The 2025 fall semester is set to kickoff the school year in McLane Stadium — not with a football game, but with a country concert that will likely go down in Baylor history as one for the books.

Growing up in Raleigh, N.C., Baylor men’s tennis head coach Michael Woodson was not interested in playing tennis until the seventh grade when his mom convinced him to pick up a spare racket and try out for the junior varsity team.

“Never forget [tennis] is always about joy, love and gratitude,” Kubacha said. “I’m really trying to always remind my teammates about it because I think it’s the most important.”

At the intersection of adversity and perseverance, sophomore tumbler Payton Washington found more than just a place on Baylor acrobatics and tumbling — she found herself as a leader.