Jay Santos has been named the head women's gymnastics coach for Arizona State. Santos' wife Jessica will serve as the associate head coach. Jay and Jessica are coming from Eastern Michigan where they coached for two years. In 2016, EMU made the program's first-ever NCAA Regional appearance, and achieved their highest season ranking in history at 17th. 


Press release via Arizona State Athletics:

Jay Santos, who previously served as head coach at Eastern Michigan, was named head women’s gymnastics coach Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director Ray Anderson announced Friday.

Santos is joined by wife Jessica, who will serve as associate head coach of the Gym Devils. The husband-wife duo coached Eastern Michigan to the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championship, the program’s first-ever NCAA Regional appearance, and finished the season ranked 17th in the nation – the highest national ranking in the history of the program.

“We have certain expectations when looking for a head coach and Jay, along with his wife Jessica, really fits into the culture we promote within Sun Devil Athletics,” Anderson said. “They will create an environment in which our student-athletes will thrive, not only competitively but as young adults. There is a shared expectation that the welfare of our student-athletes is top priority and I look forward to watching them shape the future of the program and the young adults they’ve been entrusted to lead.” 

In 2016, Eastern Michigan broke eight school records, including three on beam, earning Santos NCAA Central Regional Head Coach of the Year honors. Individually, Santos and Jessica coached gymnast Rachel Slocum, who scored a career-high 9.900 to win the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional title on floor, to become only the second athlete in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Prior to leading Eastern Michigan, Santos coached at the University of Illinois-Champaign where he served as assistant coach, then associate head coach in his four-year tenure. Jessica served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Fighting Illini for three seasons. At Illinois, Santos coached the team to three NCAA Championship appearances in 2011, 2013, and 2014, finishing 11th in the nation each year. Santos also coached eight Illini gymnasts to All-American honors, including Alina Weinsten, the 2012 and 2013 Regional All-Around Champion, 2013 Honda Award Finalist, and 2013 South Central Region Gymnast of the Year.

"The competition and history of the Pac-12 is unlike any other and Arizona State has such a storied program in the sport of gymnastics,” Santos said. “As we learned more about the culture of the program and Ray’s vision for the department during the interview process; there was no doubt in our minds this would be a great fit and an amazing opportunity for us. Jess and I are excited to create an atmosphere where gymnasts flourish athletically, academically, and into the future. I want to thank Ray Anderson, Don Bocchi, and Scottie Graham for the opportunity to join the Sun Devil family.”

Santos and Jessica’s coaching stints also overlapped at Iowa State, where he was assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2006-10, and Jessica served as an assistant from 2009-11. Prior to Iowa State, Santos spent time as an assistant at Ohio State, while Jessica served as an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh from 2006-09.

Santos earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Operations Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1995, and was a member of the Minutemen’s gymnastics team from 1990-95. At Amherst, he was a three-time co-captain and founding member of the department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Jessica earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Athletic Coaching Education at West Virginia University in 2005 and 2007, respectively. She competed for the Mountaineers from 2001-05 and was the last gymnast at WVU to score a perfect 10.0 in competition. Jessica then served as the Mountaineers’ volunteer assistant coach during the 2006 season. A member of the National Association of Women’s Gymnastics Judges, Jessica has been a Certified Level 10 judge since 2007.

Sun Devil Gymnastics Head Coach Lineage
Monique Sublette – 1976
Marie Bilski – 1977-80
John Spini – 1981-2014
Rene Lyst – 2015-16
Jay Santos – 2016-present


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