Courtesy of TheNCATA.org

LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Georgian Court University is pleased to announce the addition of acrobatics & tumbling to its varsity intercollegiate sports offerings, announced today by Director of Athletics Daniel Sempkowski.

Acrobatics & tumbling, an NCAA emerging sport for women will debut at GCU as part of the 2023-24 spring athletic season. It will become the Lions’ 15th varsity sport (ninth women’s program) and the University’s first addition since bringing on men’s lacrosse during the 2015-16 campaign. The sport is governed nationally by the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association.

Georgian Court will be the 46th collegiate program, including the 32nd to compete at the Division II level. GCU will also be the fourth Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) institution to add Acrobatics & Tumbling.

“Georgian Court is thrilled to be adding this new and engaging offering, Acrobatics and Tumbling,” stated Director of Athletics Daniel Sempkowski. “The sport has shown significant growth in the last few years, reaching the 40-member mark this past spring. We look forward to bringing on board a head coach as early as this fall, someone who will continue to add excellent student-athletes to this campus, athletically and in the classroom and community.”

Acrobatics & tumbling is the evolution of different forms of gymnastics. The sport involves tumbling, tosses, acrobatic lifts, and pyramids. Competitors are primarily recruited from the various disciplines of gymnastics and cheerleading to participate in acrobatics & tumbling, as well as multi-sport athletes, divers and weightlifters.

“The NCATA welcomes Georgian Court to the Acrobatics & Tumbling community. The past week has been incredibly exciting for A&T in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) – Georgian Court will be the fourth school to sponsor their conference. This series of announcements from the CACC has us optimistic about future expansion. Most importantly, every new program creates new opportunities for young women training in gymnastics and cheerleading to pursue their academic and athletic goals. Georgian Court offers new opportunities in New Jersey and strengthens the regional opportunities for our existing members. We look forward to working with them as they start their program.”

The first NCATA National Championships occurred in 2011 at the University of Oregon. Championships are held annually in April on an NCATA member campus. USA Gymnastics is committed to growing the sport of Acrobatics & Tumbling at the collegiate and youth levels. USA Gymnastics governs A&T as a team sport for youth programs, hosting championships in the summer since 2014.