Morgan Price never heard her father cheer from the stands. Never saw him waiting at the end of a meet, arms open, beaming with pride. Christopher Price, a former Kansas City Royals player, was gone before she could fully understand what his presence meant. And yet, he’s with her with every leap, every landing, every moment with which she defies gravity! His legacy moves with her. And while most athletes have mentors who guide them in real-time, Morgan has something different!

In 2009, a motorcycle accident claimed Christopher Price’s life. Morgan Price was only four. For her mother, Marsha, and sisters, Frankie and Kristin, life as they knew it shattered. The family uprooted from Lebanon, Tennessee, and moved to Dallas, Texas, where Marsha carried on her late husband’s dream career in real estate. But Chris Price continued to motivate his gymnastics prodigy of a daughter through the hardest times. “My father passed away when I was four years old in 2009. He always told me and my sisters to never give up, so on my hardest days, I always think of him and just continue to push through, striving to be the best I can be each and every day,” Price shared with the Togethxr YouTube channel, who shared a short film on the 18-year-old gymnast, titled “Pursuing an HBCU Gymnastics Dream”.

Marsha Price carried on her late husband’s dream in real estate, ensuring stability for their family in a new city. But even as she built a future for her daughters off the competition floor, Morgan Price continued to shatter all limits to become the best version of herself on the mat. And why wouldn’t she? sports has always been a crucial part of the Price household.

“Sports just kind of run in my family. My older sister, Frankie Price, is a gymnast at the University of Arkansas, and my younger sister stopped doing gymnastics but is now a competitive cheerleader,” She said. “Both of my parents were athletes. My dad, Christopher Price, played for the Kansas City Royals, and my mom, Marsha Price, was a cheerleader at Vanderbilt University”. Even beyond her family, she has always had inspiration to draw upon. Take LSU gymnast Kiya Johnson for example!

Price trained with Johnson at the Texas Dreams and looks up to the LSU Tigers’ gymnast for inspiration. Talking about the Texas native, the 18-year-old budding gymnast couldn’t mask her admiration, “she’s just always, like, so aggressive and so, like, dominant.” We all need a role model in our lives and so does Morgan Price, “but just like every event that she does, I just see her, like, determination and I just try to, like mimic that when I do gymnastics as well.” Not a word of a lie there! After all, who becomes one of the leading all-around gymnasts in the country without being determined and steadfast? But when it comes to creating history, the Tennessee native isn’t far behind!

Morgan Price Makes History as First HBCU Gymnast to Score Perfect 10

Morgan Price decommitted from the University of Arkansas to join Fisk University, a leading HBCU. But why? Well, for the 18-year-old, it isn’t just success on the mat that matters, it’s beyond that. It’s about her culture and the legacy she hopes to leave behind, “The decision that I made was bigger than just gymnastics. It was also just about, like, making history and like, being an inspiration to the younger black girls who wanna become a HBCU gymnast as well”. But just talking about her performance on the mat, it is the dream of every gymnast to score the perfect 10.0. On February 8, Morgan Price achieved this moment when skill, precision, and artistry came together.

The Fisk University sophomore wowed the crowd under the bright lights at Temple University with her bars routine. Every handstand was precise, each transition flowed smoothly, and then she delivered the full-twisting double-back dismount, landing it perfectly. Judges had no choice but to respond with a perfect 10 and boom! With that history was made!

Price became the first gymnast from a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to earn a perfect score in women’s collegiate gymnastics. Her teammates rushed to celebrate her. This moment meant more than just a number, it was all about breaking barriers and showing that Fisk Gymnastics, the first HBCU gymnastics program, belongs on the biggest stage. But Price wasn’t finished. She excelled in every event except for beam, achieving a career-best all-around score of 39.500—almost a full point ahead of second place, a rare margin in gymnastics!

From a program that started just two years ago to a perfect 10 that resonated through the gymnastics world, Price’s journey is legendary. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that she’s only beginning.