Women’s Gymnastics: Dublin Native, Former Nittany Lion Meredith Hoover Joins OSU Coaching Staff – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Former Penn State three-time co-captain returns to Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio Carey Fagan, head coach of the Ohio State women’s gymnastics team, has appointed Meredith Hoover, a former Penn State gymnast (2003-06) and Dublin, Ohio, native to the Buckeyes’ coaching staff. Hoover completes the coaching staff that includes assistant Bill Lorenz and Fagan, also a former Nittany Lion (1995-98), who was the 2007 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
A three-time co-captain for the Nittany Lions, Hoover earned All-Big Ten honors three times, including first-team laurels in 2005 and 2006. She graduated with a degree in communications from Penn State in 2006 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Penn. Hoover graduated Summa Cum Laude from Dublin Coffman High School in 2002.
“We are thrilled to have Meredith join our staff,” said Fagan, who has led the Buckeyes to a Top 18 national ranking the last two seasons. “Having both been through the Penn State program, we share a lot of the same values and have high expectations for our athletes. Meredith will primarily be coaching beam and brings great experience on that event. She was a leader on beam for Penn State for three years and knows what it takes to successfully train and compete on one of the most mental events in our sport. She showed remarkable consistency as an athlete and I am confident that she will add a great deal to our program.”
Hoover trained at Midwest Gymnastics and Cheerleading in Dublin from 1991-2002 and was a three-time qualifier for the Junior Olympics national championships. She was a member of the Region 5 national champion squad in both 1999 and 2000 and brought that success to Penn State, where Hoover and the Nittany Lions went to the NCAA championships in 2005. That season, she competed in the all-around in every meet.
“I’m very excited to be returning to Columbus and have the opportunity to work with the Ohio State team,” said Hoover, who has been a summer camp coach at Penn State and Ohio State. “This program has been improving steadily under Carey and Bill’s leadership and I hope to help them reach the goals of becoming a top team not only in the Big Ten, but in the nation, as well.”
Hoover was named the Nittany Lions team MVP as a sophomore and junior and was honored with Penn State’s Ann Carr Award in 2003, 2004 and 2006, given to the gymnast with the most inspirational performance at a home meet. In February of her senior season, she won the all-around against Ohio State in St. John Arena and notched a career-high score on balance beam with a 9.975.
“As an Ohio gymnast, Meredith has established good relationships with the club coaches in the area and will also have an immediate impact during the recruiting process,” Fagan said.
“The Ohio State gymnastics program has had a significant impact on my career,” Hoover said. “As a child, I remember watching meets in St. John Arena and deciding I wanted to compete in college myself. When I accomplished that and would come home to compete at Ohio State, I always felt welcomed by the crowd and enjoyed the high energy the Buckeye fans bring to the meets. Now, I am honored to be able to coach these talented athletes and be a part of a program with such a great tradition of excellence.”
A four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Hoover was named to the Parmi Nous Senior Honor Society and the Spiritus Leoninus Student-Athlete Honor Society as a senior.
### OhioStateBuckeyes.com ###
