By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
The Mannings. The Currys. The Williamses. Families built for sports, with athletics stitched into their DNA.
All famous, yes, but none with more unique first names than the McDonald family. Touchstone, Kyte, Maddox and Baylor’s own Leavy McDonald — the latter being a two-time national champion, NCATA All-American and the powerhouse beneath No. 1 Baylor acrobatics and tumbling.
While McDonald’s name has quickly become etched beside the name Baylor A&T, the heart of her story lies in what has carried her there. Her faith in God, the steady support of her family, immense gratitude and the people who have empowered her along the way who have shaped the athlete — and person — now dominating the sport.
“My backbone has always been my family,” McDonald said. “My parents have been there through every hard day, making sure I feel seen and loved. My brothers paved the way for me and showed me that anything is possible. My grandpa’s love and prayers have carried me through more than I can count. Because of them, I compete on a foundation of unconditional love.”
There’s something undeniably special in sports about a coach who believes in you, especially when you’re young.
For McDonald, it was that belief that became the foundation for everything that followed. Growing up in small-town Castroville, the redshirt sophomore dreamed big early, chasing aspirations of one day becoming an Olympian. That dream eventually led her to San Antonio, where greater opportunity awaited — and so did the adversity that came with it.
“From a very young age, I was always the tallest and more built than everyone else,” McDonald said. “When I started in artistic gymnastics, I was told my feet were too big, too flat and that I was too tall. Then I had a coach who really saw me and took a chance on me. She told me, ‘I know you’re strong, so I want you to try acrobatic gymnastics.’ Her belief in me sparked something, and I fell in love with it.”
That love that would, years later and after a memorable stop along the way, write her name into the NCATA record books.
Unlike most competitive gymnasts, gymnastics would not always be McDonald’s only path. By high school, the future NCATA Freshman of the Year had been introduced to powerlifting, trading time on the mat for the weight room while stacking up state and national titles.
“That’s a huge part of my story, is my powerlifting journey,” McDonald said. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had in my life and I absolutely loved it.”
Eventually, Baylor would come to discover and eventually recruit McDonald, bringing her back to acrobatics.
That is, before what looked to be the base’s breakout freshman season — with a spot in the starting lineup already secured — came to a halt when a gruesome leg injury during pyramid work in fall practice forced her to redshirt the year and see the mat from a different perspective.
For McDonald, her time on the sideline was anything but wasted. Instead, it became a blessing.
“Looking back now, I would not have wanted it any other way because that year taught me more than any other year of my life up to this point,” McDonald said. “And it is a huge shaping point in my faith.
“It took what I cared for most, what was bringing me all my happiness in life at that time. It made me find the one thing that really, truly does bring me joy and happiness, which is him. I had this peace within me that I just knew because I had prayed for it. I was like, ‘God, allow my comeback to be so undeniable that it is you.’”
And the seven-time NCATA Freshman of the Week had her comeback.
In her first season competing in the green and gold, McDonald took the sport by storm, earning NCATA All-America honors, NCATA Freshman of the Year and national titles in 5-Element Acro, Inversion Pyramid and Synchronized Pyramid, all while securing her second championship ring and the program’s 10th national crown.
Now with her second regular season in the books after helping lead the Bears to another undefeated campaign, McDonald has Baylor back in the hunt for one more NCATA championship before acrobatics and tumbling fully transitions to the NCAA.
As the accolades continue to pile up, she’s never mistaken where it all comes from. To her, it begins and ends with three things: God’s grace, her family’s unwavering support and the village that has poured into her and continues to hold her up.
“The upperclassmen last year had such a huge impact on growing me and my confidence as a human being, to where I’m able to walk in a room with my chin up now with my shoulders back because I know, that one, I have people who believe in me, but also, they’ve helped me believe in myself.”
With two years of eligibility still to come and a couple of blue dot titles to chase, what lies ahead for McDonald feels bigger than the trophies.
Somewhere along the way, Baylor became more than just the next stop in her journey. It became a home — one that has shaped her talents, strengthened her faith, deepened her confidence and helped form both the person she is and the one she is still becoming.
“Baylor is the best decision I’ve ever made for myself,” McDonald said. “This school, this sport, this community has provided me so many opportunities to grow as a person, and I’m so incredibly grateful.”
