In historic first, gymnast Morgan Price becomes first HBCU athlete to win national collegiate title

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

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

Morgan Price of @FiskUGymnastics is the 2024 USAG Women’s Collegiate All-Around National Champion!

With a score of 39.225, she becomes the first USAG Collegiate National Champion from an HBCU!

📸 @WCUAthletics pic.twitter.com/xrsYHL6n1h

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) April 13, 2024

Price joined the first HBCU intercollegiate team at Nashville's Fisk University in 2023 after graduating from high school. She initially signed onto Arkansas before switching to attend Fisk, ESPN reported, after Coach Corrine Tarver asked her the simple question: "Do you want to make history?"

Since forming, the gymnastics team has garnered high-profile media attention, competed on ESPN and has sold out meets.

"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. 

Her team celebrated her win with a social media post saying, "THE PRICE IS RIGHT. Etch her name in the HISTORY BOOKS."

Price will compete on Sunday in the Individual Event finals on vault, bars and floor.

In:
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Nashville

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at [email protected]