Bowers Named Head Coach at University of Washington
6/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan assistant women's gymnastics coach Joanne Bowers was named head coach at the University of Washington, Wednesday (June 7). Bowers becomes just the fifth head women's gymnastics coach since the program's inception in 1975 and is the first woman to take the helm for the Huskies.
Bowers
She replaces longtime head coach Bob Levesque, who announced his retirement in May after leading the Huskies for 16 years.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for me and my family," said Bowers. "We are very excited to go to the University of Washington. Pac-10 gymnastics is strong, and I'm excited to take over a program that has the potential to do some great things. I learned so much by being a part of the Michigan gymnastics program and working with great people like Bev (Plocki), Scott (Sherman) and Lisa (Hass). The level of student-athlete we've had at Michigan has also helped me prepare for this opportunity. It is hard to leave the University because Michigan has been so good to me, but this is an opportunity we couldn't pass up."
"I am very excited for Joanne," said Michigan head women's gymnastics coach Bev Plocki. "It is a wonderful opportunity for her and her family. We are sad to lose her because she has been such an important part of our program for the last five years and she will be hard to replace."
"We are thrilled to have Joanne join the Husky program," said Washington athletics director Todd Turner. "Her past experience as a head coach as well as an assistant at a top Division I institution will be a great asset. The staff and student-athletes who interviewed her were impressed with and excited by her vision for leading Husky gymnastics into the forefront of the sport."
Bowers joined the Wolverines as an assistant coach for the 2002 season after four seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State and four years as head coach at Illinois State. While at Michigan, Bowers has contributed to four Big Ten Conference titles, three regional crowns and two NCAA Super Six appearances, while coaching the Wolverines to eight All-America accolades on floor exercise and sharing the credit with Plocki for five All-America honors on balance beam.
The Wolverines also earned a pair of regional titles on beam and floor during Bowers' tenure and captured four Big Ten individual titles on both beam and floor. Bowers has also been responsible for team travel for five seasons and acted as the program's liason with the 10.0 Booster Club.
Bowers earned Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors with the Kent State Golden Flashes in 2001 while helping lead the team to the Mid-American Conference championship, and she sent numerous athletes to NCAA regionals as head coach with the Illinois State Redbirds.
Washington finished in sixth place at the Pac-10 Championships in 2006 and failed to earn a team berth in an NCAA regional for the first time in program history. The Huskies posted a 7-19 record with the fewest wins in program history and finished 41st in the nation in the final GymInfo ranking.
Washington Release
Contact: Richard Retyi (734) 763-4423
