West Liberty's Bauer Named to NCATA All-Academic Team

West Liberty's Bauer Named to NCATA All-Academic Team

19 Lady Hilltoppers earn national academic honors

WACO, Texas – West Liberty University made quite a splash here Tuesday when the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) announced its 2021 All-Academic Team and Academic Honor Roll.

   Hilltopper senior Abbey Bauer was one of only eight student-athletes nationwide to be selected for the prestigious All-Academic Team. In addition, the Moundsville, W.Va. native was joined by 18 of her teammates on the NCATA Academic Honor Roll.

   Head coach Kelsey Kyle was thrilled to see more than half of her team roster receive national recognition for their success and was especially excited to see Bauer singled out as one of the NCATA's academic elite.

   "Abbey is an incredibly hard worker on and off the mat," Kyle said. "She maintained a perfect 4.00 GPA throughout her time at West Liberty and will graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education along with a Special Education minor and an Autism Endorsement.

   "She takes such pride in her education and is an incredibly gifted and versatile athlete. Abbey did all that this season while student teaching a 5th Grade class and competing in eight events for us. She has already been accepted into graduate school at West Liberty and will be taking advantage of the COVID-19 eligibility waiver to come back and compete with her teammates again next year. We are so pleased and happy for her."

   Joining Bauer on the 2021 NCATA All-Academic Team are Fairmont State's Peyton Barnes, Payton Coon of Oregon, Alexis Forbes from Converse (S.C.), Baylor's Kam Kitchens, Beth Magee from Azuza Pacific, Gannon's Abigail Miller and Caroline Versluis of King (Tenn.).

   The eight All-Academic Team selections carried cumulative GPAs of 3.90 or higher with half of them – including Bauer – checking in at 4.00 or better.

   In order to qualify for a spot on the NCATA Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes had to have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or higher at the end of the most recent grading period.

   An impressive total of 432 Acrobatics and Tumbling competitors cleared that bar this season despite the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. West Liberty’s 19 Academic Honor Roll selections were the most of any Mountain East Conference program and ranked among the nation’s best.

   A total of 14 Lady Hilltoppers had GPAs of 3.50 or higher with Bauer and freshman Emily Matteson sporting perfect 4.00 marks.

ACROBATICS & TUMBLING

2021 NCATA All-Academic Team

    -Peyton Barnes, Fairmont State (4.0, Triple Major: National Security and Intelligence, Criminal Justice, Political Science)

    -ABBEY BAUER, WEST LIBERTY (4.0, ELEMENTARY EDUCATION)

    -Payton Coon, Oregon (4.12, Advertising & Brand Responsibility)

    -Alexis Forbes, Converse (3.95, Biochemistry)

    -Kam Kitchens, Baylor (4.0, Neuroscience)

    -Beth Magee, Azusa Pacific (3.99, Allied Health)

    -Abigail Miller, Gannon (3.99, Nursing)

    -Caroline Versluis, King (3.93, Finance & Economics)

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2021 NCATA Academic Honor Roll

West Liberty Honorees

Alavia Anderson, Senior, Biology

Abbey Bauer, Senior, Elementary Education

Claudia Callahan, Sophomore, Nursing

Angelina Cruz-America, Freshman, Chemistry

Katelyn Emborsky, Freshman, Dental Hygiene

Madison Estep, Freshman, Psychology

Theresa Evangelista, Junior, Biology (Pre-Med)

Lexus Ficca, Senior, Visual Communications Design

Lindsay Fries, Sophomore, Nursing

Laci Growe, Junior, Health & Physical Education

Kenzie Kyle, Senior, Elementary Education

Sarah Le, Sophomore, Speech Pathology/Audiology

Emily Matteson, Freshman, Biology (Pre-Med)

Elizabeth McGlothlin, Junior, Math Education

Tianna Meyer, Sophomore, Dental Hygiene

Olivia Miller, Sophomore, Elementary Education

Kira Newburn, Senior, Exercise Physiology

Sydney Schumacher, Junior, Nursing

Vanessa Stanbro, Freshman, Nursing


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