By Kaitlyn DeHaven | Digital Managing Editor
The undefeated Baylor acrobatics and tumbling team has had an incredible season, but more than that, they are earning a multitude of weekly NCATA awards. They have earned nine NCATA weekly awards this season.
Dallas senior Hope Bravo, Castle Pines, Colo. junior Joie Hensley, Birmingham, Ala. senior Ceara Gray and Georgetown senior Ashley Echelberger have received both Athlete and/or Specialist of the Week honors.
This past week, Echelberger and Hensley won weekly awards from the NCATA. Echelberger won yet another Athlete of the Week award this week. This is the second-consecutive week she has received the honor, and the third time she has received it this season. In the meets against Arizona Christian and Hawai’i Pacific, Echelberger competed in 10 heats and scored two perfect 10’s in compulsory toss and the six-element acrobatics heat.
Echelberger said it surprises her that she was chosen out of all the athletes to receive this award, and she’s thankful for her teammates keeping her accountable and motivating her.
“It helps motivate me to be a better athlete,” Echelberger said. “There are so many amazing athletes in this sport, and the fact that I was chosen out of all of them surprises me and makes me want to compete better and be better for my team.”
Last week, Hensley earned Specialist of the Week for the fourth time this season. In the March 30 tri-meet victory, she earned a perfect 10 scoring open toss and a 9.80 in the synchronized toss. She has won the most weekly awards for Baylor this season. She said she couldn’t have won the awards without the support of her bases and her top.
“I had a rough freshman year so it’s really great to win these awards and know that my hard work is actually paying off,” Hensley said. “It’s amazing to see how much our hard work is paying off and getting recognized.”
The Bears compete in the NCATA National Championships starting on April 25 at the Ferrell Center.
