‘It’s bigger than gymnastics’ | North Texas native Morgan Price’s championship title elevates Fisk University’s legacy​on February 27, 2025 at 11:23 pm

COPPELL, Texas — Three years ago, Morgan Price took a leap of faith. 

At 16, the Coppell High School graduate dreamed of attending a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) while competing as a collegiate gymnast. That vision led her to Fisk University—a school with no prior gymnastics program but a bold ambition to make history. 

She was so committed to making her dreams come true that she decommitted from the University of Arkansas when she learned Fisk planned to launch its team her freshman year. 

“I’d really just say I’m proud of her because I was obviously very nervous just to make the decision of decommitting from a powerhouse SEC D1 school and going to this little HBCU who didn’t even have a gym… barely had a team at that time,” Price reflected when asked what she would tell her 16-year-old self. 

Since joining Fisk’s inaugural gymnastics team, Price has not only witnessed history—she has made it. 

In April 2024, her standout performance earned her the title of USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate All Around National Champion, making her the first gymnast from an HBCU to win a national title.

Then, earlier this month, she raised the bar even higher, scoring a rare perfect 10 on the uneven bars—another historic first for HBCU gymnastics.

“My goal was to obviously win those individually, but I was really like, if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay as long as I’m putting in all the work… working my hardest,” Price said.

Her dominance has garnered national attention, leading to appearances on major morning shows, a surge in online followers, and unwavering support from the HBCU community for her and her entire team. 

“We have grown so much since freshman year. We keep breaking our team program records. My teammates are getting their personal records, so it’s just like we’re still continuing, and its so amazing because we’re not even at our best potential yet and we’re still just like breaking barriers and continuing to get those big scores and just continuing to grow as a team,” Price said. 

While she admits the accomplishments are nice, the decision to compete for Fisk was about more than just gymnastics. It was also about representation and legacy. 

“When we go to the meets, there’s always at least five girls in little Fisk Gymnastics leotards or future Fisk Gymnastics leotards,” Price said. “It’s just so amazing to know that we’re inspiring younger generations so that they have the chance to become HBCU gymnasts as well.”

For her, that was the whole point. 

“A lot of people didn’t understand the reasoning as to why I did switch from Arkansas, but at the end of the day, it was so much bigger than gymnastics. It was so that people know that HBCUs can still compete with the top schools and still be able to win and get those high scores,” she explained.

The decision wasn’t easy. Price admitted she initially planned to evaluate the program after her first year, leaving the door open to transferring. But faith led her forward.

“I felt like God was telling me that this was the right decision for you. I felt like everything was falling into place,” she said.

Along with success in gymnastics, Price has been able to enjoy her college experience. She’s a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and holds the title of Miss Black and Gold for her university’s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. 

The latter is particularly special to Price because she can represent the fraternity her father, who passed away in a tragic motorcycle accident in 2009, was a member of. In fact, being in Nashville itself is special because it’s where she was born and raised before moving to North Texas to pursue gymnastics. 

“Everywhere I go, it’s like they know my dad or they were friends with my dad or something. So its just so amazing, so cool just to be back in my hometown, home city, home state just doing the sport that I love and inspiring the younger generation,” Price said. 

On days when the pressure is high, Price leans on her training, her faith and centering her mindset. 

“I always just work my hardest in the gym and act like I’ve never won,” Price said. “After last year, after I won the national championship, I just told myself you can’t be too focused on that cause obviously everyone knows I won so I feel like the world is expecting another win. For myself, I just expect greatness from every meet that I do, so every meet builds up to that last national championship meet. I can’t think too far forward. I have to stay in the moment. Stay present.”

Price admits she has a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that she’s in her junior year season. However, she knows what she hopes to see from the program after she’s gone. 

“I hope that the Fisk gymnastics program just continues to break barriers and make history,” Price said. “I feel like my coach always tells me, you know, it only takes one meet for the gymnastics world and the world in general to take us serious, so I feel like we’re continuing to become better, continuing to get those higher scores that other teams get. I feel like as long as we keep working, keep becoming better as a team, we will get to that moment for sure.”

With each milestone, she is proving that HBCU gymnastics belongs on the national stage—and that taking a leap of faith can lead to something extraordinary.