Dec. 3, 2010

FAIRMONT, W.V. - Baylor's newest varsity sport got its inaugural season off to a strong start by knocking off No. 3 Fairmont State, 265.601 to 252.977, in its season opener on Friday night at Joe Retton Arena.

"I could not have been more proud of the team," head coach Karry Forsythe said. "Madeline French had a stomach bug and pushed through the entire meet."

The Bears trailed by a slim margin after the first event, when Fairmont State outscored Baylor 39.18 to 39.11 in Compulsories, but after winning the Stunt event 25.933 to 19.7, the Bears held the lead for the remainder of the meet.

Baylor won the Pyramid event 29.5 to 26.65, taking a 94.543 to 85.561 lead into the halftime break.

The Bears extended their lead by tallying a 29.0 to 25.72 win in the Basket Toss event, but Fairmont State cut into the deficit by winning Tumbling 51.6 to 47.9.

Baylor held a lead of more than 8.5 points heading into the final event, and with Fairmont State's Team Routine worth a maximum of 91.344, the Bears needed to score 81.889 out of a possible 103.544 to clinch the win.

Even without flyer Katya Finta, who had gone down with an injury during the Tumbling event, Baylor posted a 94.128 to clinch the win in their first-ever meet. With the winner already determined, FSU scored 90.96 in the team routine.

"Losing Katya was tough, and yet the team pulled together more than I could have ever hoped for," said Forsythe.

The Bears return to action at noon Sunday when they head to College Park, Md. to take on top-ranked Maryland at the Comcast Center Pavilion.