Morgan State’s Acrobatics and Tumbling team successfully performed a specific move that garnered the team national attention when part of their routine went viral.
The move, called a two feet split with straddle, gained attention from local and national news media — garnering 7 million views when ESPN shared the video on its TikTok account. Many commented on the strength and control the two athletes, freshman Lauren Perkins as the base and freshman Rayla Buckner as the top, displayed.
“It feels well-deserved,” said A’Lycia Moore, a junior utility member on the team. “I can personally say that before this came about, we said that we will be the number one team for Morgan State athletics and no one believed us.’’
Head coach Regina Smith said the attention was overdue.
“Women have been the backbones of families and leadership and I am honored to be in the position and in this journey that God has given us.’’ said Smith.
To execute the move, Bucker supported her body weight by holding Perkins’ hands while she held a spit squat. Buckner then rolled her body upward into a handstand, held it for several seconds and slowly came back down. Perkins then eased into a split while supporting Buckner above her.
The team is 0-5 at this point in the season but the team still piqued national interest.
The Bears traveled to University of Oregon and took on NCATA’s No.4 team. Morgan lost to Oregon 281.565 to 256.605. However, it wasn’t the score that caught the country’s attention.
The special sequence they performed during the competition showed their strength, balance, control and their trust in each other.
“It was mind blowing, I was trying to figure out why I was getting so many followers. When we saw ESPN posting us, we started losing our minds.’’ said Buckner.
‘’I was surprised we were the ones to go viral and make it. I was super excited and pleased to see how the video turned out.’’ said Perkins.
Many members on the team are surprised about the attention that they’re getting. But others on the team believe that it’s their moment now.
The Lady Bears’ season began where they already faced off against top ranked teams in the sport. On Feb. 2, they faced off against the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, Quinnipiac University.
Although The Bears lost 270.565 to 246.745, the team was praised for their dedication and poise going into season number two and taking on the nations top competition.
Morgan’s newest sport is back in action Sunday, March 3 their second home match of the season against Presbyterian College.
