Baylor
Individual Event Finals
A&T Excels During Individual Events
4/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Acrobatics & Tumbling
THE RUNDOWN
On the first day of the 2016 National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association's (NCATA) championship weekend, Baylor Acrobatics & Tumbling came away with five national titles in the individual event finals.
The Bears qualified for 13 events, including every tumbling event. Senior Kelci Ortiz, freshman Kaylee Adams, sophomore Lauren Sturm, freshman Makenah Cotner and sophomore Shayla Moore all tied for the team lead with two event titles each.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The first national title of the night came from the 5 element acro team comprised of Shayla Moore, Kelci Ortiz, Sydney Evans and Bailey Hollier.
- The team of Molly Gibbons, Meredith Aldis, Miranda Girouard, Courtney Pate, Alyson Johnson, Amanda Graceffa, Shayla Kelley, Shayla Moore and Kelci Ortiz won the pyramid heat 1 title.
- Kaylee Adams and Lauren Sturm teamed up to take the Tumbling Duo title.
- The team of Lauren Sturm, Alyson Johnson, Kaylee Adams and Makenah Cotner won the Tumbling Quad national title.
- Kiara Nowlin won the tumbling aerial title.
STAT OF THE DAY
The Bears came away with the most event titles for the second straight year, edging Hawaii Pacific who had four.
ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Kiara Nowlin, Shayla Moore and Kaelyn Cowan received 2016 NCATA All-American honor Saturday evening in Waco, Texas.
This is Nowlin and Moore's second All-American honor and the first for Cowan. Cowan joins eight Bears to have earned All-American status: Kiara Nowlin (2015, '16), Shayla Moore (2015, '16), Keegan Johnson (2013, `15), Stephanie Bohmler (2013), Hailey Cowan (2012, '13), Jayme Edwards (2011), Madeline Felio (2011), and Lori Williamson (2014).
TOP QUOTE
"We don't put a lot of emphasis on the individual awards at all, we have a lot of fun with it, which is probably why we did so well today they were out there just goofing around and having a good time," head coach Felecia Mulkey said. "This is a team sport, it is more about everything with the team, so not just me but our entire team focuses, so its not that we don't take it seriously because this is a great night, but our focus is always on the team competition."
WHAT'S NEXT
The No. 1 seeded Bears will begin their quest to defend their national championship Saturday, April 17, at the Ferrell Center as they take on No. 8 seeded Gannon at 5 p.m. (CT).
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.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
While Baylor's top-seeded and defending national champions captured the most individual national titles (five) for the second straight year, it's clear that the Bears are focused more on the team competition at the NCATA National Championships.
"We don't put a lot of emphasis on the individual awards at all," coach Felecia Mulkey said Saturday night. "We have a lot of fun with it. That's probably why we did so well today, because theyw ere out there just goofing around and having a good time. . . . Not just me, but our entire team - it's not that we don't take it seriously, because this is a great night - but our focus is always on the team competition."
Junior All-American Kiara Nowlin said it best when she lost in the Tumbling 6-Element final for the first time in three years. Walking over to Mulkey after having a little stumble in her landing, Nowlin said, "I'm actually saving the good ones for the team competition."
Nowlin, who did win the Tumbling Aerial Pass title, said Baylor is confident going into the team competition that begins Sunday at the Ferrell Center, "but I believe it's just about execution on the meet day."
"This was great, but we're going to clear it and move on to the next meet and just take it meet by meet."
With the top four scores in each of the 15 events qualifying for Saturday night's individual finals, Baylor qualified entrants in 12 of the events, including all six tumbling heats.
Getting the night started off on a good note, Baylor's team of Shayla Moore, Kelci Ortiz, Sydney Evans and Bailey Hollier won the Acro 5-Element heat.
"Shayla doesn't even compete that anymore. She just went out and hit it today," Mulkey said. "There were things that we were surprised that went our way, and then things that didn't go our way that we were kind of surprised about. Not in disagreement, but just like, `Oh, well, maybe that could have gone the opposite way.' But I feel good about it. It's a good introduction to the tournament, and I think the girls are excited now to get it rolling."
Moore, a repeat All-American, joined Ortiz, Molly Gibbons, Meredith Aldis, Miranda Girouard, Courtney Pate, Alyson Johnson, Amanda Graceffa and Shayla Kelley in winning the Pyramid flip heat. Shut out in Toss, Baylor saved its best for last by winning half of the six Tumbling events.
Sophomore Lauren Sturm and freshman Kaylee Adams captured the Tumbling Duo title and then teamed with Johnson and Makenah Cotner to win the Tumbling Quad pass as well.
"We had only competed that set in one competition, so we were kind of surprised we made it (into the finals) in the first place," Sturm said. "We're just really good together. And if (Kaylee) does good, I know I do good. We work really well together."
As a freshman, Adams said she was just excited to get a chance to compete in the duo event with Sturm, but wasn't nervous. "We practiced it, so I just think about doing the same thing we do in practice," she said.
Baylor's Tumbling Trio of Moore, Nowlin and Kalee Garvin tied Azusa Pacific on each team's first pass, but lost in a head-to-head duel.
Nowlin captured her only individual national title in the Aerial Pass before getting beat in the -Element pass by Oregon's Taylor Galvin.
"(There's) a little bit of disappointment, but Taylor deserved it," Nowlin said of the 6-Element pass. "I had a little body check at the end, and that's unacceptable."
Mulkey said that "little jerk at the end" probably cost Nowlin the 6-Element title, saying Galvin had a "relatively flawless pass."
Sturm nearly captured her third individual title of the night, but lost to Nancy Miceli of Hawaii Pacific in the Tumbling Open pass.
"I threw that pass at the first meet this year (Feb. 14), so it's been quite some time," Sturm said. "When I heard I made it in that pass, I knew I had to practice and try my best. But it's the individual finals, and we're worried about the national championships. We're more stressed about that than we are this."
Nowlin and Moore were repeat All-Americans, while senior Kaelyn Cowan picked up her first nod and became the program's ninth all-time All-American.
Baylor (7-0), riding an 11-meet winning streak, will face eighth-seeded Gannon (4-4) in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $30 for an all-session pass or daily passes for $10 for adults, $5 for youth ages 2-17 and free for Baylor students with an ID.
