In the wake of losing its swim and dive program, Cal Poly announced that it will transition stunt from a club sport to a varsity sport by the beginning of the 2025-26 academic year.
“It's definitely cool and kind of a lot, a little bit more pressure. Obviously, I knew how good the team was," said incoming freshman Gabby Lonardo.
After 15 years as a club sport, one national championship in 2023 and runner-up finishes, the Cal Poly stunt team will be recognized as a varsity sport. Head coach Annette Laron-Pickett says that transition has been in talks for the past five years.
“The Friday that we announced it, we had over 100 potential athletes already reach out and share our interest," Laron-Pickett said. "So it's very exciting to see that people are interested in the sport and wanting to come to Cal Poly."
The sport consists of four quarters, with the first quarter featuring partner stunts, the second quarter pyramids and tosses, the third jumps and tumbling, and the fourth being team routine
“We've been working really hard, hoping for everyone to recognize how hard we've been working, how much success we've had over the past few years, and we're really excited to be elevated to the varsity level," senior Maya Delgado said of the news.
Currently, there are only seven other Division I schools with stunt classified as an emerging sport. Cal Poly has been one of the top club programs in the country, winning a club national championship back in 2023 and a runner-up finish in 2024.
“This has been a long time coming and we're working hard for this and we've been working on getting compliant even as a club team so that way this transition would be seamless," Laron-Pickett explained.
In April, Cal Poly hosted its first home event in 10 years, drawing more than 1,100 people. Delgado, who has been with the team for the last three years, saw firsthand the community support.
“A lot of people don't really know the sport as well, so it was nice for everyone to be able to see a full game in action and we played some really good games during that tournament," she said.
Cal Poly released the news last week, explaining that adding the program aligns with its priorities and goals, with up to 65 roster spots available for female student-athletes. It was also noted that the sport model is cost-effective, with limited equipment and travel expenses.
“We already had the equipment. We already have the facilities. I'm already internal and on staff, so that was an easy transition as far as getting us started immediately," Laron-Pickett explained.
Stunt was recognized as an emerging sport in 2023 by the NCAA. Cal Poly's press release also explained that another sport that could come to Cal Poly in two years is women’s flag football, with 45 other programs across the country expressing their intent to participate.
The university was recently reached out to by a Title IX advocacy group and law firm regarding their lack of equitable opportunities for women in athletics, but with the addition of potentially two new varsity sports, Champion Women is still claiming the school falls short.
