University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Gymnastics
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- koles014@umn.edu
- Phone:
- 612-626-2245
Phone: 612-626-2245
Email: koles014@umn.edu
Konstantin Kolesnikov helped the Gophers to their most impressive season yet in his 13th season as assistant coach. The team was the National Runner-Up at the 2018 NCAA Championships, with eight gymnasts receiving eleven All-American honors. Kolesnikov was instrumental in coaching Shane Wiskus to being selected for the USA Senior National Team. Wiskus was also the national runner-up in the all-around at the NCAA Championships, CGA Rookie of the Year, B1G Gymnast of the Year and Freshman of the Year. Tristan Duran also won gold in the Big 10 Championships in p-bars, the first gymnast to do so since 1992.
In his 12th season as assistant coach, Kolesnikov helped the Gophers to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championships where four Gophers earned five All-American honors. Justin Karstadt was also named the Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Year and Alex Wittenberg was named Big Ten Champion on floor exercise.
Kolesnikov finished his 11th season as an assistant coach with the University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team in 2015-16. With all of his hard work, Kolesnikov was named the Central Region Assistant Coach of the year along with Russ Fystrom, Minnesota's other assistant.
Kolesnikov came to Minnesota from M&M Gymnastics in New Berlin, Wis., where he served as head coach since 1998. Kolesnikov earned Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and helped his boys' team qualify for the Junior Olympics five of his last six seasons at M&M. He coached individual gymnasts to scores of 10.0 on the floor exercise in 2005 and on the parallel bars in 2003, and coached a member of the 2003 Future Stars Junior Olympic Developmental Team.
Prior to his work at M&M Gymnastics, Kolesnikov was a boys' coach for the Swiss Turners Gymnastics Academy in West Allis, Wis., from 1996-98. While coaching with the Turners, Kolesnikov worked with all levels of the boys' program and tutored future Olympians Paul and Morgan Hamm. Kolesnikov also performed as an expert clinician at the USA Gymnastics National Congress in 1998 and was the Junior Pan American Gymnastics Team Coach in 1998 when the team finished first.
Kolesnikov was a trainer for Dynamo Sports Complex in Voronezh, Russia from 1994-96 where he selected and trained Olympic hopefuls in the Soviet Union gymnastics system.
A member of the USSR/Russian Senior National Team from 1991-95, Kolesnikov was honored with the Master of International Class in the Sport of Gymnastics from the Russian Ministry of Sport. He also received his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Gymnastics Training from the Moscow Institute of Physical Culture in 1994.
Kolesnikov and his wife, Stefny, have two children, a son, Nikolai, and a daughter, Meela.
"Kostya has been an incredible asset to this program in the time he has been on board," head coach Mike Burns said. "His knowledge of the sport is exceptional and his ability to relate to the guys on the team is phenomenal. He has been a great addition to our staff here at Minnesota and it's great working with him on a daily basis."
