No 1. A&T Earns First NCATA Athlete, Freshman Weekly Awards of the Season
2/11/2026 2:30:00 PM | Acrobatics & Tumbling
Bears earn first honor of the season
WACO, Texas – Mo Arthur earned her first weekly honor from the National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA), being named Freshman of the Week on Wednesday. She is joined by Payton Washington, who received her first Athlete of the Week honor of the season, adding to the six recognitions she earned last year.
Emily Bott was also named Honorable Mention Specialist of the Week.
Arthur, a freshman mid-level and base from Owensville, Missouri, earns Freshman of the Week honors after competing in seven individual heats in addition to the team event, delivering scores of 9.60 or higher in every heat she performed.
She opened the meet in Compulsory Acro, scoring a 9.60/10 as a mid-level. In Compulsory Pyramid, she earned a 9.90/10, again competing as a mid-level. Arthur also based in Compulsory Toss, helping post a 9.75/10.
Arthur competed as a base in the 7-Element Acro heat, earning a 9.90/10. In that heat, she introduced a groundbreaking skill to the sport — the extended stacked one-arm handstand. In the skill, Arthur releases and holds the top fully extended in a handstand position using only one arm, demonstrating exceptional strength, control and innovation.
In Heat 1 Pyramid, Arthur competed as the sole mid-level for the first time in her collegiate career and delivered a perfect 10.00/10. The flawless routine marked her first career perfect score and showcased her precision and confidence in the inversion pyramid.
She continued her strong performance in Toss, serving as main base in Heat 2 Toss and scoring a 9.60 out of 9.90, before earning a 9.85/10 in Heat 3 Toss.
In the Team Event, Arthur performed an elite acro sequence, successfully executing five of the 30 required acro skills — each with a start value of 10. Her performance throughout the event was marked by high-level execution and precision.
Washington earns Athlete of the Week honors after competing in nine individual heats in addition to the team event, demonstrating exceptional difficulty and execution across all events.
She competed as the top in all segments of Compulsory Acro and Compulsory Toss, earning scores of 9.60/10 and 9.75/10, respectively. Washington was also one of eight tumblers in Compulsory Tumbling, helping post an 8.65/10.
In Optional Acro, Washington served as the top in the 6-Element heat, scoring a 9.90/10. She also topped Heat 2 Pyramid, earning a 9.90/10 for her performance.
Washington competed in both Heat 2 Toss (9.60 out of 9.90) and Heat 3 Toss (9.85/10), where she successfully executed a kick double. She added strong tumbling performances with a 9.35/10 in Heat 3 Tumbling (Quad) and a 9.75/10 in Heat 6 Tumbling (Open).
In the Team Event, Washington competed three standing tumbling passes, each with a start value of 10. She also executed two tosses — one with a start value of 9.9 and one with a start value of 10 — performed three acro skills as a top within the acro sequence (all start values of 10), topped a pyramid (start value of 10), and completed a synchronized running tumbling pass. Her performance reflected elite-level difficulty and execution across all areas of the routine.
NEXT UP
The Bears will travel to California for a meet with the No. 10 Cougars on February 13 in Azusa with a start time of 8 p.m. CT at Felix Events Arena.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram: @BaylorAcroTumb.
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