The first HBCU to have a gymnastics program will participate in its last season in 2026.

Fisk University, which began competing in January 2023, will discontinue its program after next season, the school announced last week.

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“Considerable challenges … to schedule competitions and build a robust recruiting pipeline,” were the reasons cited for the decision on the school’s website. Fisk competes in the HBCU Athletic Conference, and the sport isn’t sanctioned by the conference, resulting in those challenges.

“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,” Valencia Jordan, Director of Fisk Athletics, said on the school’s website. “Fisk is grateful for the hard work, dedication and tenacity of its gymnasts, staff members, and coaches who made this program possible.”

The Tennessean has reached out to Jordan for comment.

Fisk University gymnastics had early success

Despite being new on the scene, Fisk’s gymnastics team has experienced some success.

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Morgan Price of Lebanon became the first gymnast from an HBCU to win the all-around championship at the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate National Championships in 2024. She repeated the feat in 2025.

“It feels good because of the hard work that has been put in,” Price said in a release after the first title. “Honestly, I didn’t know where I would place, but it was a pleasant surprise. I have heard from a lot of people so far. I am still trying to take all this in.”

Price, Allie Berkley, Aliyah Reed-Hammon, and Ciniah Rosby each earned first-team All-American honors for the 2025 season.

Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Fisk gymnastics, nation’s first HBCU program, to shut down after 2026

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BGSU hockey head coach Dennis Williams announced two new assistant coaches ahead of the 2025-26 season Tuesday — Matt Nicholson and Jacob Pritchard.

The hires come after the move of Curtis Carr to associate head coach and Stavros Paskaris from a coaching position to Assistant Athletic Director for Development.  

Nicholson comes to Bowling Green after two seasons as associate head coach at Robert Morris, coaching at five different locations since 2007: Adrian College (assistant coach 2007-09), Robert Morris (assistant coach 2009-15, associate head coach 2023-25), the NAHL Amarillo Bulls (head coach 2015-17), Niagara (assistant coach 2017-20) and Mercyhurst (assistant coach 2021-22).

He played for Colgate during his NCAA career, scoring two goals and tallying 10 assists in 123 games as a defenseman. 

“Matt (Nicholson) is a veteran coach in college hockey with a wealth of experience, not only in developing players on the ice but also in identifying and recruiting outstanding student-athletes,” said Willie. “We look forward to Matt joining our Falcon program and know he will be a tremendous addition—not only for our players but also for our staff, our community and our university.” 

The 43-year-old’s speciality is recruiting and powerplay, fitting in nicely with Carr, who specializes in penalty kill and general defense and replacing Paskaris, who was a heavy recruiter for BG. During his first six years with Robert Morris, Nicholson saw over 30 players enter professional hockey as well as the school’s first Atlantic Hockey championship and NCAA tournament appearance. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join Dennis and his staff at BGSU,” said Nicholson. “Bowling Green is a name synonymous with college hockey, having produced numerous players who have gone on to achieve great things at the highest levels of pro hockey. I look forward to helping Coach Williams continue to develop great people, great students, and great athletes in this next chapter at BGSU.” 

Pritchard enters the Slater Family Ice Arena as the most successful player on the coaching staff. During his NCAA career, the Macomb County, Mich. Native scored three straight 20-point seasons for St. Lawrence and a 47-point season in 2018-19′ with UMass, which set him seventh in college hockey with the likes of star NHLers Cake Makar and Adam Fox. UMass reached the NCAA Championship game in 2019, losing 3-0 to Minnesota-Duluth. 

The ex-left-winger has coached only three seasons of hockey, retiring from playing in 2022. His speciality is training and skill acquisition, and he is responsible for skill development and player evaluation as an assistant coach with Sioux City in the USHL. 

“His (Pritchard’s) coaching and playing background will be a tremendous asset to our program,” said Willie, “especially in developing our players’ skills and preparing them for the next level in professional hockey. We’re thrilled to welcome Jacob to the BGSU hockey program, the university and the community.” 

In 2025-26′ Nicholson and Pritchard step behind a bench coaching a No. 1 recruiting class in the NCAA, according to Neutral Zone Scouting. They can make their impression on a star-filled class of incoming Falcons: seven forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders among the first-years of BGSU. They join a coaching staff filled with Willie, Carr and Dylan Schoen (goaltending). 

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) has announced its 2024–25 All-Region selections for Division I baseball, with two Adrian College players earning recognition.

Outfielder Brock Hudik was named to the First Team All-Region, while pitcher Michael Hale earned Third Team All-Region honors for their standout performances this season.

Hudik secured First Team honors after an impressive offensive campaign. He batted .370 over 28 games, collecting 30 hits in 81 at-bats, along with 24 runs scored, five doubles, three triples, and 14 RBIs. Hudik posted a .469 on-base percentage and a .506 slugging percentage, walked 13 times, and was successful in 12 of 13 stolen base attempts.

On te mound, Hale was named to the Third Team after recording a 2.91 ERA over 34 innings pitched. He finished the season with a perfect 4-0 record across eight appearances, including six starts. Hale allowed 11 earned runs on 33 hits, struck out 22 batters, and held opponents to a .244 batting average.

Both Hudik and Hale will advance to the All-American ballot, set to be released on June 19.

NASHVILLE (AP) — Fisk University’s bold experiment in women’s gymnastics is coming to an end.

The school has announced it is shuttering the program at the end of the 2026 season. Fisk made history in 2023 when it became the first historically Black college or university to launch a women’s artistic gymnastics team.

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Fisk’s ambitious move to start the program played a hand three years later in the athletic department choosing to discontinue it. Scheduling became challenging because gymnastics is the only sport at Fisk that does not compete against other HBCU schools, forcing the program to get creative and requiring the team to travel longer distances than the university’s other sports.

“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,” athletic director Valencia Jordan said in a statement. “Fisk is grateful for the hard work, dedication and tenacity of its gymnasts, staff members, and coaches who made this program possible.”

The school said it will work with the affected athletes and coaches to ensure a “seamless transition.”

The announcement came just weeks after Fisk standout Morgan Price — a three-time All-American who became the first HBCU gymnast to record a perfect 10 — transferred to Arkansas, where she will join her older sister Frankie.

Talladega College, an HBCU in Alabama, attempted to follow in Fisk’s footsteps in 2024. That program shut down after one season due to financial concerns.

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