Talladega College Makes History! First HBCU to Win NCAA Gymnastics Team Competition
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Posted By: S. Moore on March 05, 2024 In total, Talladega finished with an overall score of 192.2. Alaska came in second at 191.525, and Centenary finished third with 189.15. Talladega finished first in three of the four events. The Talladega College gymnastics team cemented themselves in the history books by becoming the first HBCU to win an NCAA Team Competition. The university first established their gymnastics program last January, and the team is already producing results. On Feb. 9, Talladega participated at the Centenary College Gymnastics competition in Shreveport, LA. They competed against Centenary and Alaska at the meet. The gymnasts competed in the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercises. Talladega's Kyrstin Johnson led all participants with a score of 38.95. Her teammates Alexa Chuy and Kiora Peart-Williams followed close behind with scores of 38.275 and 37.375, respectively. Talladega's head coach Aja Sims-Fletcher spoke to the local CBS affiliate about her team's success. “This is really for all the minority athletes that are specifically gymnasts that didn't have a chance to compete in college, or are looking forward to having an opportunity to compete, so Bigger Than Us, but truly bigger for this whole sport,” Sims-Fletcher told Arielle Schafer of CBS 42. “I really wanted to let them know that this is a safe space for them. If they competed for Talladega College, they were going to be seen as an athlete, but also as a student and as a young lady.” Sims-Fletcher's motto for their inaugural season has been BTU: Bigger Than Us. The motto instills the young gymnasts with a sense of pride as they blaze a new path for the university. “A lot of people don't even get to make it to college gymnastics, especially being from Canada where we don't have that and I have to go to a different country to try and find that,” said Peart-Williams, a native of Ontario, Canada. “I'm so grateful that I got to be one of the few girls to do that and make history. Being here and being able to show off my power, my technique, my personality to the world – I love that, and I'm once again grateful for that.” SOURCE Clutch Points If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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