Limestone University is staring down the possibility of closure after 179 years, and with it, the abrupt end of one of Division II cheerleading’s rising programs.
The liberal arts college in Gaffney, South Carolina, announced it needs $6 million in emergency support to avoid shutting its doors at the end of the spring semester. If funding doesn’t come through, the school will cease all in-person instruction, lay off 300 employees, and end all athletics—including a nationally competitive cheerleading team fresh off a podium finish at NCA & NDA College Nationals.
Just over a week ago, Limestone’s Advanced Small Coed Division II team placed 3rd in the nation at Daytona Beach. Their finals routine hit nearly clean, earning a raw score of 90.4667 and an event score of 89.5334, a razor-thin margin behind second-place Arkansas Fort Smith.
Saints head cheer coach Bailey Morgan addressed the team in an emotional message:
“I unfortunately have to inform you our school will be closing at the end of this semester. This is extremely heartbreaking. We love this program and university… and if we knew this would’ve happened, we wouldn’t have set you up for this.”
The announcement landed like a gut punch for athletes who just put it all on the mat, and it underscores how fragile collegiate cheer programs can be—even at the peak of success.
Limestone was founded in 1845 as the first women’s college in South Carolina and one of the first in the U.S. It began admitting men in the 1990s and officially rebranded from Limestone College to Limestone University in 2020. With tuition topping $27,000 per semester, the school has about 1,000 on-campus students and offers remote learning options for undergraduate and graduate programs.
School officials blame the looming closure on a storm of financial headwinds: declining enrollment, increasing costs, and long-term structural challenges facing small private colleges across the country.
“The Board’s priority is to preserve the Limestone mission of education and service on our campus in addition to online,” said board chair Randall Richardson. “But without this financial lifeline, we will have no choice but to move all operations online, which means closing our physical campus.”
In-person classes are scheduled to end April 29. The board of trustees will meet April 22 to decide Limestone’s fate. If the school does close, all sports programs—including cheer—will be discontinued.
This situation mirrors a troubling national trend. In the past year alone, Eastern Nazarene College, Northland College, Birmingham-Southern, and others have closed or announced plans to merge. A recent study projected up to 80 more colleges could face similar outcomes due to a coming 15% drop in college-age students.
There are more questions than answers. For now, Coach Morgan and her staff are focused on helping athletes transition, whether through transfer portals, tryouts, or direct outreach to other programs.
Limestone’s cheerleaders just hit the podium at one of the sport’s most competitive events. Now they may be scrambling to find new homes—just to keep doing what they love.
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