NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE ...
4/5/2025 7:50:00 PM | Acrobatics & Tumbling
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – When the Miami Heat introduced their "Big Three" in 2010, Lebron James guaranteed that they would win "not one, not two, not three, not four . . ." NBA championships. They won two.
Saturday night, before a program- and NCATA-record crowd of 2,351 at the Ferrell Center, the top-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling team scored a perfect 10.0 not one, not two, not three, not four, but a record five times in beating No. 2 Oregon, 287.795-283.305.
That included a 10.0 sweep of the three heats in the pyramid event, the second time the Bears (9-0) have ever done that.
"I was not surprised, because they were all very good," said Mulkey, whose team also won its 47th meet in a row, a streak that started four years ago after a road loss at Oregon. "I don't know, have we ever done that before?"
When she was told that the only other time Baylor had done that was in her first year at the helm, when the Bears recorded three perfect 10.0 scores in the pyramid event in a win at Oregon on March 12, 2015, she said, "Look at us choosing Oregon to do that again."
"That was sweet, and in particular for these two," Mulkey said of senior top Jordan Gruendler and freshman base Leavy McDonald. "Leavy is a mid-base in all three (pyramid heats), and Jordan is the top in the first and third. So, for them in particular, and what an epic Senior Night. Several 10s for (Gruendler) today."
It was an "epic Senior Night" for Gruendler and the other 10 seniors that were recognized at the end of the historic meet. The five 10.0 scores topped the previous mark of four set in 2015 against Oregon and Azusa Pacific.
"It's surreal," said Gruendler, a 2024 NCATA All-American. "I just keep pinching myself, like, 'Was that real? Did that just happen?' Because that doesn't happen, I swear. We get one 10 in one meet, and it's kind of the end-all, be-all. And it just kept happening and happening. And it was like, 'Okay, this is crazy!'''
For Gruendler, the one that "meant the most" was the seven element acro, because "that's the one that I've performed in every year. And leaving now, I'm going to cry, but I just didn't know if it was possible. And it is. So, it's really cool."
While Baylor was never really able to completely separate from Oregon (5-2), the Bears didn't drop a single heat in the first four events – compulsory, acro, pyramid and toss. Even after the pyramid sweep, they only led by a total of 1.700 points.
"They had a great day," Mulkey said, "ours was just better."
Baylor scored its first two 10.0 scores in five-element and seven-element acro, outscoring the Ducks, 29.700-29.300 in the acro event. But the highlight of the night was the three-heat pyramid event.
In tears when the scores were announced, McDonald said she was "a little bit in disbelief, truthfully, in awe of my God for the seven-element."
"Jordan and I have been talking about wanting to get a 10, for as long as I've known her in seven-element," said McDonald, the likely NCATA Freshman of the Year after winning six weekly awards this season.
"Being able to get a 10 on her senior night, that was just surreal. I was trying to give her a little moment there and put her up front, but she was trying to run off. I was like, 'That was all her,' because it's truly just a Jordan Show out there. She makes it easy for me. . . . After pyramid, getting so emotional, I think it was just 'Wow!' over and over again. I was just in disbelief."
The Bears' only heat losses came in the aerial and six-element tumbling – by less than one-tenth of a point (.075). But sophomore All-American Payton Washington came back with a near-perfect 9.975 in the open tumbling pass that extended Baylor's overall lead to 2.35 points going into the team event.
At its best in the "controlled chaos" of the team event, Baylor scored 101.570 out of a 109.41 start value in the team event to pull away for the 4.49-point victory over the Ducks.
Gruendler said she tried not to look into the stands until after the meet was over, "but after the fact, it was crazy."
"I've competed here for four years, and we've had great crowds every single year," she said. "You could fill the first three rows (of the stands), and I'd think, 'Oh my gosh, everyone showed up, that's so great.' But to fill the Ferrell like that is crazy. Special shout-out to the (120-player Baylor) band that showed up for is, that was surreal.
"The community that we have, not only just the families of the seniors, but everyone's families were there. So many friends from class, just the Baylor community, they showed up today. And that meant so much, especially for Senior Night."
After finishing their fourth-consecutive undefeated regular season, the Bears will be the undisputed top seed for the NCATA National Championships, which will be held April 24-26 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – When the Miami Heat introduced their "Big Three" in 2010, Lebron James guaranteed that they would win "not one, not two, not three, not four . . ." NBA championships. They won two.
Saturday night, before a program- and NCATA-record crowd of 2,351 at the Ferrell Center, the top-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling team scored a perfect 10.0 not one, not two, not three, not four, but a record five times in beating No. 2 Oregon, 287.795-283.305.
That included a 10.0 sweep of the three heats in the pyramid event, the second time the Bears (9-0) have ever done that.
"I was not surprised, because they were all very good," said Mulkey, whose team also won its 47th meet in a row, a streak that started four years ago after a road loss at Oregon. "I don't know, have we ever done that before?"
When she was told that the only other time Baylor had done that was in her first year at the helm, when the Bears recorded three perfect 10.0 scores in the pyramid event in a win at Oregon on March 12, 2015, she said, "Look at us choosing Oregon to do that again."
"That was sweet, and in particular for these two," Mulkey said of senior top Jordan Gruendler and freshman base Leavy McDonald. "Leavy is a mid-base in all three (pyramid heats), and Jordan is the top in the first and third. So, for them in particular, and what an epic Senior Night. Several 10s for (Gruendler) today."
It was an "epic Senior Night" for Gruendler and the other 10 seniors that were recognized at the end of the historic meet. The five 10.0 scores topped the previous mark of four set in 2015 against Oregon and Azusa Pacific.
"It's surreal," said Gruendler, a 2024 NCATA All-American. "I just keep pinching myself, like, 'Was that real? Did that just happen?' Because that doesn't happen, I swear. We get one 10 in one meet, and it's kind of the end-all, be-all. And it just kept happening and happening. And it was like, 'Okay, this is crazy!'''
For Gruendler, the one that "meant the most" was the seven element acro, because "that's the one that I've performed in every year. And leaving now, I'm going to cry, but I just didn't know if it was possible. And it is. So, it's really cool."
While Baylor was never really able to completely separate from Oregon (5-2), the Bears didn't drop a single heat in the first four events – compulsory, acro, pyramid and toss. Even after the pyramid sweep, they only led by a total of 1.700 points.
"They had a great day," Mulkey said, "ours was just better."
Baylor scored its first two 10.0 scores in five-element and seven-element acro, outscoring the Ducks, 29.700-29.300 in the acro event. But the highlight of the night was the three-heat pyramid event.
In tears when the scores were announced, McDonald said she was "a little bit in disbelief, truthfully, in awe of my God for the seven-element."
"Jordan and I have been talking about wanting to get a 10, for as long as I've known her in seven-element," said McDonald, the likely NCATA Freshman of the Year after winning six weekly awards this season.
"Being able to get a 10 on her senior night, that was just surreal. I was trying to give her a little moment there and put her up front, but she was trying to run off. I was like, 'That was all her,' because it's truly just a Jordan Show out there. She makes it easy for me. . . . After pyramid, getting so emotional, I think it was just 'Wow!' over and over again. I was just in disbelief."
The Bears' only heat losses came in the aerial and six-element tumbling – by less than one-tenth of a point (.075). But sophomore All-American Payton Washington came back with a near-perfect 9.975 in the open tumbling pass that extended Baylor's overall lead to 2.35 points going into the team event.
At its best in the "controlled chaos" of the team event, Baylor scored 101.570 out of a 109.41 start value in the team event to pull away for the 4.49-point victory over the Ducks.
Gruendler said she tried not to look into the stands until after the meet was over, "but after the fact, it was crazy."
"I've competed here for four years, and we've had great crowds every single year," she said. "You could fill the first three rows (of the stands), and I'd think, 'Oh my gosh, everyone showed up, that's so great.' But to fill the Ferrell like that is crazy. Special shout-out to the (120-player Baylor) band that showed up for is, that was surreal.
"The community that we have, not only just the families of the seniors, but everyone's families were there. So many friends from class, just the Baylor community, they showed up today. And that meant so much, especially for Senior Night."
After finishing their fourth-consecutive undefeated regular season, the Bears will be the undisputed top seed for the NCATA National Championships, which will be held April 24-26 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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