by Daniel Johnson
June 8, 2025
The university shared its impactful decision with its student body in an email.
After starting the nation’s first gymnastics program at an HBCU in 2023, Fisk University has made the decision to shutter the program at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 gymnastics season, citing recruitment disadvantages and scheduling issues as reasons for their decision.
In a press release, Valencia Jordan, the director of Fisk Athletics addressed the rationale behind the university’s choice to end its support of the gymnastics program, which helped to raise the university’s profile.
“While we are tremendously proud of the history our gymnastics team has made in just three years, we look forward to focusing on our conference-affiliated teams to strengthen our impact in the HBCU Athletic Conference,” Jordan said. “Fisk is grateful for the hard work, dedication and tenacity of its gymnasts, staff members, and coaches who made this program possible.”
As Forbes reported, the university shared its impactful decision with its student body in an email, and although both Fisk and Wilberforce University currently sponsor women’s gymnastics, the sport is not sanctioned by the HBCU Athletic Conference.
Morgan Price, the biggest star in Fisk University’s gymnastics program, got out ahead of the announcement, declaring her intent to transfer to the University of Arkansas.
Price, an Arkansas native, initially considered competing for the Razorbacks in her final season of eligibility when she signed to Fisk University, where all she did was guide the program to back to back national championships and score the first perfect 10 in HBCU gymnastics history.
The other cornerstone of Fisk’s gymnastics program, head coach Corrinnne Tarver, resigned one month into the program’s 2025 season, Tarver had led the program since its inception in the 2022-2023 season.
Even though these departures were notable, the decision to discontinue the gymnastics program led some athletes, alumni and fans to express disappointment and disagreement with the university’s decision, especially after it won five national titles and set a new program record by having seven players named to the All-American squad.
According to HBCU Gameday, the now-settled House v. NCAA lawsuit, which entitles players to direct payments from universities, has been a source of consternation from smaller schools, like HBCUs, and it hangs over the university’s decision, an ill omen, like an albatross.
According to Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Commissioner Charles McClelland, the settlement is anticipated to create financial urgency for HBCU conferences, which opt-in to the revenue-sharing model created by the settlement. For those who don’t opt in, like Fisk University, the path is uncertain and they risk losing out on athletes who may look to cash in on their talents.
“It is now allowable for institutions to directly give NIL money to their student-athletes,” McClelland said in December 2024. “That means there’s going to be an influx of athletes that are looking for NIL payments. You’re going to have to have some name, image, and likeness money set aside to compete. There’s going to be some challenging times from a financial standpoint.”
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