Eastern Michigan Athletics
Katie Minasola Named EMU Gymnastics Head Coach
7/25/2017 10:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Minasola joins the Eagles following a stint at Iowa State University
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee announced today, July 25, the hiring of Katie Minasola (pronounced MINN-uh-SOLE-uh) as the new women's gymnastics head coach at EMU. A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Minasola has helped 11 teams to NCAA Regional appearances, including five with Iowa State University and six at Michigan State University.
"We are thrilled to welcome Katie, her husband, Mike, and their son, Jake, to the Eastern Michigan family," said Wetherbee. "As a native of Michigan, she knows our state well and how special it is when you get the chance to come back home again. Katie's coaching background and competitive experiences along with her passion to positively impact our gymnastics student-athletes make her an ideal person to lead our program to greater heights."
Minasola spent the past six years working at Iowa State University as both an assistant coach and the associate head coach, and has a total of 13 years of coaching experience. She arrives in Ypsilanti following a stint at ISU, where she started as an assistant coach before assuming associate head coach responsibilities during the 2017 campaign. While with the Cyclones, she focused on the beam and assisted in the choreography of the floor routines.
"I want to thank Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee and Senior Associate AD/SWA Erin Kido for this amazing opportunity," added Minasola. "I am honored to become the new head coach of the Eastern Michigan gymnastics team and extremely excited to continue building the success of the program. I cannot wait to be back in my home state and close to family."
Last year in Ames, the Cyclones were successful in their efforts to return to the postseason, making their way into the top-25 twice while qualifying for the NCAA Lincoln Regional. The Cyclones finished the year tied for the second-most improved in the top-30 of the regular season rankings. In addition, she helped Haylee Young qualify for the NCAA National Championship in the all-around.
While ISU missed out on making regionals as a team in 2016, the foundation was laid as Meaghan Sievers reached the postseason on vault.
The 2015 campaign saw one of Iowa State's top seasons on the beam in program history. The Cyclones saw Caitlin Brown earn regular season and postseason All-America honors under Minasola's watch. Brown and Sammie Pearsall tied the ISU record on beam, each recording a 9.95 during the 2015 season. The team also posted a 49.425 on beam, the third-highest team score in school history.
In her second year at Iowa State, Minasola coached Michelle Shealy to the best finish at the NCAA Championship on beam in Cyclone history and to All-America First Team honors. Shealy scored 9.900 on beam to qualify to the event finals and her 9.8375 score and fifth-place finish are the best-ever by a Cyclone on beam at the event finals. Minasola also coached Caitlin Brown to All-Big 12 Championship honors on beam after the sophomore scored 9.875 on the event at the 2013 league meet.
In her first season at ISU, both the floor and beam teams were fixtures in the top-25 national rankings and Shealy placed second on beam at the Cyclones' 2012 NCAA regional competition.
Minasola began her coaching career at Michigan State University, where she spent seven seasons working with the Spartans' gymnastics program. Her position at MSU also included working with the floor exercise competitors on choreography for routines, and she was the team's academic liaison.
During her time in East Lansing, the Spartans reached the NCAA Regionals six consecutive seasons (2006-11), including posting a pair of top-three team finishes in 2008 and 2011.
A 2016 inductee into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame, Minasola's track record of domestic competition is impressive in-and-of itself. At the 1993 Junior Olympics National Championship, the Geddert's Twistars USA product captured a first-place finish on the balance beam, as well as first place all-around in the children's division. Minasola went on to claim two fourth place all-around finishes that year, first at the U.S. Classic and again at the U.S. Championship, both in the junior division. She also finished first on the floor and ninth all-around at the Catania Cup Classic in Sicily, Italy in 1993.
In 1994, Minasola took first place in the all-around (junior division) at both the U.S. Classic and the American Classic/World Championship Trials. She also anchored a first-place team finish as well as fifth all-around amongst competitors from across the globe at the 1994 Hilton Challenge, and finished eighth all around at the 1994 Coca-Cola National Championships. Minasola's skills took her to Barcelona, Spain, where she competed in the Joaquim Blume Memorial and posted a third-place all-around finish.
The following year at the American Classic/Pan American Game Trials, she captured fifth place on bars and beam, while finishing sixth on the floor and fifth in the all-around. Minasola's performance propelled her to become a member of the 1995 U.S. Pan American gold medal-winning team. Minasola earned a fourth-place finish on the balance beam to contribute to the team victory at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. She also performed at the 1995 Visa Challenge, guiding her team to a first-place finish, while individually she placed third in the all-around, sixth on vault, fourth on bars, sixth on beam and third on floor.
After her success at the Pan American Games, Minasola was eighth in the all-around at the 1996 U.S. Classics, also tying for first on the uneven parallel bars. At the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, Minasola ranked eighth all-around, which allowed her the opportunity to serve as an alternate for 1996 U.S. Olympic team. She also contributed to a first-place team finish at the 1996 Senior Pacific Alliance Championships in Kuantan, Malaysia, by placing second in the floor exercise and third on the bars.
Minasola began her collegiate career as a freshman gymnast at the University of Massachusetts in 2000. In her debut season, she was honored as Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for three straight weeks (Jan. 31, Feb. 8, Feb. 14, 2004), tied the school record on bars (9.950) and beam (9.925), and scored 39.175 all around on two occasions, good for fourth place all-time at UMass.
As a sophomore, Minasola tied her own all-time university record with a 9.950 on bars. She scored a 9.900 or higher six times in the event in 2001, including a conference-best 9.950. She also scored 9.800 or higher three times on beam that same year. In 2002, Minasola established herself as the all-time UMass record holder on both bars (9.975) and went on to become the Atlantic 10 Conference Champion on bars with a score of 9.950. She also took fourth-place on bars (9.800) at the 2002 NCAA Northeast Regional.
To complete her collegiate career, Minasola transferred to Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan University, where she set the school's all-time record on bars with two perfect 10.0 performances in 2003. She earned the top score of 9.975 on bars at the MAC Championships, and was also a regional champion on bars (9.900), which qualified her for Nationals.
Minasola is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, earning a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2003.
She and her husband, Mike, have one son, Jake.
NCAA Post Season Appearances
2005 - N/A
2006 - NCAA Regionals - 5th
2007 - NCAA Regionals - 4th
2008 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2009 - NCAA Regionals - 4th
2010 - NCAA Regionals - 6th
2011 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2012 - NCAA Regionals - 6th
2013 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2014 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2015 - NCAA Regionals - 5th
2016 - N/A
2017 - NCAA Regionals - 6th
"We are thrilled to welcome Katie, her husband, Mike, and their son, Jake, to the Eastern Michigan family," said Wetherbee. "As a native of Michigan, she knows our state well and how special it is when you get the chance to come back home again. Katie's coaching background and competitive experiences along with her passion to positively impact our gymnastics student-athletes make her an ideal person to lead our program to greater heights."
Minasola spent the past six years working at Iowa State University as both an assistant coach and the associate head coach, and has a total of 13 years of coaching experience. She arrives in Ypsilanti following a stint at ISU, where she started as an assistant coach before assuming associate head coach responsibilities during the 2017 campaign. While with the Cyclones, she focused on the beam and assisted in the choreography of the floor routines.
"I want to thank Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee and Senior Associate AD/SWA Erin Kido for this amazing opportunity," added Minasola. "I am honored to become the new head coach of the Eastern Michigan gymnastics team and extremely excited to continue building the success of the program. I cannot wait to be back in my home state and close to family."
Last year in Ames, the Cyclones were successful in their efforts to return to the postseason, making their way into the top-25 twice while qualifying for the NCAA Lincoln Regional. The Cyclones finished the year tied for the second-most improved in the top-30 of the regular season rankings. In addition, she helped Haylee Young qualify for the NCAA National Championship in the all-around.
While ISU missed out on making regionals as a team in 2016, the foundation was laid as Meaghan Sievers reached the postseason on vault.
The 2015 campaign saw one of Iowa State's top seasons on the beam in program history. The Cyclones saw Caitlin Brown earn regular season and postseason All-America honors under Minasola's watch. Brown and Sammie Pearsall tied the ISU record on beam, each recording a 9.95 during the 2015 season. The team also posted a 49.425 on beam, the third-highest team score in school history.
In her second year at Iowa State, Minasola coached Michelle Shealy to the best finish at the NCAA Championship on beam in Cyclone history and to All-America First Team honors. Shealy scored 9.900 on beam to qualify to the event finals and her 9.8375 score and fifth-place finish are the best-ever by a Cyclone on beam at the event finals. Minasola also coached Caitlin Brown to All-Big 12 Championship honors on beam after the sophomore scored 9.875 on the event at the 2013 league meet.
In her first season at ISU, both the floor and beam teams were fixtures in the top-25 national rankings and Shealy placed second on beam at the Cyclones' 2012 NCAA regional competition.
Minasola began her coaching career at Michigan State University, where she spent seven seasons working with the Spartans' gymnastics program. Her position at MSU also included working with the floor exercise competitors on choreography for routines, and she was the team's academic liaison.
During her time in East Lansing, the Spartans reached the NCAA Regionals six consecutive seasons (2006-11), including posting a pair of top-three team finishes in 2008 and 2011.
A 2016 inductee into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame, Minasola's track record of domestic competition is impressive in-and-of itself. At the 1993 Junior Olympics National Championship, the Geddert's Twistars USA product captured a first-place finish on the balance beam, as well as first place all-around in the children's division. Minasola went on to claim two fourth place all-around finishes that year, first at the U.S. Classic and again at the U.S. Championship, both in the junior division. She also finished first on the floor and ninth all-around at the Catania Cup Classic in Sicily, Italy in 1993.
In 1994, Minasola took first place in the all-around (junior division) at both the U.S. Classic and the American Classic/World Championship Trials. She also anchored a first-place team finish as well as fifth all-around amongst competitors from across the globe at the 1994 Hilton Challenge, and finished eighth all around at the 1994 Coca-Cola National Championships. Minasola's skills took her to Barcelona, Spain, where she competed in the Joaquim Blume Memorial and posted a third-place all-around finish.
The following year at the American Classic/Pan American Game Trials, she captured fifth place on bars and beam, while finishing sixth on the floor and fifth in the all-around. Minasola's performance propelled her to become a member of the 1995 U.S. Pan American gold medal-winning team. Minasola earned a fourth-place finish on the balance beam to contribute to the team victory at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. She also performed at the 1995 Visa Challenge, guiding her team to a first-place finish, while individually she placed third in the all-around, sixth on vault, fourth on bars, sixth on beam and third on floor.
After her success at the Pan American Games, Minasola was eighth in the all-around at the 1996 U.S. Classics, also tying for first on the uneven parallel bars. At the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, Minasola ranked eighth all-around, which allowed her the opportunity to serve as an alternate for 1996 U.S. Olympic team. She also contributed to a first-place team finish at the 1996 Senior Pacific Alliance Championships in Kuantan, Malaysia, by placing second in the floor exercise and third on the bars.
Minasola began her collegiate career as a freshman gymnast at the University of Massachusetts in 2000. In her debut season, she was honored as Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for three straight weeks (Jan. 31, Feb. 8, Feb. 14, 2004), tied the school record on bars (9.950) and beam (9.925), and scored 39.175 all around on two occasions, good for fourth place all-time at UMass.
As a sophomore, Minasola tied her own all-time university record with a 9.950 on bars. She scored a 9.900 or higher six times in the event in 2001, including a conference-best 9.950. She also scored 9.800 or higher three times on beam that same year. In 2002, Minasola established herself as the all-time UMass record holder on both bars (9.975) and went on to become the Atlantic 10 Conference Champion on bars with a score of 9.950. She also took fourth-place on bars (9.800) at the 2002 NCAA Northeast Regional.
To complete her collegiate career, Minasola transferred to Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan University, where she set the school's all-time record on bars with two perfect 10.0 performances in 2003. She earned the top score of 9.975 on bars at the MAC Championships, and was also a regional champion on bars (9.900), which qualified her for Nationals.
Minasola is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, earning a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2003.
She and her husband, Mike, have one son, Jake.
| The Katie Minasola File | ||
| Name: | Katie Teft-Minasola | |
| Hometown: | Grand Rapids, Mich. | |
| College: | University of Massachusetts - Bachelor's degree in Sociology - 2003 | |
| Family: | Husband - Mike; Son - Jake | |
| Professional Experience | ||
| Year | School/Team | Position |
| 2016-17 | Iowa State University | Associate Head Gymnastics Coach |
| 2011-16 | Iowa State University | Assistant Gymnastics Coach |
| 2004-11 | Michigan State University | Assistant Gymnastics Coach |
| 2003 | Central Michigan University | Student-athlete |
| 1999-02 | University of Massachusetts | Student-athlete |
NCAA Post Season Appearances
2005 - N/A
2006 - NCAA Regionals - 5th
2007 - NCAA Regionals - 4th
2008 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2009 - NCAA Regionals - 4th
2010 - NCAA Regionals - 6th
2011 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2012 - NCAA Regionals - 6th
2013 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2014 - NCAA Regionals - 3rd
2015 - NCAA Regionals - 5th
2016 - N/A
2017 - NCAA Regionals - 6th
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