Eastern New Mexico University will become the first NCAA institution in the Land of Enchantment to sponsor STUNT as an intercollegiate athletic program.
"This is a major step for the growth of Greyhound athletics and the pursuit of an emerging sport," said director of athleticsKevin Fite. "I want to thank other ADs in the Lone Star Conference and USA Cheer for the assistance and guidance in this process."
ENMU intends to begin competing in STUNT during the 2025-26 academic year with an anticipated roster size of around 20 student-athletes. Scholarships will be offered for STUNT. The season will run from February to April.
Currently, five LSC institutions compete in STUNT. Those schools are Dallas Baptist, St. Edward's, St. Mary's, Texas Woman's, and Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Greyhounds will become the sixth member school with the sport.
STUNT incorporates skills derived from cheerleading. The games are head-to-head between two squads executing skill-based routines in various categories. Some of those categories include partner stunts, jumps and tumbling, pyramids and tosses, and team routines.
One of the fastest growing sports in the world, more than 70 institutions nationwide sponsor STUNT. Programs compete in 8-16 contests per season and DII equivalency sits at nine.
The sport removes the crowd-leading element and prioritizes technical and athletic aspects of cheer. Teams perform routines and compete head-to-head during the same time. The program with the best execution of the routine earns a point in the game and possession is given to the other team with an opportunity to choose the routine level to be called next. The game is played in four quarters and lasts between 45 and 60 minutes.
USA Cheer currently serves as the governing body for STUNT. At the high school level, games are taking place in nine different states with interest from nine other states and D.C.
"Special thanks to Dr. James Johnston for his guidance as we made this decision to help support additional opportunities for female participation in sport," said Fite. "This is a great opportunity for Eastern New Mexico University, and I look forward to welcoming STUNT as our next program."
Eastern expects to immediately begin the search for the first head coach of STUNT. An assistant will be hired in summer 2025.