Kent State of Mind: Charlie Behner, Mya Migliore and Ashley Morgan - From Georgia to Ohio
1/29/2025 5:16:00 PM | Gymnastics
Moving far away from home for college may seem daunting, but three Kent State gymnasts eased the transition by bringing a piece of home with them.
Charlie Behner, Mya Migliore and Ashley Morgan all saw something special in Kent State’s program and moved from Georgia to Ohio to pursue their academic and athletic careers.
Now, they’re thriving together.
“We hang out, we practice together. We’re really with each other 24/7,” Migliore said.
Migliore arrived first and immediately fell in love with the program and the environment.
“I’ve had the best time ever,” she said. “I love the coaches. I love the girls. I just really have nothing bad to say about anything that involves Kent State.”
She wanted to “spread the word around” to help recruit other women.
“One of my good friends, Charlie Behner, decided to transfer in, and it was one of the best things ever,” Migliore said.
Behner’s transfer was a significant addition to the program. She medaled on vault at last season’s MAC Championships.
“I 100 percent made the correct decision to come here. The girls are amazing, the coaches are amazing, and we’re all just one big family,” Behner said.
Morgan was the last friend to reunite at Kent State.
She was a little nervous about moving away from home, but the presence of Behner and Migliore helped ease those fears.
“Having people here that you already know is comforting,” Morgan said. “It’s a little bit less nerve-wracking going into just college in general because it is such an adjustment.”
Morgan learned to embrace her unfamiliar environment and wishes everyone could experience the personal growth and development she found from moving away.
A different kind of experience
While the student-athletes’ schedules are demanding, the three friends wouldn’t trade their roles for the world.
“We get an entirely different experience,” Behner said. “We get to go out and represent the school. We have goals that we all are working towards. For example, last season, we had three goals: to win the MAC Championships, be regular season champions and qualify for regionals.”
Migliore echoed Behner, adding her own gratitude for the memories she’s made.
“I am truly blessed to be a student-athlete,” Migliore said. “It’s something that I want to hold on to and tell my kids about one day.”
While it can be difficult to balance everything, the women enjoy the challenge.
And they’re ready to take on more this season.
“The goals for this season are pretty much the same,” Behner said. “We want to win the first MAC Championship since 2015 for the gymnastics team. We want to be regular season champions, and we want to go to regionals.”
Navigating different roadblocks
Migliore, Behner and Morgan’s careers at Kent State are unique, but each athlete’s story features moments of grit and gratitude for competing in the sport they love.
For example, Morgan manages being a full-time student and athlete while working a part-time job.
“I would say the most rewarding part is just getting through each week and knowing that I gave it my all, regardless of how the week turned out or how the practice turned out,” Morgan said.
Meanwhile, after undergoing multiple knee surgeries and an achilles surgery, Migliore just feels grateful to be healthy and competing again.
“When I got injured, my coach looked at me and said, ‘You are not done,’” Migliore said.
“That’s just something that I always remember, and I will never take that for granted because I was not done, and I knew I had more to prove to myself, and that’s how I persevered to be where I am today.”
Behner also leaned on the support of her coaches and teammates to overcome mental obstacles.
In high school, Behner often felt “terrified” to compete because she wasn’t confident in her abilities.
However, her time at Kent State changed her perspective.
“It wasn’t until I transferred to Kent State that I realized I could bring so much more to a team,” Behner said.
She credits Coach Brice Biggin and her teammates for helping her realize her full potential.
“Probably one of my most defining moments is making that bar lineup because accomplishing that made all of my other events better and made me confident as a gymnast,” she said.
Competing as friends
Behner, Migliore and Morgan all agreed Kent State’s emphasis on friendships and fun are fueling their team’s success.
“Last year, we had so many people come up to us and tell us, like, ‘Wow, you guys just look like you’re having the best time ever.’ And to be honest, having fun just makes everybody more relaxed and just really shows that our team is here for each other and nothing else,” Migliore said.
Win or lose, though they’re planning to win a lot this season, Kent State’s gymnasts are raising the bar on building a positive team culture.
“I met the most amazing people that I’m going to be friends with forever,” Morgan said. “I’ve met my best friends, and I would have never met them if I didn’t go this far away from home.”
Kent State is building something special, and those three women from Georgia all found a new home away from home right here in Kent, Ohio.
For more Kent State of Mind narratives, click here.
