Rachael Donovan Named Spartan Gymnastics Assistant Coach
7/19/2023 4:52:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State gymnastics head coach Mike Rowe announced the hiring of Rachael Donovan as an assistant coach Wednesday.Â
Excited to announce Rachael Donovan as our newest assistant coach!
— MSU Gymnastics (@MSU_Gymnastics) July 19, 2023
Welcome to the Spartan family, Rachael! 💚
📰 https://t.co/Jd6UHlHadX#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/AyF23NOcAy
Donovan arrives in East Lansing after stints at Illinois and Auburn where she served as a volunteer coach for both programs. During this time, she also worked as a club coach at Auburn Gymnastics Academy, Hill's Gymnastics and Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center.Â
"I am thrilled and proud to announce our selection of Rachel Donovan as the newest assistant coach to our Spartan gymnastics coaching staff and Spartan family," said Rowe. "Rachel brings with her unsurpassed passion and enthusiasm and a strong desire to learn it all, with strengths in coaching all events and experience with choreography. Rachael will also play a major role in further developing and evolving our social media platforms. Welcome to East Lansing, Rachael, Spartan Nation welcomes you!"Â
Donovan spent the 2022-23 collegiate season at Auburn where she was responsible for the Tigers' beam and floor choreography in addition to operational duties. She also served as a director of Auburn's gymnastics summer camp. Auburn broke the program road score record during Donovan's tenure and sent an individual qualifier to the NCAA Championships on floor.Â
Prior to her year at Auburn, Donovan spent the 2021-22 collegiate season at her alma mater, Illinois, where she was involved with all aspects of the program, including coaching, operations and social media management. The Illini posted two perfect 10.000s and sent a pair of athletes to the NCAA Championships during that season.Â
Before entering the collegiate coaching ranks, Donovan coached at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, working as an assistant coach for Level 10 and elite gymnasts. She began her coaching career at Hill's Gymnastics in Gaithersburg, Maryland, assisting with level 10 and elite training while working as a head coach for Level 4, 5, and 6 gymnasts.Â
Donovan competed at Illinois as a gymnast from 2016-19, recording a career-high 9.875 on bars during her senior season. She earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2018.Â
"I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity to coach at Michigan State. It has been a dream of mine to coach in the NCAA, and I have been working very hard to prepare myself for the opportunity," said Donovan. "What attracted me the most to this position is the coaching staff and positive team culture. Michigan State is truly a remarkable team. Thank you to all my mentors and family for supporting me on this journey. I cannot wait to be back in the Big Ten and have a phenomenal season with Team 50! Go Green!"Â
A native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Donovan graduated from Illinois in 2019 with a degree in psychology. She earned a master's in sports management from West Virginia in December 2022.
