Emmanuel Durojaiye

Acrobatics and Tumbling Khamani Anderson, MSU Athletics Communications

Acrobatics And Tumbling Wins Home Finale Against Bluefield State

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BALTIMORE, Md. (April 6, 2024)--On Saturday the Morgan State acrobatics and tumbling team completed its inaugural season home schedule, as the Lady Bears hosted fellow Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Bluefield State for the final home meet for the 2024 season.
 
The Lady Bears would secure the victory, defeating the Big Blue, 229.110-158.925. With the win, Morgan State concluded its home slate with a 1-2 record and improved to 2-3 overall. Bluefield State dropped to 0-2 on the season.
 
Saturday's contest was also Senior Day, as Morgan State honored its two seniors, Ayona Young and Jonyce Bland.
 
"It feels good to win, especially because the first win was away. "So, it was nice for the school. Every meet we get better and better," said Young, a native of Norwalk, Calif. "It's been challenging waking up for 6 a.m. practice every single weekday, but I really have a close relationship with a lot of my teammates. They make practice not seem like it's at 6 a.m. and I really love the energy that we have."
 
"Now that we have won at home, maybe more people will come to see that we can achieve a win," said Bland, a native of Brandywine, Md. "I hope when I come back next year to see my future teammates or my past teammates, to see them win more home meets."

The Lady Bears started the meet strong finishing with 33.950 points in the Compulsory event, while Bluefield State scored 19.90 points. Morgan State kept the energy going throughout each event and carried an 86.35-59.75 advantage over the guests at halftime.
 
"Our goal was to get our highest score, beat our highest score that we've had thus far throughout the season," said Morgan State head coach Regina Smith. "We actually nailed it in about four events throughout the entire meet."
 
"I'm very proud of you guys. I mean, you've got to think about where you started and how far you guys have come. And you should be very proud of yourselves. You know, you guys have helped lead this team to victory twice," stated Coach Smith of her seniors.
 
As for closing out the season on a high note, Coach Smith stated, "We have a lot of cleaning up to do so that we can score higher than Long Island and that's the goal, to come up with another W next week."
 
The Lady Bears will close out their inaugural season next Thursday, April 11, when they travel to Brookville, New York to take on Long Island University at 6 p.m. The meet will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Jonyce Bland

#26 Jonyce Bland

Base/Tumbler
5' 2"
Junior
Ayona Young

#17 Ayona Young

Utility
5' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Jonyce Bland

#26 Jonyce Bland

5' 2"
Junior
Base/Tumbler
Ayona Young

#17 Ayona Young

5' 1"
Junior
Utility