Acrobatics and Tumbling Earns 5th Consecutive National Title

For the fifth consecutive season, Baylor Acrobatics and Tumbling claimed the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) national title. The top-ranked Bears edged second-ranked Oregon 278.400 to 271.725 in the championship meet, held April 27 at the Ferrell Center. Baylor (12-0) established a program record for wins in a season and ended the year on a 30-meet winning streak.

Head coach Felecia Mulkey won her ninth consecutive national title, dating back to the four straight she won at Oregon prior to her stint with the Bears. Mulkey called the 2019 title special and that she had a feeling about her student-athletes entering the championship meet.

“You can tell by their demeanor in the morning, the eerie calm,” Mulkey said. “You can tell when they’re ready and when they turn the corner. It was a great meet.”

Despite the closeness of the final scoring, Baylor won all six events and 15 of 20 total heats. The Bears captured eight individual event national championships. Senior Kaylee Adams, junior Lexie Amrhein, senior Hope Bravo and sophomore Alexis Fowlkes earned the program’s first title in the six-element acro heat. A squad of eight Baylor student-athletes won the inversion pyramid heat title, and the Bears took two of the three toss trophies.

Senior Ashley Echelberger was named NCATA Most Outstanding Athlete, and junior Joie Hensley was named NCATA Specialist of the Year. Baylor student-athletes have earned the NCATA Most Outstanding Athlete award four times in the last five seasons.