William Penn to Sponsor STUNT as 28th Sport

Oskaloosa–William Penn Athletics Director Grant Farris is excited to announce the addition of STUNT to the list of intercollegiate sports the University offers.

The Statesmen will begin competition during the spring of 2028. As is with all other sports on campus, athletic scholarships will be available for STUNT.

WPU already has a coach on campus as current cheer and dance coach Trisha Black will also head the STUNT squad.

USA Cheer’s description of STUNT: “STUNT, the fastest growing female sport in the country, removes the crowd-leading element and focuses on the technical and athletic components of cheer, including partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, group jumps and tumbling. These elements are put together in short routines that both teams must perform head-to-head on the floor at the same time. The team that executes the routine the best wins the round and the point. Possession then alternates to the other team who has the opportunity to determine which routine level will be called next. With four quarters of play – partner stunts, pyramids & tosses, jumps & tumbling, and team routine – STUNT is an exciting sport to play, coach and watch.”

“We are extremely excited to add STUNT here at William Penn,” Farris said. “One of our biggest priorities as an athletic department is continuing to create opportunities and provide meaningful experiences for our female student-athletes. Adding STUNT allows us to do exactly that by giving more young women the opportunity to pursue their passion, compete at the collegiate level, earn an athletic scholarship, and be part of the Statesmen family.”

“We want to continue expanding the experiences we can offer our student-athletes, and we believe STUNT has tremendous potential here at William Penn,” Farris added. “I am excited to see Coach Black build this program, and look forward to what the future holds for STUNT and Statesmen Athletics.”

The STUNT season runs from February through April; WPU will compete in Penn Gymnasium.

STUNT has existed at the collegiate level for 15 years and at the high school level for 13 seasons.

A total of 11 programs from within the NAIA sponsor STUNT, including three from the Heart of America Athletic Conference (Central Methodist, Missouri Baptist, and Missouri Valley).

While not yet a sanctioned high school sport in Iowa, it has become popular throughout the country with numerous states sponsoring or piloting it.

“I am incredibly excited to bring STUNT to William Penn University,” Black said. “This is an amazing opportunity to expand our athletic offerings and provide more opportunities for talented athletes to compete at the collegiate level. STUNT allows athletes to showcase their strength, athleticism, teamwork, and competitive drive in a whole new way.”

“STUNT is a Title IX sport, and hopefully we will see it in Iowa high schools soon as well,” Black added. “As the sport continues to grow, we are excited for William Penn to be only the second university in Iowa to have it. I look forward to building a strong, competitive program, creating new opportunities for student-athletes and establishing a tradition of excellence here at William Penn.”

With the addition, William Penn will now offer a total of 28 intercollegiate sports, also including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s bowling, cheerleading, men’s and women’s cross country, dance, Esports, flag football, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, shotgun sports, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s wrestling.

For more information on stunt and all Statesmen programs, visit William Penn’s athletics website at www.statesmenathletics.com