HBCU Gymnastics: Why Wilberforce University Refuses to Fold

Simone Biles. Gabby Douglas. Jordan Chiles.

In recent years, Black female gymnasts have built a reputation for dominating the sport. But that hasn’t always been the case. For generations, gymnastics has been one of the least accessible sports for Black athletes. The barriers are many and not simple to overcome: high cost, early specialization, lack of facilities, and limited pathways into collegiate programs. So when HBCUs finally began launching gymnastics teams in the 2020s, it felt like a long-overdue dream was finally coming to fruition. One that cracked open the door to a sport where Black women and girls have historically been underrepresented.

But just as quickly as that door opened, it began to close.

In only a few short years, HBCU gymnastics has seen groundbreaking beginnings followed by abrupt endings. Programs launched with promise were dissolved before they could fully grow, raising hard questions about sustainability, support, and what it really takes to build something new in college athletics. But, against all the odds, Wilberforce University is charting a different path, building a new kind of gymnastics program. One rooted in long-term commitment, community investment, and a refusal to fold under mounting pressure.

Morgan Price of Fisk University

A Brief History of HBCU Gymnastics (So Far)

In 2023, Fisk University made history by launching the first-ever HBCU women’s gymnastics program. It was a milestone that changed the game, quite literally. The Fisk University gymnastic team, the Lady Gymdogs, quickly gained national attention, competed at a high level, and showed exactly what Black athletes could bring to the sport when given the opportunity.

And yet, despite that success, Fisk announced that the 2025–2026 season will be the program’s last.

Then came Talladega College, which launched its gymnastics program in 2024. In just one season, the team proved competitive, with rising star Kyrstin Johnson winning gold at the 2024 USAG event. But financial constraints led to the program being dissolved after that single year.

Two programs. Two strong starts. Two early endings.

The pattern raises an uncomfortable but necessary question: why are opportunities like this being cut before they’re given the time and resources to truly take off?

Why Sustainability Is the Real Challenge

Let’s be real. Launching a gymnastics program is expensive. Between equipment, specialized coaching, travel, medical support, and facility access all requiring significant investment, it’s no surprise that getting started can be such a heavy lift. For HBCUs, many of which already operate with fewer financial resources than predominantly white institutions, starting a non-revenue sport can feel out of reach.

But the issue isn’t that HBCUs shouldn’t pursue big dreams. It’s that new programs often aren’t given the runway they need to grow. Gymnastics, in particular, requires patience. Recruiting pipelines take time to build. Fan bases take time to develop. Donor networks take time to engage.

Cutting programs after one or two seasons doesn’t reflect failure on the athletes’ part, it’s the consequence of a system that hasn’t yet figured out how to support long-term success.

Wilberforce University Campus via wilberforce.edu

Wilberforce University: A Different Approach

This is where Wilberforce University stands apart.

Located in Wilberforce, Ohio, Wilberforce isn’t just launching a gymnastics program and hoping for the best. The university has made a public commitment to maintaining and growing its program—and, importantly, to doing so through a structure designed for sustainability.

Wilberforce has helped establish an independently owned and operated 501(c)(3) charitable organization, The Wilberforce Gymnastics Booster Club, dedicated to the growth and support of HBCU gymnastics programs. That distinction matters, and here’s why: by separating fundraising and long-term financial strategy from the university’s core operating budget, Wilberforce is building a model that is designed to support the specific needs of the gymnastics team.

This is a new approach. A community creating a system to sustain itself.

What Makes Wilberforce’s Model Different

Wilberforce’s approach recognizes a few key truths:

First, access must be intentional. Gymnastics doesn’t have the same grassroots pipeline in Black communities that sports like basketball or track enjoy. Supporting clinics, outreach, and youth development is essential if HBCU gymnastics is going to thrive.

Second, visibility matters. Programs need marketing, storytelling, and media coverage to build audiences and attract donors. Wilberforce’s commitment includes elevating the program’s profile, not letting it exist quietly on the margins.

Third, athletes deserve stability. Recruiting gymnasts into a brand-new program carries responsibility. Wilberforce’s public commitment sends a message to prospective athletes: this is a place where your sport is valued, not treated as expendable.

And finally, community investment is key. By anchoring the program within a nonprofit structure, Wilberforce opens the door for alumni, supporters, and advocates—inside and outside the gymnastics world—to participate directly in the program’s future.

Wilberforce Univeristy Gymnastics Team

Why This Matters Beyond One School

Wilberforce University’s decision has an impact that extends beyond Wilberforce.

It makes a statement about what happens when HBCUs are allowed—and supported—to innovate on their own terms. It’s about refusing the narrative that Black institutions can’t sustain nontraditional sports. And it’s about creating space for Black gymnasts to see themselves not as exceptions, but as part of a growing tradition.

Gymnastics at HBCUs is still in its infancy. That means missteps are inevitable. But growth doesn’t come from shutting down when things get hard. It comes from evaluating, adjusting, and recommitting.

Wilberforce is doing exactly that.

Wilberforce Bulldogs Ankara High-Wasited Leggings 

Looking Ahead

The future of HBCU gymnastics is still being written. Fisk’s legacy matters. Talladega’s one-season run matters. Every athlete who stepped onto the mat wearing an HBCU logo pushed the door open a little wider.

Now, Wilberforce University is choosing to keep that door open—and build a foundation strong enough to hold it.

In a landscape where programs too often disappear quietly, Wilberforce’s message is clear: this opportunity is worth protecting, worth investing in, and worth the long game.

And that might be exactly what HBCU gymnastics needs most right now.

By committing to this program and by supporting it through the Wilberforce Gymnastics Booster Club, Wilberforce is making a statement about access, preservation, and the long game of Black excellence.

That’s why HBCU Leggings is stepping in, too. Right now, 15% of proceeds from the Wilberforce collection are being donated directly to support the team through their organization, helping ensure these athletes don’t just make history but have the resources to keep building it. Because supporting HBCUs means more than celebrating firsts, it means investing in what comes next.

Support the program. Support the athletes. Support the future. Shop the Wilberforce collection today and help keep HBCU gymnastics on the floor where it belongs.

Love and Leggings,

Bibi