Gymnastics makes a brief appearance in the history of athletics at NYU. It was first practiced in 1894 after the addition of the University Heights campus in the Bronx. In March of 1897 the Athletic Association held the first dual gymnastic meet for prizes. There, NYU defeated Lehigh University. Two years later NYU hosted its first intercollegiate gymnastics event with 19 other colleges. Events included the horizontal bar, tumbling, club swinging, fence vaulting, rings, parallel bars, high jump, and the side horse. World War I interfered with the burgeoning team's growth, and the team was disbanded in 1919.
