Gymnast Morgan Price is now the first athlete from a historically Black college or university team to win a national collegiate championship.

History making gymnast Morgan Price

The Fisk University student won the title with an all-around score of 39.225 – and became “the first USAG Collegiate National Champion from an HBCU! ” said USA Gymnastics.

Gymnast Morgan Price (Photo Credit: WCU Athletics/Twitter)

She was among athletes from 12 college teams joining the competition at the USA Gymnastics’ 2024 Women’s Collegiate National Championships in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Making the switch to HBCU

Price joined the first HBCU intercollegiate team at Fisk in 2023 after graduating from high school. She initially signed with Arkansas before making the switch to attend Fisk, ESPN reported, after Coach Corrine Tarver asked her the simple question: “Do you want to make history?”

“I have learned that it is enjoyable to be around your culture. Since we are the first, we have a lot of eyes on us, and our support system is excellent. Seeing the fans and little girls cheering us on was super fun,” Price said in 2023.

Featured Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/picture-of-gymnastic-rings-4164644/

This past weekend, the Tennessee A&I men’s basketball team, an HBCU squad that won a title more than 60 years ago, got a White House visit.

Tennessee A&I made history

The living members of the Tennessee A&I Tigers basketball team were honored by Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

“This is the greatest day of my life,” said George Finley, a player on the Tigers team, said to CBS News.

Members of the Tennessee A&I basketball team. (Photo Credit: TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY)

The Tennessee A&I Tigers men’s basketball team was the first HBCU team to win a national championship in 1957, and made history again by becoming the first college team to win three back-to-back national titles from 1957-1959.

“I thought this would never take place,” said Finley, who was part of the 1959 championship team, told the network. “[Winning] the championship was big, but it wasn’t as big as being here with [Vice President] Harris today.”

The challenges

In a time of segregation and the Jim Crow era, Black teams were often not recognized for their achievements but the team finally got their just due.

Harris hosted six members of the team in a meeting along with their family, friends, and those close to the group of former athletes. Henry Carlton, Robert Clark, Ron Hamilton, Ernie Jones, George Finley, and Dick Barnett joined Finley in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

Tennessee A&I is now known as Tennessee State University.

Dawn Staley and South Carolina Gamecocks completed their perfect season, defeating Iowa with an 87-75 win in the NCAA championship game Sunday.

South Carolina Gamecocks beats Iowa in national championship

This victory not only ended Caitlin Clark’s remarkable collegiate career but also earned South Carolina’s status as one of the ten Division I teams to ever finish a season undefeated. Remarkably, they accomplished this feat with a completely new lineup, as none of last year’s starters, who experienced a defeat against Iowa in the 2023 national semifinals, were present.

Iowa standout

Caitlin Clark, the standout senior from Iowa, put up a noble fight in her final college appearance, aiming to secure the Hawkeyes’ first championship title but ultimately came up short.

In her usual fashion, Clark scored 30 points in the game, breaking the championship record by scoring 18 of those in the first quarter alone. Her talent is unmatched and like Staley said, her legacy is forever cemented as one of the NCAA’S all-time greatest players.

Staley and South Carolina Gamecocks make history

The Gamecocks are now a three time national champion within just eight years, with the last two coming in the past three seasons.

Coach Staley’s impressive coaching prowess has rightfully earned her a spot with legendary coaches like Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Kim Mulkey, and Tara VanDerveer, who have all secured at least three national championships.

Congratulations!