Kimberlee Adkins was selected to lead Missouri State’s newest varsity athletics program as the head coach of the Bears acrobatics and tumbling team on April 17, 2024.

In two seasons leading the program, Adkins helped build Missouri State acrobatics and tumbling from the ground up and guided the Bears through their first years of varsity competition. Missouri State went 1-7 during its inaugural 2025 season while still building roster depth and did not have enough athletes available to compete in team event. One year later, the Bears showed major growth, improving to 3-5 in 2026 while earning victories over Presbyterian, No. 15 La Salle and Texas Lutheran.

Missouri State continued to raise its program standard throughout the 2026 season. Under Adkins, the Bears posted multiple program-best team scores, beginning with a 245.130 in their home tri-meet against Augustana and Presbyterian. Missouri State later reset the program record with a 246.830 against No. 15 La Salle, followed by a 247.855 at Azusa Pacific, a 250.105 at No. 6 Augustana and a 254.155 against Morgan State on Senior Day. The 254.155 marked the highest team score in program history and capped a clear step forward for the Bears in year two.

Adkins came to Missouri State after spending the previous year as head coach at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. While there, she coordinated every aspect of the acrobatics and tumbling program, including recruiting, fundraising, community service, budgeting and strength and conditioning. She also signed the largest incoming class in program history.

Prior to Davis & Elkins, Adkins served as the assistant coach and lead recruiter at Chowan University from 2022 to 2023. She played a major role in helping restart a program that had gone dormant during COVID while pushing the team’s scores upward throughout the season.

Before entering acrobatics and tumbling full-time, Adkins was an assistant cheer coach at James Madison, where she helped build the largest recruiting class in program history. James Madison also earned its first-ever top-10 finish at UCA College Nationals as a traditional all-girl cheer team during her time on staff.

Adkins also operates Kimmy’s Cheer Camps and Clinics, where she hosts all-skills camps for young athletes and college prep clinics for high school and college transfer athletes with collegiate aspirations. Her coaching career has also included stops with Fame Valley All-Stars, Mission Montessori Academy, Top Gun All-Stars and Immortal Athletics.

Originally from Lovejoy, Ga., Adkins earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Mississippi State University in 2014 and was a member of the competitive cheer team in Starkville. After Mississippi State, she transferred to Gannon University, where she was a member of the acrobatics and tumbling team during the 2014-15 season.

“Coach Kimmy” was a three-sport athlete in high school. She was captain of her cheer team, helped her volleyball team win a regional title and placed 15th in the Georgia state track meet in the pole vault.

Name	Title	Phone	Email Address	Alma Mater
Kimberlee Adkins	Head Coach	(417) 836-4136	kadkins@missouristate.edu	Mississippi State, 2014
Tori Kimble	Graduate Assistant	(417) 836-4136	Tel833s@missouristate.edu	Hawaii Pacific University, 2025

2026 Acrobatics & Tumbling Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff

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