INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The NCAA officially approved Acrobatics & Tumbling as a championship sport following a vote by its membership at the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area, marking a historic milestone for the sport and a major step forward for Missouri State's acrobatics and tumbling program. 

The NCAA's first acrobatics and tumbling championship is projected to take place in spring 2027, creating a National Collegiate Championship in which student-athletes from all three NCAA divisions will compete for a single national title. 

Added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program in August 2020, acrobatics and tumbling rapidly advanced toward championship status by surpassing the NCAA's required threshold of 40 varsity-sponsoring institutions while meeting minimum sport sponsorship criteria. 
 
"Today's announcement validates years of relentless effort put in by countless women that saw a bigger picture and the impact this would have on female athletes for generations to come. I'm over the moon to know that young women will have the opportunity to compete this sport at this level forever," said head coach Kimmy Adkins "I'm honored and humbled to be the first and only NCAA D1 A&T coach in the state of Missouri! Shout out to d3 women's wrestling I'm a huge fan and can't wait to watch y'all grow! GO BEARS!" 

The NCAA's decision reinforces its continued commitment to expanding opportunities for women in college athletics and ushers in a new era of visibility and competitive opportunity for Missouri State acrobatics and tumbling as the program looks ahead to championship-level competition. 

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