BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green State University Director of Athletics Derek van der Merwe has announced the hiring of Brittney Emmons as the head gymnastics coach. Emmons, who comes to BGSU after spending the last five seasons at William & Mary where she was the ECAC Assistant Coach of the Year, is no stranger to the Mid-American Conference. As a gymnast at Ball State, Emmons was named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Senior Gymnast of the Year in 2013 and earned trips to three NCAA Regionals as an all-arounder.

Emmons (Em-mons), the fourth head coach in Falcon gymnastics history, will be formally introduced at a press conference on Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the Wilcox Board Room on the third floor of the Sebo Center. 

"Brittney is an emerging talent in collegiate gymnastics," said van der Merwe. "As a former Mid-American Conference student-athlete, she was recognized as a team leader, two-time team captain, three time all conference performer, and the best overall gymnast in the conference in 2013. Since college she has made strategic moves in her career to prepare her for the opportunity to be a head coach. At her most recent stop, the College of William & Mary, she was recognized as the Eastern Collegiate Athletics Conference "Assistant Coach of the Year". As a teammate, leader, and coach, she has had the ability to effectively support building and sustaining a winning culture. I am excited to partner with her in the process of building a successful program at BGSU." 

During the 2023 campaign, Emmons continued to help build upon the program's upward trajectory as the Tribe earned the team's most victories since 2018. Additionally, a trio of gymnasts earned all-conference honors during the regular season, while another garnered the distinction at the Gymnastics East Conference Championship. 

W&M also continued its tradition of excelling in the classroom, as 17 members of the squad were selected as WCGA (Women s Collegiate Gymnastics Association) Scholastic All-Americans and earned GEC Scholar-Athlete Awards, while 14 garnered W&M's Provost Award. 

During the previous season, a trio of standouts earned all-conference honors, while the team concluded the year by posting its best score of the 2022 campaign at the inaugural Gymnastics East Conference Championship. Additionally, 15 members of the Tribe were honored as GEC Scholar-Athletes after excelling in the classroom, while 14 were named WCGA Scholastic All-Americans. 

Although both of her first two seasons at W&M were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic, her leadership helped successfully guide the program through the challenges. 

In 2021, W&M ranked 10th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.81, as 10 standouts garnered Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Scholastic All-America honors. 

Among the many highlights from W&M's 2020 season were two outstanding performances that ranked among the program's all-time top-10 list. Additionally, the Tribe etched its name in the program's top-10 lists three times on bars and twice on vault. 

W&M standouts also posted some of the best individual performances in school history, as Katie Waldman set a program record on bars and recorded the fifth-best score in all-around, while Erika Marr registered the fourth-best mark on vault. 

Several Tribe standouts were recognized with all-conference honors for their outstanding seasons, as five members combined to earn nine All-ECAC accolades in various events. 

Tribe gymnasts also excelled in the classroom, as 13 standouts were honored as Scholastic All-Americans by the WCGA, while seven were named to the ECAC All-Academic Team. Additionally, the team earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award after garnering an APR score that ranked among the top 10 percent of all Division I women's gymnastics programs. 

While Emmons is instrumental in all aspects of helping lead the program, she worked with the vault and beam lineups and coordinates most of the recruiting responsibilities. 

Emmons came to the Tribe after serving as the acting head women's gymnastics coach at Southeast Missouri State in 2017-18. In addition to helping a member of the Redhawks qualify for the NCAA Regionals, seven standouts on the squad competed at the USAG Collegiate Nationals – highlighted by four All-America athletes. 

Before assuming the head coaching duties at SEMO, Emmons served as an assistant with the Redhawks for one season, primarily coaching vault and floor. 

As a volunteer assistant at Utah State from 2013-16, she assisted with numerous aspects of the program, including camps, budgeting, social media, and fundraising. 

Emmons began her coaching career after a standout collegiate career at Ball State, where she was honored as the 2013 Mid-American Conference Senior Gymnast of the Year. A two-time team captain, she qualified for the NCAA Regionals three times as an all-arounder (2010, 2011, 2013) and competed at the 2009 regional meet on vault and floor. She earned All-MAC honors for three seasons and placed third on vault at the championship meet in 2011. 

Emmons graduated from Ball State with a bachelor's degree in biology with a pre-dental emphasis in 2012 and earned a master's degree in physical education and sport in 2013. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT BRITTNEY EMMONS 
 
"Brittney Emmons is extremely deserving of the incredible opportunity to become the new leader of the BGSU gymnastics program. She has already made major contributions to the three Division I collegiate programs she has been on staff at. Brittney is well prepared to put her heart and soul into serving her new student-athletes well. I am excited for Brittney Emmons to continue to impact women's gymnastics and the greater NCAA." 
- Nadalie Walsh, Head Gymnastics Coach University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

 
"Brittney brings a wealth of knowledge about the sport of gymnastics to Bowling Green. Her passion and creativity will take the program far. I look forward to watching her step into her new role as head coach of the gymnastics program! You have my support!" 
- Kelsey Hinton, Head Gymnastics Coach William & Mary  
 
"I am thrilled to hear that Brittney Emmons has been named the new head coach of BGSU's gymnastics team. I have had the privilege of working with Brittney in her role as an assistant coach and in her role as treasurer of the coaches association. She is an energetic and dedicated coach who brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for gymnastics with her. I am excited for Brittney and the BGSU gymnastics team … the future is hers to write!" 
- Melanie Hall, Head Gymnastics Coach Cornell University 

"With Brittney Emmons at the helm, the Bowling Green gymnastics program is in excellent hands. Along with her exceptional leadership capabilities, she strives for excellence in everything she does and is passionate about helping her students-athletes achieve their full potential in life. Falcon Gymnastics will soar to new heights under Brittney's leadership, and I am eager to see what the future holds."  
- Brittany Harris, Head Gymnastics Coach Brown University 

"I have known Brittney and watched her grow as a coach and mentor for years! I was able to work with her when she started her coaching career. There are few coaches in the NCAA who are as dedicated as her. Bowling Green, you are in good hands!"  
- Josh Nilson Associate Head Coach, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign