Fisk's Morgan Price becomes first HBCU athlete to win national gymnastics championship

Fisk University sophomore Morgan Price made history Friday when she became the first athlete from a historically Black college or university to earn a national collegiate gymnastics championship.

Why it matters: Price's title in the USA Gymnastics women's collegiate all-around competition is a significant moment for the sport and for Fisk, which was the first HBCU to launch an NCAA gymnastics team.

What they're saying: "THE PRICE IS RIGHT," Fisk gymnastics posted after her all-around win on Saturday. "Etch her name in the HISTORY BOOKS."

The intrigue: Price — a native of Lebanon, Tennessee who spent her high school career in Texas — initially committed to Arkansas, a well-established SEC program, but Sports Illustrated said she switched to Fisk so she could be among the first gymnasts to compete for an HBCU.

Flashback: Fisk's gymnastics team garnered national attention for its efforts to boost diversity and opportunities within the sport. The squad began competing last year.

• Price quickly established herself as a standout for the program, and young Black girls began lining up after meets to have their pictures taken with her, HBCU Gameday wrote last year .

"Ever since I was younger, I have always wanted to be an HBCU gymnast," Price told Sports Illustrated in 2022. "I just never had the opportunity because there wasn't an HBCU with the gymnastics team. So when I saw this opportunity come up, I was super excited."

• "I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of this team."

State of play: Price's all-around victory was fueled by her performances in the floor exercise, uneven bars, balance beam and vault.

Between the lines: The Collegiate National Championships are the culmination of the season for colleges with programs that offer fewer than eight full scholarships.