Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will expand its varsity sports with the addition of STUNT.
"I am thrilled to announce STUNT as a new varsity sport at Purdue Northwest," Director of Athletics Rick Costello said. "STUNT is a wonderful addition to the array of sport offerings at PNW and will create plenty of excitement for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and the Northwest Indiana community. Most importantly, STUNT will expand athletic participation opportunities for female student-athletes."
Purdue Northwest is the first institution in the state of Indiana to add a varsity STUNT team. Officially recognized as an emerging sport by the NCAA, STUNT is the 21st intercollegiate sport on the PNW roster. Purdue Northwest will begin competition in STUNT during the 2024-2025 athletics season.
"PNW is proud to be on the forefront of bringing an emerging NCAA sport to our students and our community," said Thomas L. Keon, chancellor of Purdue University Northwest. "The new PNW STUNT team will offer significant opportunities for student-athletes looking to attain a high-quality education while participating in an exciting competitive arena."
STUNT, one of the fastest growing sports in the country, incorporates skills derived from cheerleading. STUNT is an exciting head-to-head game between two teams who execute skills-based routines in various categories – partner stunts, jumps & tumbling, pyramids & tosses, and team routines. For more information on STUNT please click on the link About STUNT - YouTube
USA Cheer created STUNT to expand participation opportunities for young women at the collegiate level by providing an avenue for female athletes to use their cheerleading skill in a new sport. "On behalf of STUNT and USA Cheer, I am extremely excited that Purdue Northwest is adding a STUNT program to their athletics department," said Lauri Harris, Executive Director, USA Cheer. "With Chicagoland having a long tradition of extremely talented cheer athletes this makes Purdue Northwest the perfect location for a collegiate STUNT program. We know that with their long-standing tradition for excellence Purdue Northwest will be a great institution for high school female athletes to continue their STUNT careers while getting a top notch education."
A search is currently underway for the head coach of PNW Pride STUNT. Interested applications are invited to apply at Head Stunt Coach
About the PNW Pride Athletics program
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) Athletics consists of 450 student athletes and 20 sports and is a member of the NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, American Collegiate Hockey Association, and the Midwest Esports Conference. Intercollegiate athletic teams are fielded in men's ice hockey, baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, esports, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track & field, softball, and women's volleyball. Purdue Northwest has recently developed new ice hockey, esports, and golf facilities. PNW's athletic teams compete as the Pride, evoking both a pride of lions and the pride we show in our students, faculty and community.
For more information on the Purdue University Northwest athletics program please go to PNWathletics.com.
About Purdue University Northwest
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is a premier metropolitan university dedicated to empowering transformational change in our students and in our community. Located in Northwest Indiana, near Chicago, PNW values academic excellence, supports growth, and celebrates diversity. For more information about PNW, visit www.pnw.edu.
