STUNT Advances to NCAA Championship Status

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- The NCAA has approved STUNT as a championship sport across all three divisions. The decision was voted on at the 2026 NCAA Convention, with the sport's first NCAA championship projected for spring 2027.

Division I and II STUNT joined the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program in 2023, and Division III added it the following year. Since then, the sport has grown rapidly, crossing the benchmark of 40 schools meeting minimum contest and participant requirements in its first year as an emerging sport in all three divisions.

Belmont STUNT is excited to join the sport's empowering community, and be a part of its historic emergence at the collegiate level.

"Seeing STUNT reach full NCAA championship status is a true milestone. I'm incredibly grateful of the hard work that brought us here, but the real victory is for the young women in this sport," say Belmont Head STUNT Coach Jessica Woody. "This shift ensures they receive the opportunity, respect, and professional future they've earned."

STUNT athletes compete in a four-quarter head-to-head format, utilizing traditional cheerleading and tumbling skills. The scoring structure emphasizes athleticism and precision.

For Makenna Simon, a high school STUNT athlete from Temecula, Calif. and future member of Belmont's inaugural STUNT team, the decision is a recognition of the hard work put in by young women athletes across the country.

"With STUNT becoming an NCAA championship status sport, it feels like the hard work of women athletes and myself have paid off. Proving dedication and passion in a growing sport really shows how incredibly proud I am to be a part of it!"

The approval and sponsorship of legislation across all three divisions allows for the creation of a National Collegiate Championship; one championship where student-athletes from all levels compete on one stage.

Spokespeople from across the NCAA are proud of this decision, as it affirms the years of athletic talent and dedication displayed by STUNT athletes. They believe that the decision strengthens the NCAA's commitment to improving opportunity and visibility for women athletes, and provides more women with a well-deserved pathway to compete and excel at the collegiate level.

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