Fisk University — which started the first Historically Black College and University women’s gymnastics program in 2023 — will discontinue that program at the end of the 2025-26 academic year.
Fisk’s final season of gymnastics competition will be in the Spring of 2026.
The school said the decision came after a comprehensive review of the gymnastics program and its alignment with Fisk’s conference, the HBCU Athletic Conference. Gymnastics is not currently an HBCUAC-sanctioned sport, making it challenging for the school to schedule competitions and build a strong recruiting pipeline.
“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,” Fisk Athletic Director Valencia Jordan said in a release. “Fisk is grateful for the hard work, dedication and tenacity of its gymnasts, staff members, and coaches who made this program possible.”
It’s unclear whether recent financial instability at the school played a role in the decision regarding gymnastics.
Fisk last summer said it would face a deficit of more than $3 million unless Nashville leaders approved its request to repurpose pandemic relief funds, per The Tennessean. Metro Council ultimately approved a redirection of about $8.5 million in federal relief grant funds for the school.
Gymnastics is not a revenue-producing sport on the college level.
Just two months ago, four Fisk gymnasts — Morgan Price, Allie Berkley, Aliyah Reed-Hammon and Ciniah Rosby — were named first-team All-Americans at the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitation Championship in Shreveport, La., while teammates Kaylei McDonald, Liberty Mora and Jade Reese earned second-team honors.
Price won the 2025 all-round title at the eight-school competition, finishing with a score of 39.25. She finished first in all four disciplines as well, posting a 9.825 score in the vault, a 9.8625 on the balance beam, a 9.85 on the uneven bars and a 9.9 on floor exercise.
A year earlier, Price had become the first HBCU gymnast to win the all-around title.
The first HBCU gymnast to score a perfect 10 in competition, Price announced her decision to transfer to Arkansas last month. A three-time All-American at Fisk, Price will join older sister Frankie with the Razorbacks.
In addition to the seven Fisk gymnasts earning All-American honors in 2025, the team posted 11 victories and produced a streak of six consecutive wins.
But the season was also marked by the sudden departure in February (read here) of former coach Corrinne Tarver, who had been hired in 2022 to start the program in 2023.
Neither the school nor Tarver listed a specific reason why she left.
Assistant coach Nuriya Mack was named interim head coach.