Guide to NCAA Coaching Changes for the 2016-2017 Season

Guide to NCAA Coaching Changes for the 2016-2017 Season

Once again, there were many coaching changes within college gymnastics during the offseason. Here is your guide to the new faces you may see during the 2016

Oct 4, 2016 by Keri Monstrola
Guide to NCAA Coaching Changes for the 2016-2017 Season
Once again, there were many coaching changes within college gymnastics during the offseason. Here is your guide to the new faces you may see during the 2016-17 college season. Good luck to all the coaches in their new roles!


Head Coaches


  • Eastern Michigan gymnastics has a whole new coaching staff, starting with first-year head coach Sarah Brown. Brown added assistant coach Dallas Becerra, who is entering his first year as a coach on the college gymnastics scene. Brown follows behind Jay Santos, now at Arizona State, who turned the EMU program around. Full release here
  • Jay Santos is the new head coach at Arizona State with his wife Jessica Santos. The Santos duo added Stephen Buckner as an assistant coach. Santos comes into ASU looking to turn the program around after he had great success at Eastern Michigan. Santos comes in after the firing of Rene Lyst after last season. Full release here
  • JoAnne Bowers stepped down as head coach at University of Washington, which named Elise Ray as her replacement in May. Ray has been an assistant coach at UW since 2011 and was promoted to associate head coach this past season. Ray brings in new assistant coaches Caleb Phillips and Chad Wiest. Full release here
  • Randy Solorio has shed the "interim" from his title and has been named head coach at Sacramento State. He had been acting as interim head coach for the last year.
  • Samantha Snider has been promoted to associate head coach for the Arkansas gymnastics team, teaming up with Mark Cook to lead the Razorbacks. Full release here


Assistant Coaches

  • Iowa State has announced Nilson Medeiros Savage as its new assistant coach. He was an assistant coach at Denver and also coached former DU gymnast Jessica Lopez in her return to elite gymnastics. Full release here
  • Iowa has announced its hiring of Vince Smurro as an assistant coach. He joins Iowa's staff after two years at Central Michigan.
  • Central Michigan has added Cameron Linford as an assistant coach. Cameron was the director of operations at Utah since 2007, and he has held various staff positions at Utah over the past 17 years.
  • Chris Bogantes is making the move from Southeast Missouri to Utah State as an assistant coach. He also coached at Ball State and Texas Woman's University.
  • Maryland has hired Evan Eigner as an assistant. Eigner is in his first season as a college gymnastics coach and is looking to help the Terps this season.
  • UNH has hired Lindsey (Bruck) Ayotte and Harris Bergman as assistants. Bruck is a former Michigan star who has been performing and coaching with Cirque du Soleil. Bergman is a former gymnast and diver who has been serving as a volunteer assistant at Pittsburgh. Former associate head coach Ed Datti has retired and will serve as a volunteer.
  • Anne Meade has been hired as an assistant coach at Pitt. As a longtime coach at North Stars and a former NCAA competitor, she brings many years of experience.
  • Ball State head coach Joanna Saleem has announced the addition of Scott Wilson as an assistant coach. He's spent the last eight years as a coach at Team Attraction Gymnastics in North Carolina. Ball State has also hired Jessie DeZiel as an assistant coach. DeZiel was a standout gymnast at Nebraska and takes on her first coaching position in the NCAA.
  • Kristina Comforte joins the Illinois as an assistant coach. Comforte takes on her first coaching position in the NCAA after being a collegiate gymnast at UCLA.


Volunteer Coaches

  • Jordyn Wieber has a new role at UCLA as a volunteer coach. Wieber has been helping with the team for the past three years as the student manager. Full release here


Related:
Florida's Freshmen Aim to Get Gators Back on Top




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