Miles Avery claims national Coach of the Year – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | General, Men's Gymnastics
June 4, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State men’s gymnastics head coach Miles Avery was named the 2001 Coach of the Year after leading his team to the NCAA and Big Ten Conference Championships this season. The award is Avery’s second, with the first coming in 1988 as the head coach of East Stroudsburg University.
Avery won several assistant coach of the year awards during his nine years as an assistant at Ohio State. He sees the award as a continuation of the accomplishments of the 2001 team.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by your peers,” Avery said. “I see this as proof that we did everything right this season. This award reflects on the staff, the coaches and the players on this team. Everyone did their part and we had an outstanding season because of it. We followed our plan and the accolades that are coming to us now are all in response to our hard work.”
The Coach of the Year award was a fitting conclusion to a storybook season for the Buckeyes. The team captured the 2001 Big Ten Conference title in State College, Pa., resulting in a Big Ten Coach of the Year award for Avery and a Big Ten Gymnast of the Year award for senior standout Jamie Natalie.
The team peaked at the NCAA Championships, knocking off top-ranked Oklahoma to take the crown. Under Avery’s instruction, Natalie claimed his second straight NCAA All-Around Title and was among three Buckeyes receiving All-America honors. Natalie also received the Nissen-Emery award, which goes to the nation’s top senior male collegiate gymnast.
“This award will go up on the wall of my office,” Avery said, “It will serve as a reminder of all the hard work done by everyone associated with this program.”
Ohio State Director of Athletics Andy Geiger also was recognized for his contribution to gymnastics at Ohio State. After the loss of several men’s gymnastics programs, Geiger and other athletics directors across the country were thanked for their continued support of men’s gymnastics.
