Women's Gymnastics
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- donov130@msu.edu
Rachael Donovan joined the Michigan State gymnastics program as an assistant coach in July 2023.
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
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
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.
