University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Hansen Signed to Five-Year Extension
10/22/2021 9:30:00 AM | Gymnastics, M Club
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota and head women's gymnastics coach Jenny Hansen have agreed to a five-year contract extension. The extension will keep Hansen in Maroon and Gold through the 2026 season.Â
"It's an honor to be able to continue to lead my alma mater," Hansen said. "Over the last eight years, our staff has been committed to providing a tremendous experience for our student-athletes and have been fortunate to achieve some incredible accomplishments along the way. I'm thankful to everyone at the University of Minnesota for their continued support and belief in the vision and values of our program and I am excited about the future moving forward."
A native of Ripon, Wis., Hansen enters her eighth season as head coach of the Gophers in 2021-22. She has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year three times, most recently after the conclusion of the 2020 season. Hansen served as assistant coach for the Golden Gophers program from 2007-14 and was honored as National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2013.Â
Hansen led the 'U' to one of its best seasons in program history last year as the Gophers captured the 2021 Big Ten Tournament Championship, the first since 2006, and claimed a spot at the NCAA National Championship for the first time under the new eight-team format. Under Hansen's guidance, the Gophers broke numerous team records including a new team score record of 197.750 set at the Big Ten Championship. Minnesota also set a new record on floor (49.575) and uneven bars (49.575) while notching the second-highest vault score in program history (49.525) at the NCAA Regional Semifinal and third-highest beam score (49.600).
"Jenny is a tremendous coach who has elevated our gymnastics program to a championship level," said Director of Athletics Mark Coyle. "I look forward to the program's continued success in the gym and in the classroom under her leadership."Â
Since taking over the program, Hansen has coached her gymnasts to 51 All-American honors, including a program record 10 WCGA All-Americans and 11 NCAA All-Americans in 2021. Two gymnasts in Lindsay Mable (2016) and Lexy Ramler (2021) have won the prestigious AAI Award during Hansen's tenure, an award recognizing the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country. Mable (2015, 2016) and Ramler (2019, 2020, 2021) have also earned a combined five Big Ten Gymnast of the Year honors.Â
Academically, Minnesota has reached a heightened level of success under Hansen with the program posting its highest team cumulative grade point averages in the spring of 2020 along with a program-record 15 WCGA Scholastic All-American honors.Â
As a gymnast, Hansen competed as a Golden Gopher from 2000-2003. In 2003, she finished fifth in the vault at the NCAA Regional Championships with a career-best score of 9.850. At the completion of her career, she ranked third on Minnesota's all-time top performers list on the balance beam (9.925), was tied for seventh on the floor exercise list (9.925), and was tied for ninth all-time on the vault (9.850). Hansen served as a team captain in her senior season with the Maroon and Gold. She was a four-year letterwinner and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. She completed her bachelor's degree in kinesiology at the University of Minnesota in May of 2004.
The Gophers will begin the 2022 season with their annual intrasquad on January 7 before officially opening competition when they host UCLA on Monday, January 17. Â