Author: Pranay Malempati

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterSix former Baylor football players are participating in this week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis. All six of them are pledging one of their combine drills to Uplifting Athletes, a foundation which “shares the platform of sport with the rare disease cause and raises it as a national priority.”James Lynch, an All-American defensive lineman this past season, dedicated his bench press to this cause and has helped raise approximately $2,180 so far. He said that this is an easy way to raise funds, and awareness, for a good cause.It’s a very simple way to just help…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterMost Baylor students have to take one or two math classes in order to fulfill their degree requirements, which often include having to pass Calculus 1. However, before students start taking math, they have to place into either Precalculus or Calculus.If a student meets a certain score requirement from the SAT/ACT, they can place into Pre-calculus or Calculus. However, students who do not meet the score requirement for either class must take the ALEKS math placement exam in order to qualify.The ALEKS exam “uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine what a student knows…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Nate Smith | Broadcast Reporter The No. 2 Baylor men’s basketball was able to put Saturday’s loss behind them and knock off Kansas State at home Tuesday night by a score of 85-66. That score was actually closer than the game itself, as Baylor led by around thirty points for much of the night. Baylor improved its record to 25-2 overall and 14-1 in the Big 12, keeping pace with Kansas atop the conference. The Bears came out with a lot of energy, especially defensively, and took control of the game early.…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterEach fall, over 3,000 freshman come to Baylor and begin their undergraduate career. Of those students, approximately 800 to 900 start on the pre-med track and plan to go to medical school after they graduate.The first step for students is to take a class during their freshman year called “Foundations of Medicine,” which shows them the basics of what going into the medical field entails.Dr. Richard Sanker, director of prehealth studies, said the committee wants to make sure that students are the ones making final decisions about their future.“What we want to do is make…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterIn a quick turnaround from Saturday’s victory over Oklahoma, the Lady Bears won a defensive showdown in West Virginia, knocking off the Mountaineers 64-39 and completing a season sweep Monday night in Morgantown, W. Va. With this win, Baylor clinches at least a share of its 10th straight Big 12 regular season title. After an extremely low-scoring first half, the Lady Bears took a 29-19 lead at halftime. Baylor came out and put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring West Virginia 25-9 out of the half and taking a 54-28 lead into the…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterBaylor basketball’s loss to Kansas on Saturday was its second defeat of the season, and its first in Big 12 play. The Bears lost while hosting College GameDay for the second time this school year, but unlike in football, this loss to Kansas is but a dent in the grand scheme of things. Even after the loss, the Bears are still tied for the Big 12 lead as both Baylor and Kansas are 13-1 in the conference, with each team beating the other once. If both teams win out the rest of conference play, they…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterNo. 18 Baylor women’s tennis entered their match Sunday afternoon with an unblemished 7-0 record. However, they fell for the first time all season against Northwestern, losing the match 4-3.Baylor lost the doubles point two sets to one and fell behind 1-0 overall. On court three, senior Jessica Hinojosa and junior Kristina Sorokolet dropped their set 6-1. Then on court two, senior Angelina Shakhraichuk and sophomore Paula Barañano won their set 6-3, making the doubles tilt on court one the decider. Juniors Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana were able to come back from an…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Igor Stepczynski | Broadcast Reporter No. 2 women’s basketball defeated Oklahoma with a dominating 101-69 win Saturday at the Ferrell Center. Baylor surpassed 100 points in a Big 12 game for the second time in program history, with both victories coming against Oklahoma. Before the game, Baylor commemorated head coach Kim Mulkey’s milestone of 600 career wins with a tribute video and numerous gifts. Mulkey’s family, current team, several former Lady Bears and Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades each presented her with gifts, including two bouquets, a framed jersey with the number…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer It is not often, after losing a highly touted player in the recruiting process, that a team will have an opportunity to bring in that player the very next season. But the Baylor women’s tennis team was lucky enough to have that second chance. Anastasia Kharitonova, a tennis player from Russia, originally chose to play for the University of Florida over Baylor prior to the 2018-2019 season. After a solid freshman season at Florida, where she was a consistent starter for a national top 25 team, she elected to enter the transfer portal and…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterBaylor’s second-ranked women’s basketball team, which has held tight at that No. 2 spot in the AP Poll for over a month now, will play at home against Oklahoma at 4 p.m. on Saturday. This is the Lady Bears’ first game since head coach Kim Mulkey reached the 600 career win mark Tuesday night after a victory over Texas Tech. Baylor will be honoring Mulkey for her accomplishment before the game with a pre-game presentation as well as 5,000 T-shirts for fans in attendance. Mulkey’s became the fastest head coach in NCAA history, for men’s…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe Baylor Lady Bears faced a valiant battle from the Texas Tech Red Raiders Tuesday night in a game that was very close through three quarters. But No.2 Baylor, as it has in most of its close games this season, again found a way to pull away late, capture the victory and stay undefeated in Big 12 play.Head coach Kim Mulkey earned win No. 600 as Baylor’s head coach, becoming the fastest head coach to reach the milestone in NCAA history, for men’s or women’s basketball. Baylor also completed a two-game sweep of the Red…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterDr. Bryan Brooks, professor of environmental science and biomedical studies at Baylor was named by the American Chemical Society as the new editor-in-chief of the national publication Environmental Science and Technology Letters.The ACS is a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress with the mission of “advancing the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people.”Glenn Ruskin, vice president of external affairs and communications at the American Chemical Society, said the group believes Brooks is uniquely qualified to lead the journal into the future.“Dr. Brooks is a recognized global expert through…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe Baylor women’s tennis team beat the University of Illinois 4-1 Sunday afternoon to stay undefeated in the regular season and improve to a 7-0 record. They captured the doubles point by winning two sets out of three. At No. 1 doubles, juniors Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana quickly took the 6-1 victory. Then, at No. 3 doubles, sophomore Anastasia Kharitonova and junior Kristina Sorokolet dropped their set to put all the pressure on the second court. At No. 2 doubles, senior Angelina Shakhraichuk and sophomore Paula Barañano were down 0-2, but came back…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer The Baylor Lady Bears went into Stillwater, Okla., Saturday night and dominated the Oklahoma State Cowgirls by a score of 69-42. Baylor improved its record to 23-1 and stayed undefeated in the Big 12 for the season. The Lady Bears also picked up the season sweep over the Cowgirls, as Baylor won the first matchup in Waco earlier in Big 12 play.The Lady Bears defense was on lockdown mode once again, as they held the Cowgirls to single digit points in every quarter except for the fourth.Baylor was up 17-9 after the first quarter.…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer Baylor women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey was announced as one of eight Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame finalists on Friday for the 2020 class, at a press conference shown on NBA TV.Mulkey has three national championships as the Lady Bears head coach and remains the only person to win an NCAA national championship as a player, assistant coach, and head coach.This is Mulkey’s second time being named a Hall of Fame finalist, with the first time coming two years ago in 2018.The Hall of Fame inductees will be announced on Saturday April 4…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterProfessor and Chair of Biology Dwayne Simmons, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and his doctorate from Harvard said he has been intrigued by science for as long as he can remember.“When I was a babe, my inspiration was Wernher von Braun,” Simmons said. “After defecting from Germany, he was the lead scientist at NASA and got us into space.”As he grew up, Simmons said his interests moved away from NASA and more towards the biological side of science. Currently, his major area of research is related to how brain function changes as…

Igor Stepczynski | Broadcast Reporter The No. 2 Baylor Lady Bears pulled away from rival TCU in the second half Wednesday night to pick up an 81-62 victory and extend their conference record to 11-0. The game was tight for most of the first half, as Baylor entered halftime with just a two point lead, up 36-34. However, they came out and quickly turned the tide in the third quarter. The Lady Bears essentially put the game away after a 7-0 run late in the third brought the lead from nine points to 16. Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey said…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterOn Sunday Feb. 3, the late season Wooden Award watch lists were announced with the top 20 candidates listed for both men’s and women’s NCAA basketball. The Wooden Award is given each year to the most outstanding college basketball player and Baylor had a candidate on each list — Lady Bears senior forward Lauren Cox and men’s basketball sophomore guard Jared Butler. Cox, who was a third-team All-American and Big 12 defensive player of the year in 2019, made the list for the second-straight year. The Flower Mound native said she felt respected by the…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterChina’s daily death toll from a new virus topped 100 for the first time and pushed the total past 1,000 dead, authorities said Tuesday after leader Xi Jinping visited a health center to rally public morale amid little sign the contagion is abating.Though more offices and stores in China were reopening after the extended Lunar New Year break, many people appear to be staying home. Public health authorities are closely monitoring whether workers’ returning to cities and businesses resuming worsens the spread of the virus.Baylor professors gave their thoughts on the virus based on their…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe NFL season ended last weekend with the Kansas City Chiefs taking the Super Bowl LIV trophy home. But this year, a new league has come about to fill the appetite of football fans. WWE chairman Vince McMahon brought back the XFL this weekend, which only survived for one year in 2001. The XFL has eight teams, so there were two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. There are quite a few former NFL players in this new league. While most were not big-time NFL players, there are a few recognizable names on XFL…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe twelfth-ranked Baylor Bears men’s tennis team swept the University of Pennsylvania 7-0 Saturday night at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. Baylor improved to a record of 7-1 on the season and remained undefeated at home.The two teams started with doubles action. Baylor won the doubles point 3-0, as all three courts won their sets. Court two was the first to finish, as No. 23 junior Matias Soto and graduate transfer Ryan Dickerson quickly swept their set 6-0. On court one, No. 17 ranked senior Constantin Frantzen and junior Sven Lah sprinted out to a…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer In a defensive showdown, the second-ranked Baylor Lady Bears beat the Kansas State Wildcats on the road 54-40. Baylor stayed undefeated in the Big 12 and improved to an overall record of 21-1. After finishing the first quarter only up by a score of 13-8, Kim Mulkey’s squad was able to somewhat pull away before halftime, entering the locker room with a 13-point lead. After that Baylor was up by double digits for the entire game. The Lady Bears’ largest lead was 21 points after sophomore center Queen Egbo made a layup near the…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterAmerican Statistical Association president Ronald L. Wasserstein spoke to Baylor students and faculty on Thursday afternoon at Mars McLean Science Building. He explained why the scientific world needs to change the way it thinks about the significance of experimental results.Wasserstein talked about how the world of science needs to move beyond having the target p-value of 0.05 determine if research is statistically significant.In statistics, the p-value is the probability of finding the observed results of an experiment if the null hypothesis of the experiment is true. The null hypothesis predicts that no difference will be…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports Writer, Video by Nate Smith | Broadcast Reporter Baylor women’s basketball defeated Kansas 97-44 in a dominant win Wednesday night in the Ferrell Center. Baylor started out hot, ending the first quarter with a 28-7 lead. Graduate guard Te’A Cooper had 10 points in the frame, including two three-pointers. After taking a 46-17 lead into halftime, the Lady Bears didn’t relent to start the second half, going on a 14-0 run in the first three and a half minutes of the third quarter. Sophomore forward NaLyssa Smith finished the game with a double-double, grabbing 23…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThere are currently 1037 students at Baylor who are working towards a Bachelor’s of Science in biology. Until recently, they would all be completing the same degree requirements and taking the same classes. Now, there are three different concentrations under the biology degree umbrella, allowing students to focus their studies in a certain area of biology. Biology department chair Dr. Dwayne Simmons said that the curriculum changes went into effect last year because students have to satisfy requirements and take certain courses before they can declare a concentration. The three concentrations students are able to…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterThe two major parties in America have been growing further and further apart. On many political issues, such as healthcare and gun control, people have become increasingly unaccepting towards opinions different from their own. It’s completely normal for people to have very different opinions on issues. We are shaped by the various environments we grow up in and the unique individuals we grow up around. However, we need to be willing to listen to other sides of issues and attempt to understand where people are coming from. It is important to have discussions about political…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterOne of Baylor’s core values is providing a caring community and “integrating service into the fabric of campus life.” The Baylor women’s tennis team has tried to do this by sharing their knowledge of tennis, along with the character traits the sport builds, with the next generation. Baylor women’s tennis head coach Joey Scrivano said the “Cub Tennis” program was founded in 2013 in order to give back to both the sport as well as the Waco community. The women’s team, with the help of the Baylor club tennis team, holds events where they help…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterWhile it takes a team full of special players and coaches to win a Super Bowl, the Chiefs’ driving force this season has been superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After being drafted in the first round in 2017 and sitting out an entire season, Mahomes did something unbelievable. In 2018, his first season as a starting NFL quarterback, Mahomes won the league’s Most Valuable Player award. That year, Mahomes became just the seventh player to throw for 5,000 yards and the just the third player to pass for 50 touchdowns in a season. He then led…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterIn Baylor’s 100th meeting against Texas in women’s basketball, the Lady Bears used a dominant third quarter to claim a 64-44 victory in Austin Friday night. The Lady Bears now have 20 wins in their last 21 meetings with Texas. The game started at a slow pace with Baylor only making one shot in the first five minutes, on a three-pointer by senior guard Juicy Landrum. The two teams were knotted at 11 points each at the end of the first quarter. After Texas took a 15-11 lead early in the second quarter, the Lady…

By Pranay Malempati | Sports WriterOften, athletes are very close to their teammates because of the amount of time they spend together. College athletes live together, eat together and practice together. Sometimes teammates can have such a close relationship that they feel like brothers. But when teammates are brothers, that can lead to a special kind of experience. Senior Constantin Frantzen, Coni [pronounced Connie] for short, and freshman Christopher Frantzen are brothers from Augsburg, Germany, playing together on Baylor’s men’s tennis team. Coni said he wanted his brother to join him at Baylor and convinced Chris that coming to this…