Historic Moment: Morgan State Becomes First HBCU With D1 Women’s Acrobatics, Tumbling
Morgan State will begin competing in the 2023-2024 school year.
(Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Chicago — Morgan State University will become the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Division I program to offer women’s acrobatics and tumbling, with competition set to begin 2023-2024.
The university will also become the 40th member of the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) and the fifth NCAA Division I school with an acrobatics and tumbling program, according to HBCU Buzz.
Morgan State will be the third HBCU across all divisions to have a program.
“As we approach the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, we are excited to expand upon Morgan State University’s long history of creating opportunities for female student-athletes,” said Erlease Wagner, the university’s interim vice president and director of athletics.
“The NCAA’s approval of acrobatics and tumbling as an emerging sport presented an ideal opportunity for Morgan to become the first HBCU to compete at the NCAA Division I level. Building upon Morgan’s historical success in Cheer competition, we believe the future is promising and look forward to fielding a competitive acrobatics and tumbling team.”
Janell Cook, executive director for NCATA, said, “The addition of Morgan State adds to recent program growth in Maryland and in the region and provides new collegiate opportunities for young women training in gymnastics and cheerleading.”
She said the expansion means “we have reached a historic milestone in the growth of the sport.”