Adkins Named MSU’s First A&T Coach

SPRINGFIELD — Kimberlee Adkins has been selected to lead Missouri State’s newest varsity athletics program as Director of Athletics Kyle Moats has named her as the head coach of the Bears acrobatics and tumbling team.

Adkins comes to Missouri State after spending the past year as head coach at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. While there, she coordinated every aspect of the acrobatics and tumbling program’s recruiting, fundraising, community service, budgeting and strength and conditioning, in addition to signing the largest incoming class in program history.

She previously served as the assistant coach and lead recruiter at Chowan University from 2022 to 2023. Adkins was pivotal in resurrecting a program at Chowan that had gone dormant during COVID while pushing the team’s scores up in each meet throughout the season.

Prior to Chowan, Adkins was an assistant cheer coach at James Madison and assisted in building the largest recruiting class in JMU history. James Madison also earned its first-ever top-10 finish at UCA College Nationals as a traditional all-girl cheer team while Adkins was a coach there. 

Coach Adkins also operates “Kimmy’s Cheer Camps and Clinics,” where she annually hosts all-skills camps for young athletes and college prep clinics for high school and college transfer athletes with collegiate aspirations. Her coaching career has also featured stints with Fame Valley All-Stars, Mission Montessori Academy, Top Gun All-Stars and Immortal Athletics.

Originally from Lovejoy, Ga., she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Mississippi State University in 2014 and was a member of the competitive cheer team in Starkville. Following her tenure at Mississippi State, she transferred to Gannon University, where she was a member of the acrobatics and tumbling team for the 2014-15 season.

“Coach Kimmy” was a three-sport athlete in high school and was captain of her cheer team, helped her volleyball team win a regional title, and placed 15th in the Georgia state track meet in the  pole vault.

Her hire is contigent upon formal approval by the Missouri State University Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting.