22-04-2025
Wilberforce gymnast earns university's first All-American Honors
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — One local college athlete has made it to the national stage.
Gymnast Diamond Cook was first introduced last fall in a Tell Me Good News segment when Wilberforce University made history as one of the first ever historically Black university gymnastic teams. Now, Cook has made history again, as the first ever All-American gymnast at Wilberforce.
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'One of my favorite highlights was making it to nationals and becoming the first team All-American,' said Cook.
Now in her third year of university as a business management major, Cook is a life long gymnast who dreamed of competing in college.
Cook initially began at Talladega College, another HBCU, but due to funding, their gymnastics program was cut. However, Wilberforce stepped in to give those gymnasts a second chance, creating a brand new team last fall.
The new team attended their first meet on Jan. 3, and has since competed in meets all across the country, even hosting the first ever HBCU gymnastics meet, the Isla Classic, on Wilberforce's campus.
Cook shined throughout the season, and made it all the way to nationals for the first time last week. From April 11-13, she defied all odds stacked against her, becoming an All-American.
'I proved all the things that people were saying about me negatively, I proved it all wrong,' said Cook.
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And after making history yet again, Cook is proudly using this time in the spotlight to inspire other young gymnasts.
'It feels great, especially being able to be like an inspiration to other young Black gymnasts out there,' said Cook. 'I know it can be hard for us because it was hard this year, but I was still able to push through and make history.'
Going forward, Cook says she hopes even more gymnasts from the team will be able to compete with her next year at nationals.
To learn more about the Wilberforce gymnastics program, click here.
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