GREENVILLE, Pa. (March 9) — Thiel College Director of Athletics Isaac Collins announced Monday the addition of STUNT as the College's newest varsity sport.

The program will begin competition in the 2026-27 academic year under the leadership of current Cheerleading head coach Randall Burnett.

"STUNT has experienced tremendous growth across the country and we are excited to bring this emerging sport to Thiel College," Collins said. "The addition of STUNT provides another competitive opportunity for student-athletes while continuing to strengthen our athletic department and enhance the student experience."

The addition of STUNT continues Thiel's commitment to expanding athletic opportunities for student-athletes while supporting the continued growth of women's athletics.

"Adding STUNT is an exciting step forward for Thiel Athletics," Burnett said. "The sport allows athletes to showcase the elite skills that come from cheerleading in a competitive format. It's great to see these opportunities expanding at the collegiate level, and I'm excited for the impact this program will have for future student-athletes at Thiel."

STUNT is a team sport derived from cheerleading that focuses on the technical and athletic components of partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses and tumbling. Unlike traditional cheerleading, STUNT removes crowd-leading elements and instead features head-to-head competition between two teams performing the same routines simultaneously.

The sport continues to grow at the collegiate level and was granted championship status across all three NCAA levels at January's NCAA convention.

Thiel joins fellow Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) school Hiram College as the lone league schools to offer STUNT.

Questions regarding the addition of STUNT can be directed to head coach Burnett by email at rburnett@thiel.edu.