (coming by less than one point on March 6, 2021).
Opening the event with a 0.2-point advantage in start value, the green and gold cruised through events until their 9.66-point victory. The Bears recorded season-high marks in both Toss Heat Nos. 2 and 3, scoring 9.875.
The early part of the match stayed tight, as Baylor built a one-point cushion in Compulsory. Redshirt freshman base Leavy McDonald and senior top Jordan Gruendler headlined the Bears’ wins in the 5 Element Arco heat and 7 Element Acro heat. But again, Oregon stayed close, only allowing Baylor to separate by an additional .275 in Acro.
With both teams racking near perfect scores in the Pyramid event, the Bears went into the half up 96.375 to Oregon’s 94.725. Both squads rolled out strong passes in the Toss and Tumbling events, keeping Baylor’s lead at 2.1 points before the final event.
Finishing strong, the Bears toppled the Team event to secure a 276.015 to 266.355 win over their longstanding rivals in the national championship.
The green and gold will be back in action competing in 14 heats of the Event Finals at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
