Morgan Price: From Fisk HBCU Trailblazer to Rewriting Arkansas Gymnastics History

The Rise of a Former HBCU Gymnast Before Arkansas History

It took 8,442 days for Arkansas gymnastics to see a perfect 10. For a former HBCU gymnast, it took one vault. Senior Morgan Price — who began her college career at Fisk University's historic HBCU gymnastics program — delivered a flawless vault to earn the first perfect 10 in the Arkansas gymnastics program's history.

The score came during a 197.125–197.125 tie between No. 7 Arkansas and No. 24 Kentucky, instantly turning a regular-season meet into a viral moment.

The vault itself was a "Yurchenko 1.5," one of the most difficult skills in collegiate gymnastics. The sequence begins with a roundoff onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vault table. From there, the gymnast explodes upward and completes one-and-a-half twists before landing. Because of the blind landing and explosive rotation, it demands both power and absolute control.

Price didn't just complete it cleanly. She stuck it.

As a result, the judges flashed 10.000 — the first in Arkansas' 24-season history.

Yet for Price, that number wasn't new.

The First Perfect 10 Came at an HBCU

Long before she anchored vault in the SEC, Morgan Price was building history at Fisk University, home of the first HBCU gymnastics program. There, she didn't simply compete. Instead, she constructed a résumé that forced the sport to pay attention.

During her three seasons in Nashville, Price won six WCGNIC national titles. She captured back-to-back all-around championships in 2024 and 2025, and in 2024, she swept every individual event title at nationals. Along the way, she became the first HBCU gymnast ever to record a perfect 10.

"That first perfect score came on bars."

The second came in the SEC.

Different stage. Same standard.

On Friday, Price not only secured Arkansas' first perfect 10, but she also claimed the vault title and won the all-around with a 39.575. Meanwhile, the Gymbacks posted a season-high 49.600 on floor, tying for fourth-best in program history.

So while Arkansas celebrated a breakthrough, the moment carried deeper layers for fans of HBCU athletics.

The SEC gained a proven champion, while HBCU gymnastics lost its cornerstone star.

From Turning Down the SEC to Leading It

There's real irony in Price's path.

Earlier in her recruitment, she turned down SEC opportunities in order to help launch Fisk's groundbreaking program under head coach Corrine Tarver.

That decision reshaped HBCU gymnastics.

In addition to becoming the first HBCU gymnast to score a perfect 10, Price earned 2024 HBCU Sports Female Athlete of the Year honors. She was also named Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Amateur Female Athlete of the Year and finished her Fisk career as a two-time national all-around champion.

More importantly, she became a visible symbol of possibility.

After defending her national title, Price told Forbes that young gymnasts could see "a whole team full of Black and brown gymnasts doing the sport that they love." Representation in gymnastics, a sport historically limited by access and resources, mattered.

However, sustainability proved more complicated than symbolism.

The Rise — and Fall — of Fisk Gymnastics

Fisk University later announced it will discontinue its historic women's gymnastics program at the conclusion of the 2025–2026 academic year.

Although the program broke barriers from day one, it operated without conference support. The HBCU Athletic Conference does not sanction gymnastics, so Fisk had to schedule meets each season independently to remain nationally eligible. As a result, building a consistent recruiting pipeline became increasingly difficult.

In addition, the team absorbed significant travel and logistical costs while lacking a dedicated collegiate-level training facility on campus. Administrative instability further complicated matters, including the midseason departure of founding head coach Corrine Tarver. While university officials stated that direct funding cuts were not the primary reason for discontinuation, long-term sustainability remained a challenge.

Meanwhile, programs in conferences like the SEC operate within fully funded, nationally televised ecosystems.

That contrast doesn't diminish Arkansas' accomplishment.

Instead, it highlights the systemic structural gaps in college athletics.

Originally reported by HBCU Gameday.