Gymnastics Adds Two To Coaching Staff

Three-time Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Year Marie Case Denick and Taylor Spears, NCAA champion gymnast and volunteer assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma, are joining the University of North Carolina gymnastics program as assistant coaches, UNC head coach Derek Galvin announced today.

The team and I are extremely pleased to welcome Taylor and Marie as new members of our Carolina Gymnastics program," says Galvin. "We had a number of impressive candidates who expressed an interest in our assistant coach positions. It became quickly apparent that the skill sets and experience Taylor and Marie possess would be a great fit with our gymnastics program. They both made a big impression on our search committee, and on our student-athletes, during the search process. Taylor and Marie have been mentored as student-athletes, and as coaches, by exceptional college coaches. Within our collaborative coaching framework Taylor will be serving as a primary coach on balance beam and bars, and Marie will be serving as a primary coach on vault and floor exercise. They both bring a highly focused and enthusiastic energy in their coaching styles, and they also possess administrative skills that will well serve the day to day operations of the program. We are eager to get the whole team together and begin the 2017-2018 Carolina Gymnastics adventure."

Case Denick comes to Carolina from Bowling Green State University in Ohio where she served as an assistant coach the last two seasons. Her primary duties at BGSU included coaching the vault and floor exercise and coordinating the team's academics and community service. The Falcons finished second in the MAC last year, the team's highest finish in the conference since 1987. One of Case Denick's athletes won the floor exercise and another was the MAC's Freshman of the Year. In addition, the team improved its grade point average to 3.65 and recorded more than 1,000 hours of community service.

In Case Denick's first year at BGSU, the Falcons set a school record team score for a single meet and one of her athletes won the all-around at the MAC Championship.

The Erie, Pa., native began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at her alma mater, Kent State, in 2015. She was the MAC Gymnast of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014, the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2011 and the conference's all-around champion as a junior and senior. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in the all-around in 2014 and was the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Regional Gymnast of the Year.

"I want to thank Derek for this tremendous opportunity to be a part of the UNC community," says Case Denick. "I am eager to get to work with Derek, Taylor and the support staff to help bring this team to the next level in the gym, the classroom and the community. I am excited about the potential of Carolina Gymnastics and ready to continue the winning tradition of the University of North Carolina."

Spears was a member of the University of Oklahoma's coaching staff the last two seasons as a volunteer coach, helping the Sooners win a pair of NCAA gymnastics championships. As a student-athlete at OU, she won an NCAA team title and was the NCAA individual champion on the balance beam as a senior in 2014. That year, she also was an All-America on the uneven bars, was an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, and a finalist for the AAI Gymnastics Award recognizing the most outstanding college senior.

In 2013, Spears was the Big 12 Gymnast of the Year and was the Big 12 all-around, beam and bars individual champion. She earned All-America honors as a junior in the all-around, bars and beam.

Spears was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection. For the past three years she also served as a head coach at the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Okla. In May 2017, one of her gymnasts from the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy captured the title of USAGymnastics Junior Olympic national champion on balance beam.

"I'd like to thank Derek and the entire athletic department for being so welcoming and giving me this amazing opportunity," says Spears. "I loved the vibe I got from the team when I first met them. Right away I could tell that they are extremely passionate and hungry for more success. I am so excited to collaborate with Derek and Marie, and to help lead this team to new heights."

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