Saturday, April 1
Waco, Texas
5 PM
Baylor
vs
Oregon
No. 1 A&T Welcomes No. 2 Oregon to Ferrell Saturday
3/31/2023 2:32:00 PM | Acrobatics & Tumbling
Bears take on Ducks for home finale, Senior Night
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
For the 14th time in the last nine years, top-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling (6-0) and No. 2 Oregon (3-1) will square off as the top-two teams in the country in Saturday's 5 p.m. matchup at the Ferrell Center.
Felecia Mulkey, who won the first four NCATA national championships at Oregon before winning the last seven at Baylor, is 17-2 against her former team and undefeated at home.
"I have an affinity for Oregon because I was there and I'm grateful that they gave me the opportunity, but I like to beat them," Mulkey said. "They compete at a really high level, which pushes us, and I think they feel the same way. I think they enjoy competing against us, too. I have a lot of respect for them and their coaching staff. They look so much better than they did last year."
Second-year Oregon head coach Taylor Susnari seems to have the Ducks back on track after a 2-5 finish last year and a loss to Baylor in the semifinals. After opening the season with wins over Augustana, Azusa Pacific and Gannon, Oregon suffered its first loss of the season 24 days ago, falling to the Bears in Eugene, 283.305-278.910.
"I recruited (Susnari), and then I left," Mulkey said of the three-time NCATA All-American. "Her freshman year (at Oregon, 2015) was my first year at Baylor. But I did not get a chance to coach her. She's a great athlete and a great human, and I think she's done a great job up there."
Kamryn Kitchens, the reigning NCATA Athlete of the Week, said the Bears have been "working really hard to clean things up" after that Oregon meet. Baylor followed that up with home-meet wins over Frostburg State and Quinnipiac, solidifying its No. 1 ranking.
"I think our start values have gone up, too. That's exciting," Kitchens said. "Each week, we're really trying to hone in on the things that we're doing nad make sure it's as clean as we can possibly make it. Little things here and there just to get back every tenth (of a point) back that you can."
In the win over Quinnipiac, Kitchens recorded the first 10.0 score in the aerial tumbling pass in six years. Baylor has had seven perfect 10.0 scores this season, including four in Pyramid Heat 1, the Inversion Pyramid dubbed the "Tower of Terror" by sophomore top Jordan Gruendler.
"It's hard to get 10 people to do the exact same thing every time," Mulkey said of the pyramid. "That's one of the things people don't realize about our sport. They make it look really easy, but to get a 10, it has to be executed at a really high level. Kam Kitches got a perfect 10 in tumbling, and I actually can't complain. I'm not going to argue with that 10. I'm the first one to say, we don't deserve a 10, but in that pyramid and in Kam's pass, I will give it to them."
One of seven seniors that will be recognized after the closing Team Event on Saturday, Kitchens said she wasn't even sure she would get a chance to tumble for Baylor when she came in as a freshman.
"So now, senior year, tumbling and doing a solo pass and getting a 10," she said, "that's something you dream about happening. It's pretty cool."
Baylor's seven seniors recognized at the end of Saturday's meet are Kitchens, Grayson Moore, Sara Webber, Keri Collins, Alayja Reynolds, Katie Shiffer and Emily Tobin. Oregon's 13 seniors will also be recognized.
Saturday's Baylor-Oregon meet will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Ashley Echelberger calling the action.
WACO, Texas – Top-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling is set to face No. 2 Oregon in the Ferrell Center at 5 p.m. Saturday to celebrate Senior Night and close out the home slate.
Tickets for the meet are just $1 and can be purchased at BaylorBears.com/tickets.
The Bears (6-0) face the Ducks (3-1) for the second time this season, this time at home. BU owns the all-time series in Waco with an 11-5 record.
Baylor comes into the meet after a 2-0 week against Frostburg State and Quinnipiac, earning final scores of 280-plus in both meets on their home mats. The Bears had Kamryn Kitchens once again earn the Athlete of the Week award and Jordan Gruendler garnered another Specialist of the Week award from the NCATA.
With Championships fast approaching, the NCATA released its first set of championship rankings, with Baylor on top and Oregon coming in second. It was BU's ninth time since 2015 to earn a No. 1 ranking.
Last time out, the Bears edged the Ducks, 283.305-278.910, in Eugene for their second-highest final score of the season. Baylor is the only school to have a final score at 280 or above, and has hit it four times this season. Oregon has not had a meet since hosting the Bears at Matthew Knight Arena on March 8.
Going into Saturday's meet, BU has earned seven perfect 10.0 scores on the season, with the majority coming in the Pyramid event. Four have been in Pyramid Heat 1, the Inversion Pyramid dubbed the "Tower of Terror" by top Gruendler, as she falls from a handstand on mid-level base Bayley Humphrey. One 10.0 has come from Pyramid Heat 2, the Synchronized Pyramid, with Kitchens and Emily Tobin as tops and Riley Chimwala and Bailey Baughn as mid-level bases. The Bears scored one 10.0 in Compulsory Toss with Kitchens and Tobin as tops, and the final 10.0 was Kitchens' solo Aerial Tumbling Pass against Quinnipiac. It was the first time since 2017 that a Bear earned a 10 in that particular pass.
Baylor will recognize seven seniors after their Team Event concludes, including third-years Grayson Moore and Sara Weber and fourth-years Keri Collins, Kitchens, Alayja Reynolds, Katie Shiffer, and Tobin. The Bears will also congratulate Oregon's 13 seniors.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorAcroTumb.
Baylor Bear Insider
For the 14th time in the last nine years, top-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling (6-0) and No. 2 Oregon (3-1) will square off as the top-two teams in the country in Saturday's 5 p.m. matchup at the Ferrell Center.
Felecia Mulkey, who won the first four NCATA national championships at Oregon before winning the last seven at Baylor, is 17-2 against her former team and undefeated at home.
"I have an affinity for Oregon because I was there and I'm grateful that they gave me the opportunity, but I like to beat them," Mulkey said. "They compete at a really high level, which pushes us, and I think they feel the same way. I think they enjoy competing against us, too. I have a lot of respect for them and their coaching staff. They look so much better than they did last year."
Second-year Oregon head coach Taylor Susnari seems to have the Ducks back on track after a 2-5 finish last year and a loss to Baylor in the semifinals. After opening the season with wins over Augustana, Azusa Pacific and Gannon, Oregon suffered its first loss of the season 24 days ago, falling to the Bears in Eugene, 283.305-278.910.
"I recruited (Susnari), and then I left," Mulkey said of the three-time NCATA All-American. "Her freshman year (at Oregon, 2015) was my first year at Baylor. But I did not get a chance to coach her. She's a great athlete and a great human, and I think she's done a great job up there."
Kamryn Kitchens, the reigning NCATA Athlete of the Week, said the Bears have been "working really hard to clean things up" after that Oregon meet. Baylor followed that up with home-meet wins over Frostburg State and Quinnipiac, solidifying its No. 1 ranking.
"I think our start values have gone up, too. That's exciting," Kitchens said. "Each week, we're really trying to hone in on the things that we're doing nad make sure it's as clean as we can possibly make it. Little things here and there just to get back every tenth (of a point) back that you can."
In the win over Quinnipiac, Kitchens recorded the first 10.0 score in the aerial tumbling pass in six years. Baylor has had seven perfect 10.0 scores this season, including four in Pyramid Heat 1, the Inversion Pyramid dubbed the "Tower of Terror" by sophomore top Jordan Gruendler.
"It's hard to get 10 people to do the exact same thing every time," Mulkey said of the pyramid. "That's one of the things people don't realize about our sport. They make it look really easy, but to get a 10, it has to be executed at a really high level. Kam Kitches got a perfect 10 in tumbling, and I actually can't complain. I'm not going to argue with that 10. I'm the first one to say, we don't deserve a 10, but in that pyramid and in Kam's pass, I will give it to them."
One of seven seniors that will be recognized after the closing Team Event on Saturday, Kitchens said she wasn't even sure she would get a chance to tumble for Baylor when she came in as a freshman.
"So now, senior year, tumbling and doing a solo pass and getting a 10," she said, "that's something you dream about happening. It's pretty cool."
Baylor's seven seniors recognized at the end of Saturday's meet are Kitchens, Grayson Moore, Sara Webber, Keri Collins, Alayja Reynolds, Katie Shiffer and Emily Tobin. Oregon's 13 seniors will also be recognized.
Saturday's Baylor-Oregon meet will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Ashley Echelberger calling the action.
WACO, Texas – Top-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling is set to face No. 2 Oregon in the Ferrell Center at 5 p.m. Saturday to celebrate Senior Night and close out the home slate.
Tickets for the meet are just $1 and can be purchased at BaylorBears.com/tickets.
The Bears (6-0) face the Ducks (3-1) for the second time this season, this time at home. BU owns the all-time series in Waco with an 11-5 record.
Baylor comes into the meet after a 2-0 week against Frostburg State and Quinnipiac, earning final scores of 280-plus in both meets on their home mats. The Bears had Kamryn Kitchens once again earn the Athlete of the Week award and Jordan Gruendler garnered another Specialist of the Week award from the NCATA.
With Championships fast approaching, the NCATA released its first set of championship rankings, with Baylor on top and Oregon coming in second. It was BU's ninth time since 2015 to earn a No. 1 ranking.
Last time out, the Bears edged the Ducks, 283.305-278.910, in Eugene for their second-highest final score of the season. Baylor is the only school to have a final score at 280 or above, and has hit it four times this season. Oregon has not had a meet since hosting the Bears at Matthew Knight Arena on March 8.
Going into Saturday's meet, BU has earned seven perfect 10.0 scores on the season, with the majority coming in the Pyramid event. Four have been in Pyramid Heat 1, the Inversion Pyramid dubbed the "Tower of Terror" by top Gruendler, as she falls from a handstand on mid-level base Bayley Humphrey. One 10.0 has come from Pyramid Heat 2, the Synchronized Pyramid, with Kitchens and Emily Tobin as tops and Riley Chimwala and Bailey Baughn as mid-level bases. The Bears scored one 10.0 in Compulsory Toss with Kitchens and Tobin as tops, and the final 10.0 was Kitchens' solo Aerial Tumbling Pass against Quinnipiac. It was the first time since 2017 that a Bear earned a 10 in that particular pass.
Baylor will recognize seven seniors after their Team Event concludes, including third-years Grayson Moore and Sara Weber and fourth-years Keri Collins, Kitchens, Alayja Reynolds, Katie Shiffer, and Tobin. The Bears will also congratulate Oregon's 13 seniors.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorAcroTumb.
- BaylorBears.com -
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/ Acrobatics & TumblingCan't wait to bring this energy back to Ferrell!
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