Florida Hires Jenny Rowland As New Head Coach

Florida Hires Jenny Rowland As New Head Coach

May 9, 2015 by Keri Monstrola
Florida Hires Jenny Rowland As New Head Coach
The University of Florida has named Jenny Rowland as the new head coach for the Gators. Rowland will replace the very successful Rhonda Faehn who resigned to take a position with USAG just days after Florida won their third consecutive national title.

Jenny Rowland named Florida Head Coach
Image via GatorZone

Rowland comes to Florida with success at the University of Auburn as their associate head coach. She helped lead Auburn to their first Super Six appearance since 2003 at last month's NCAA Championships, after which she was named the co-assistant coach of the year. Rowland will inherit amazing talent at Florida with gymnasts such as Bridget Sloan, Alex McMurtry and Kennedy Baker. 

Rowland was the balance beam coach at Auburn along with floor exercise dance and routine construction. Prior to Auburn, Rowland was the assistant coach at Oklahoma from 2001-2006. A gymnast herself, Rowland was a former All-American on bars at Arizona State and former USA World Championship team member. Rowland also spent four years as a judge on the international and national levels including the Olympic Trials in 2008 and 2012. 

Quotes from new head coach, Rowland - via gatorzone.com

“I’m so excited for this opportunity to become the Gator gymnastics head coach. Obviously, Rhonda [Faehn] has built Gator gymnastics into a model program. A key focus for me will be developing relationships with the current and past Gators, as well as building a connection with the gymnasts who will represent the Gators in the future.
 
“Jeremy Foley, Lynda Tealer and I all share a vision of continued success for Gator gymnastics. I look forward to working with this tremendous group of Gators and being a part of the Florida program.”

Quotes from Jeremy Foley- University of Florida Athletics Director- via gatorzone.com

“When we started this search, there was one name that kept coming up - Jenny Rowland. What Auburn has done over the past few seasons is quite impressive and she’s played a big role in the Tigers’ progress. We feel confident she’s ready to guide the Gator program.
 
“She wants Gator gymnasts to thrive in all aspects of their student-athletic career – in the classroom, in the competitive arena and in developing the life skills to be successful following college. She knows what is like to be a competitor on the national, international and collegiate stages. She has what it takes to be a successful recruiter as she’s built relationships with so many in the gymnastics world.
 
“We welcome Jenny, her husband, Garon and their daughters Ella and Emmy, to the Gator program.”

Florida star Bridget Sloan posts her reaction to the hiring of Rowland via her Instagram. 
 

Rhonda Faehn accepted a position with USA Gymnastics last month after 12 years at Florida. Faehn will become the senior vice president with USA Gymnastics in Indianapolis , Indiana. At Florida, Faehn broke through barriers as she lead the team to their first National Championship title in the program's 43 years. The team continued their success as they won the NCAA title the following two years, most recently just this past month at the 2015 NCAA Championships. 


Related: 
Rhonda Faehn accepts position at USA Gymnastics


Related Content