Ballard Joins Kent State Gymnastics Coaching Staff
West Virginia grad spent previous three seasons as an assistant at Bowling Green.
KENT, Ohio -- The Kent State gymnastics program has added Craig Ballard to its coaching staff, 21st-year head coach and 2011 National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) National Head Coach of the Year Brice Biggin announced Tuesday (Sept. 6).
"We're extremely excited to have Craig on board here at Kent State," said Biggin. "He's got great experience coaching and recruiting at the collegiate level. "
Ballard replaces Tom Ward, who accepted a position as an assistant coach at Arizona State. He spent the last three seasons as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Bowling Green where he helped spearhead a turnaround that saw the Falcons go from last place in the Mid-American Conference to fourth and improve seven positions in the final national rankings. He tutored six gymnasts to NCAA Central Regional berths in three years. Prior to his arrival at Bowling Green, Ballard spent the '08 season as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Rhode Island, earning Eastern College Athletic Conference Assistant Coach of the Year honors as the Rams took second place at the conference championships. Ballard got his start in collegiate coaching as a team manager/student coach at West Virginia, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies in '06.
"I'm excited and honored to join a program with the type of tradition that Kent State has," said Ballard. "As a coach, it's something you want to be a part of and help to grow and take to the next level. I'm excited to get to work."
Ballard joins 2011 NACGC/W National Assistant Coach of the Year Sharon Sabin, who begins her ninth season at Kent State, on Biggin's coaching staff. The Golden Flashes are coming off their first trip to the NCAA Championships in program history after placing second at the 2011 NCAA Ann Arbor Regional April 2, achieving the special feat of competing for a national title while also playing co-host to the event along with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. Kent State defeated the likes of No. 4 Stanford, No. 16 Ohio State and No. 23 Minnesota at the regional en route to becoming the first regional six seed and MAC team ever to advance to the national finals. The Golden Flashes completed the season with their highest ranking in program history at No. 12 after totaling a team score of 195.000 on April 15 at the national semifinals at the Wolstein Center.
Follow Coach Ballard on Twitter @GymCoachCraig.
Stay tuned to KentStateSports.com in the coming days for the release of the 2012 gymnastics schedule.
