Paulicivic adds Quest Hayden to Coaching Staff
5/31/2024 2:00:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State women's gymnastics head coach Meredith Paulicivic announced Friday the hiring of Quest Hayden as assistant coach of the Buckeyes. Hayden, a collegiate standout and United States National Team member, comes to Columbus with four years as an assistant coach at the women's collegiate level.
"I'm super excited to welcome Quest Hayden to our coaching staff," Paulicivic said. "What impressed me the most about him is the amount of technical knowledge he has so early in his career. His gymnastics IQ is very high, and our student-athletes are going to love his calm demeanor, attention to detail and drill work. We are excited to welcome Quest and his wife Kira and their two children into the Buckeye family."
Hayden has five years of experience coaching in the Big Ten. Prior to Ohio State, he spent three seasons at Iowa. There, he helped the Hawkeyes finish as high as 15th nationally with two team NCAA regional appearances and four individual gymnasts qualify for NCAA regionals. While in Iowa City, he helped student-athletes to six All-America awards.
"After visiting and seeing how beautiful the city of Columbus and the surrounding suburbs are, this move is very exciting for me and my family," Hayden said. "The universally recognized athletics teams, the incredible array of academics that are offered, and top-notch facilities are some of the many reasons I am thrilled to be a part of the Buckeye family."
Hayden's earned his first assistant coach position at North Carolina, where he was on staff for the 2021 season. During that campaign, he helped the Tar Heels to a No. 41 national ranking. Hayden coached Elizabeth Culton to All-America honors and to an EAGL bar and all-around title. Culton also represented the Tar Heels at the NCAA Athens Regional.
Hayden spent the 2020 season as a volunteer assistant at Michigan, where he was named the WCGA Northeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year after helping the Wolverines to the 2020 Big Ten regular season title. During that season, the team also posted the top two team scores in program history with a 197.950 at the Elevate the Stage meet in Toledo, Ohio and a 197.900 at home against New Hampshire.
He started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater of Penn State. He was on staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2019 season and helped the team win vault at the Big Ten Championship meet and improve its national standings from 32nd to 24th.
Hayden made the jump into collegiate coaching after a four-year stint at Centre Elite Gymnastics in State College, Pa. where he coached bars and spotted on floor while managing the strength and conditioning program.
Hayden competed for Penn State's men's gymnastics program from 2015-18. During his collegiate career, he served as captain his senior season and was a member of the Nittany Lions' 2015 Big Ten Champion team, competing on four events during the team's championship run. He competed in the NCAA team finals that same season on high bar. He followed that campaign up with a 2016 NCAA team and individual championship appearance on pommel horse. He graduated from Penn State in 2018 with a degree in psychology.
Hayden was a member of the United States' 2013 United States National Team, competing at the 2013 P&G Championships and finishing third on horizontal bar and in the all-around.
"I'm super excited to welcome Quest Hayden to our coaching staff," Paulicivic said. "What impressed me the most about him is the amount of technical knowledge he has so early in his career. His gymnastics IQ is very high, and our student-athletes are going to love his calm demeanor, attention to detail and drill work. We are excited to welcome Quest and his wife Kira and their two children into the Buckeye family."
Hayden has five years of experience coaching in the Big Ten. Prior to Ohio State, he spent three seasons at Iowa. There, he helped the Hawkeyes finish as high as 15th nationally with two team NCAA regional appearances and four individual gymnasts qualify for NCAA regionals. While in Iowa City, he helped student-athletes to six All-America awards.
"After visiting and seeing how beautiful the city of Columbus and the surrounding suburbs are, this move is very exciting for me and my family," Hayden said. "The universally recognized athletics teams, the incredible array of academics that are offered, and top-notch facilities are some of the many reasons I am thrilled to be a part of the Buckeye family."
Hayden's earned his first assistant coach position at North Carolina, where he was on staff for the 2021 season. During that campaign, he helped the Tar Heels to a No. 41 national ranking. Hayden coached Elizabeth Culton to All-America honors and to an EAGL bar and all-around title. Culton also represented the Tar Heels at the NCAA Athens Regional.
Hayden spent the 2020 season as a volunteer assistant at Michigan, where he was named the WCGA Northeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year after helping the Wolverines to the 2020 Big Ten regular season title. During that season, the team also posted the top two team scores in program history with a 197.950 at the Elevate the Stage meet in Toledo, Ohio and a 197.900 at home against New Hampshire.
He started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater of Penn State. He was on staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2019 season and helped the team win vault at the Big Ten Championship meet and improve its national standings from 32nd to 24th.
Hayden made the jump into collegiate coaching after a four-year stint at Centre Elite Gymnastics in State College, Pa. where he coached bars and spotted on floor while managing the strength and conditioning program.
Hayden competed for Penn State's men's gymnastics program from 2015-18. During his collegiate career, he served as captain his senior season and was a member of the Nittany Lions' 2015 Big Ten Champion team, competing on four events during the team's championship run. He competed in the NCAA team finals that same season on high bar. He followed that campaign up with a 2016 NCAA team and individual championship appearance on pommel horse. He graduated from Penn State in 2018 with a degree in psychology.
Hayden was a member of the United States' 2013 United States National Team, competing at the 2013 P&G Championships and finishing third on horizontal bar and in the all-around.
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