Gymnastics coach gets contract extension
In her second season as USU gymnastics coach, Nadalie Walsh led the Aggies to their second-straight NCAA regional appearance.
Walsh was rewarded for her hard work with a contract extension through the 2018-2019 season.
“I’m very thankful and excited,” Walsh said of the contract extension. “I was a little surprised because my prior schools didn’t do contracts, so it’s nice to have some security and to feel like having the faith and belief that Scott Barnes believes in me and what we’re doing with the program, so that makes me pretty happy.”
Utah State University vice president and head athletic director Scott Barnes said that Walsh has done a good job of leading the team.
“Nadalie and her staff have done a great job of cultivating an environment of success both on the floor of competition and in the classroom,” Barnes said. “She has clearly re-engerized our gymnastics student-athletes, and we are excited about the future of the program under her leadership.”
This season Utah State finished fourth in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference and placed fifth at the NCAA Regional Championship.
“I’m so proud of the girls,” said Walsh after the regional performance. “We did not count any falls, which is the beginning of building a strong program. I’m so proud of them for being at this level and being able to go out there, stay focused and not be affected. Last year, we were a fish out of water a little bit, but this year not at all. It makes me confident in their ability to take the program even further next year.”
In her first year as coach, Walsh led Utah State to its best start to a season since 1999. Throughout the course of the year, Utah State reached the 196-point mark in three consecutive meets. Prior to that, the program had hit the 196-point plateau just 10 times.
After starting the 2013-2014 season with three-straight wins, Walsh coached Utah State to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Regional Championships. It was the school’s first regional appearance since 2007. The Aggies placed fifth at the MRGC Championships in 2014 with a season-high score of 196.075, which was Utah State’s highest since 2003.
Utah State excelled academically under Walsh this season. Fifteen of the 22 gymnasts currently have a GPA of at least 3.2, and each one will be honored at the Joe E. and Elma Whitesides Scholar-Athlete Awards Luncheon on Tuesday.
The luncheon recognizes student athletes who have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or greater. As a team, the Aggies have a GPA of 3.4. Walsh credits the culture of the team and university for the the success of the program.
“It’s really natural and easy here,” Walsh said. “It’s a really good quality of life and I’m super happy. My family is happy, and it’s easy to bring that into the gym. To do any sort of encouraging for any of the girls, that goes a long way just investing in their lives beyond gymnastics. The whole culture here makes it easy to do well.”
With a new contract Walsh can now focus on preparing for the 2016 season next spring.
— kalen.s.taylor@gmail.com
Twitter: @kalen_taylor