BALTIMORE, Md. (April 9, 2024) — The Morgan State Acrobatics & Tumbling team is set to wrap up their historic inaugural season with a road trip to face the Long Island Sharks on April 11th. The match will be held at the Pratt Recreation Center in Brookville, New York, at 6 p.m. ET. This will be the Bears' final regular season contest of the 2024 campaign. For those unable to attend in person, the match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
MEET DAY CENTRAL
MATCHUP: Morgan State Bears (2-3) vs. Long Island Sharks (5-4)
TIME: Thursday, April 11 at 6 p.m.
LOCATION: Pratt Recreation Center (Brookville, N.Y.)
WATCH: ESPN+ - here
LAST TIME OUT
Morgan State Acrobatics & Tumbling team capped off their home season on an impressive note, securing a decisive victory over Bluefield State College on April 11. The Bears' remarkable performance earned them a commanding score of 229.110, while Bluefield State trailed with a score of 158.925. This triumph marked a significant achievement as Morgan secured its second victory in program history.
MORGAN NOTABLES
● On April 8, 2022, Morgan State announced the addition of acrobatics and tumbling as its 16th NCAA varsity sport. Saturday's meet will have historical significance, as the program will officially get underway.
● Morgan State is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) Division I program to offer the sport and is only the third school in Maryland (following Frostburg State and Stevenson) to add acrobatics and tumbling. The Lady Bears are also the 10th NCAA Division I program in competition this season.
● "This historic moment is so profound not only for Morgan State University, the Community of Baltimore, Maryland and HBCU's, but for all the brown girls who have a passion for these skill sets," said Morgan State head coach Regina Smith, who during her coaching career has captured over 30 national championship college and high school titles. "We are truly honored to embark on this journey and looking forward to representing Morgan State University well tomorrow."
● Morgan's score of 235.600 in a road loss to Presbyterian (248.110) on March 22 was the highest total score in the program's history.
●The team made its inaugural debut on Feb.10th as it hosted the No. 3 ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats at Hill Field House. The Lady Bears would fall short, finishing the meet with 220.770 points, while the Bobcats finished with a total of 262.580 points.
SCOUTING LONG ISLAND
● Long Island University is located in Greenvale, New York and belongs to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and compete in the Northeast Conference (NEC).
● On January 24, 2023, LIU Director of Athletics Dr. William E. Martinov Jr. announced the addition of a women's acrobatics & tumbling program to the University's athletics department, with recruitment for 2023 underway and competition beginning spring 2024. LIU became the eighth Division I Program Nationwide to Sponsor Acrobatics & Tumbling.
● Shelby Armstrong, a distinguished alumnus of the University of Oregon, was appointed as the inaugural head coach of the LIU acrobatics & tumbling program in March 2023. Before joining LIU, Armstrong held the position of assistant coach at her alma mater, where she contributed to the Ducks' success in the Pac-12 Conference.
● LIU opened the season by dropping their first four matches, 254.190-233.410 at Iona (Feb.14), 272.840-232.920 at Quinnipiac (Feb. 25), followed by a 276.405-242.675 home loss to Baylor (March 5) and a 242-710-234.920 home setback versus Presbyterian (March 14).
● LIU is currently riding a 5-match winning streak that includes road victories on March 20 against Caldwell (246.670-183.190 and March 20 at Georgian Court (246.670-172.785. The Sharks returned home on March 25 to defeat Kutztown (255.075-248.750, before heading back on the road for a pair of wins on April 5 at Georgian Court (240.565-180.480) and April 5 against Stevenson (240.565-177.075).
ACROBATICS & TUMBLING MEET
A meet consists of six events: Compulsory, Acro, Pyramid, Toss, Tumbling, and Team Event. Teams compete in a predetermined rotation order throughout each event. Events are immediately scored by officials.
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more.
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Facebook: /MorganStateBears
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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.
