Baylor
Hawaii Pacific
A&T Headed to Second Straight National Championship
4/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Acrobatics & Tumbling
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Since Hawaii Pacific is strongest in the acro and pyramid events, top-seeded Baylor didn't panic when the Sharks trailed by just 0.4 points halfway through Monday night's NCATA National Championship semifinal.
"HPU is really good at the acro and pyramid portion. They're clean, really pristine," said junior All-American Kiara Nowlin. "We knew it would be tight. We knew we'd have to put up a fight, especially in those heats."
In one of the tightest meets of the year, the top-seeded Bears (9-0) dominated the tumbling heats for the second straight night, then nailed the team event to defeat fourth-seeded HPU, 284.800-278.310, and advance to Tuesday's final against No. 2 seed Oregon (11-2).
"I think (HPU coach) Keenyn Won is phenomenal. What she's done at HUP is amazing," Baylor coach Felecia Mulkey said. "I never take them lightly. We did not come into today going, `Oh, this is a gimme meet.' We try not to do that with any meet, but definitely not HPU, because they can take you down real easy."
Baylor scored a season-high 38.85 in the compulsory event, including a 9.95 by the pyramid heat event team a night after recording a perfect 10.0 in the quarterfinal win over Gannon.
Trailing by .25 points after the four compulsory heats, the Sharks (4-4) cut into that deficit by edging the Bears, 29.60-29.55, in acro.
In the pyramid event, Baylor notched another season-high, scoring 29.80 out of a possible 30.00 and going into intermission with a slight 0.4-point lead, 98.20-97.80. The Bears' flip and twist pyramid teams both scored 9.95.
"We know Hawaii Pacific is amazing at acro and pyramids," said Baylor senior Amanda Graceffa. "They've really improved this year (in tumbling), so we wanted to make sure we kept our guard up and didn't let anything slip through the cracks, because it's anyone's game. The judges really feed off who hits and who doesn't, so we just had to make sure we came out and executed."
With HPU's toss synchronized heat scoring just 8.95 out of a possible 9.90, Baylor extended its lead with a 29.35-27.85 edge in the toss event. The Bears' team of Madison Sorley, Gigi Mendoza, Courtney Pate, Shayla Moore, Miranda Girouard and Kaelyn Cowan scored a 9.85 in heat 1.
Tumbling got off to a slow start with freshman Kaylee Adams not completing her pass in the duo and getting an 8.70 score with sophomore Lauren Sturm. But the Bears won the other five heats, with Graceffa getting a 9.875 in the aerial pass, Nowlin awarded a perfect 10.0 in the 6-element for the second straight night and Sturm hitting a perfect landing and scoring 9.925 in the open pass.
Outscoring the Sharks by 3.5 points in the tumbling event (56.85-53.80), Baylor took a comfortable 4.95 lead into the final team event.
"I don't know what they see in the middle of the pass, but that landing, I felt, was better than yesterday's landing," said Nowlin, who recorded her fourth perfect 10.0 in the 6-element. "I have to do it again, one more time, but I was pretty happy with today's pass."
Mulkey said Nowlin's pass "was a 10, absolutely."
Facing HPU All-American Nancy Miceli in the aerial pass, Graceffa was near-perfect and actually outscored the Sharks by 0.05.
"I watched my aerial a couple times last night, and I just wanted to make sure I cleaned it up, because I know that Hawaii Pacific's aerial is really amazing," Graceffa said. "We actually do the same pass, so I just wanted to make sure my legs were a little bit straighter, my toes were a little more pointed and that I really stuck the landing."
Graceffa was also part of the quad pass with Cowan, Molly Gibbons and Ashley Echelberger that scored 9.25 out of a possible 10.0 and outscored the HPU team by 1.6 points.
"I saw the reaction from the coaches that time, and their faces really lit up," Graceffa said. "Yesterday, we still did great, but we just needed that little bit more of confidence for us to really shine. When we ended it, I heard the crowd roar. Then, I looked at my teammates, and they were all on their feet. That's when I knew we did great."
The Bears posted their fourth-highest score of the year (100.400) in the closing team event, but Mulkey said "there were some bobbles in some things where we usually don't bubble."
"They hit everything, but you get those little deductions for that. I have really high standards, so I know how much better we can be, and I hope we can show you tomorrow."
Tuesday's 7 p.m. final is a rematch from last year, when the Bears won five of six events and defeated Oregon, 286.690-282.870.
"Oregon is a good team, they're better than they were earlier in the year, but so are we," Mulkey said. "So, it should be a fight to the end. . . . We're going to go in competing out of respect. The other two times we beat them this year, that's how we did it then, too, so we're going to take the same approach."
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for youth ages 2-17 and free for Baylor students with an ID.
Waco, Texas -
THE RUNDOWN
The No. 1 Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling (9-0) defeated No. 4 Hawaii Pacific (4-4), Monday evening to advance to the program's second straight National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) National Championship finals. The Bears downed the Sharks 284.800-278.310, at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.
Baylor will face No. 2 Oregon in the NCATA National Championship final for the second straight year. The Bears defeated the Ducks, 286.690-282.870 in last year's championship at Fairmont State's Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont, W.Va.
BU started the meet with a strong showing in the compulsory round 38.85-38.60. Hawaii Pacific edged Baylor in the acro round 29.60-29.55, but the Bears maintained their overall lead, 68.400-68.200. Before heading into the half, the Bears excelled in the pyramid event 29.80-29.60, and led Hawaii Pacific 98.200-97.800.
After the half, Baylor won the toss event, 29.35-27.85 and furthered its lead 127.550-125.650. The Bears continued to dominate in the tumbling round, 56.850-53.800, as Kiara Nowlin earned a perfect ten in her 6 element pass for the second straight meet.
Heading into the team event the Bears led the Sharks 179.450-184.400. Baylor soared in the team event, 100.40-98.86 and won the meet 284.800-278.310.
HIGHLIGHTS
- After posting a 10.00 in yesterday's meet against Azusa Pacific, Kaelyn Cowan, Molly Gibbons, Gigi Mendoza, Miranda Girouard, Lauren Sturm, Allie Alaman, Allie Williams, Kelci Ortiz, Kaylee Adams, Courtney Pate, Taylor Watson, Toni Bronisevsky, Shayla Kelley, Amanda Graceffa and Meredith Aldis nailed today's performance with a 9.95 in the pyramid heat of the compulsory event.
- The Bears scored a 9.95 in both heat 1 and 2 of the pyramid event.
- For the second straight day and for the fourth time this season Kiara Nowlin earned a perfect ten in her 6 element pass. Nowlin has earned a perfect ten in the 6 element.
- Lauren Sturm earned a score of 9.925 in her open pass.
STAT OF THE DAY
Baylor's 38.85 in the compulsory event and 29.80 in the pyramid event were season highs.
TOP QUOTE
"I think Keenyn Won (Hawaii Pacific Head Coach) is phenomenal and what she has done at HPU is amazing," head coach Felecia Mulkey said. "I never take them lightly, we did not come into today going oh this is a gimme meet, we never try to do that with any meet, but definitely not with HPU because they can take you down pretty easily."
WHAT'S NEXT
The No. 1 seeded Bears will face No. 2 seeded Oregon in the NCATA National Championship finals at 7 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, April 19 at the Ferrell Center.
Keep up with the latest on the 2016 NCATA National Championships with the Championship Central website.
Tickets for the National Championship may be purchased at the event or online. For those not able to attend, the competition may be viewed for free online at: Live Stream.
Follow @BaylorAcroTumb on Twitter for updates throughout the season.
