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