Baylor
Quinnipiac
No. 1 A&T Secured 11th NCATA Championship Title
4/25/2026 10:03:00 PM | Acrobatics & Tumbling
Bears quiet Quinnipiac, winning by 5.57 points
AZUSA, California - The No. 1-ranked Baylor acrobatics & tumbling team defeated No. 3 seed Quinnipiac, 271.835 – 266.265, on Saturday evening in front of 1,256 fans at the Felix Events Center in the title meet of the NCATA Championship.
The Bears (12-0) defeated the Bobcats (7-2) by 5.570 points, extending their winning streak to 62 meets and capturing their 11th-straight NCATA championship trophy. BU started the meet with a 3.07-point advantage in start value on Quinnipiac.
"Another trophy is so amazing, but our goal is for this sport to go another hundred years," said Payton Washington in response to all the little girls in the crowd.
To start off the meet in Compulsory, BU and Quinnipiac executed the necessary skills, with each heat starting at a value of 10. In the Acro heat, Quinnipiac scored a 9.425, and Baylor followed with a 9.450. On the Pyramid heat, the Bears scored a 9.750, outscoring the Bobcats 9.675. The Bears won the Toss heat with a 9.825, with Quinnipiac scoring a 9.600. In the Tumbling heat, BU scored a 7.950, and the Bobcats scored an 8.075. Through the first event, the score was 36.975 to Quinnipiac's 36.775, with the Bears up by 0.20 points.
To start the optional portion of the meet in Acro, the Bears and Bobcats executed the necessary skills, with each heat starting at a value of 10. Baylor followed a 9.725 performance from Quinnipiac with a 9.950. In the synchronized 6 Element heat, the Bobcats scored 8.950 before Baylor, with four different pairs of tops and bases, scored 9.575. In the third heat, Quinnipiac posted a 9.750, and Sofia Criado and Leavy McDonald scored 9.900. For the Acro event, BU scored 29.425 to Quinnipiac's 28.425, bringing their total to 66.400 to 65.200 through two events, with Baylor leading by 1.200 points.
In the Pyramid event, the Bears and Bobcats executed the necessary skills, each heat with a start value of 10. Quinnipiac started it off with a 9.825 score in the Inversion heat, which the Bears followed up with a score of 9.825. Topping the Synchronized heat after the Bobcats' 9.850 were Payton Washington and Bott, based by McDonald and Meredith Wells, respectively, who scored a 9.950. In the Open heat, Quinnipiac scored a 9.975 while Baylor competed the 3-high pyramid. Bases Becca Moore and D'ahni Branch held a three-high extended structure straddle position. Mid-level was Leavy McDonald, and top was Sofia Criado. This all resulted in a score of 9.775. For the Pyramid event, Baylor scored a 29.550, while the Bobcats scored 29.650
At the half, BU was up 95.950 to 94.850, leading by 1.100 points.
When asked about Baylor's mentality, Coach Felicia Mulkey said that, "they were locked and loaded and ready to go" and that they are "mentally strongest team in the country."
To kick off the second half with the Toss event, it was Thomas topping the 450 Salto heat, finishing with a score of 9.500/9.90 after Quinnipiac scored a 9.700/10.00. In the Synchronized heat, the Bobcats earned a 9.350/9.90, and for the Bears, Washington and Tannehill earned a 9.250/10. In the final heat, the Open heat, Quinnipiac scored a 9.675/9.90 before Baylor followed with a 9.900/10 from Washington. At the end of the Toss event, Baylor totaled 28.650 while Quinnipiac had a 28.725. Through four events, BU had a score of 124.600 while Quinnipiac had a 123.575, and the Bears are up by 1.025 points.
In the Tumbling event, Quinnipiac's duo scored a 9.325/10 while Emily Bott and Lawrence Owens competed for a score of 9.200/10. In the Trio, the Bobcats put a score of 8.775/9.55 on the mat, followed by BU's 9.200/10 from Alyiah Thomas, Gigi Rendino, and Ashlyn Tannehill. In the Quad pass, Washington, Criado, Sarah Kerr, and Gabby Kaminski scored an 8.950/10, after Quinnipiac posted an 8.375/9.40. For the Aerial pass, it was Bott who scored a 9.725/10 after the Bobcats earned a 9.925/10. Competing in the 6 Element heat, Washington earned a 9.625/10, while Quinnipiac earned a 9.600/10. Kerr earned a 9.625/10 for the Open heat, with the Bobcats' 9.600/10.
Combined, Baylor scored 56.575 to finish the Tumbling event, while Quinnipiac scored 55.600. After five events, BU led 181.175 to 179.175, up by 2.000 points, headed into the last event.
In the Team event, Quinnipiac scored an 87.090/107.69 and Baylor followed with an 90.660/109.61. The meet was finalized, BU came out on top with a 271.835 score against Quinnipiac's 266.265; the Bears winning by 5.570 points.
HIGHLIGHTS
-
Baylor won its 11th-straight national championship!
-
The highest score of the night was a 9.95 in 5-Element Acro and Synchronized Pyramid.
-
The Synchronized Pyramid heat tied their season high.
-
This was BU's second time beating Quinnipiac in the Finals.
-
BU is on a 61-meet winning streak.
"We're gonna celebrate this the next couple hours… then we're gonna wake up and do this again," commented Payton Washington.
UP NEXT
The Bears will compete in all 15 heats in the NCATA Event Finals, set for 12 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon.
To stay up to date all year long on all things Baylor acrobatics & tumbling, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram: @BaylorAcroTumb.
- BaylorBears.com -
