Durante Named Assistant Coach of the Year
Durante Named Assistant Coach of the YearDurante Named Assistant Coach of the Year
Women's Gymnastics

Durante Named Assistant Coach of the Year

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Salt Lake City, Utah? Nebraska Associate Head Coach Danna Durante was honored as the 2007 Assistant Coach of the Year, the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches announced Saturday.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

She joined Florida’s Rhonda Faehn, the 2007 NCAA Coach of the Year, in taking national coaching honors at Saturday’s NCAA Championship Brunch.

 

Durante was an integral part of Nebraska’s success in 2007, guiding NU to a 26-12 record and a sixth-place national finish while serving as the Huskers’ beam coach and floor choreographer for the last five seasons. In addition, Durante assists with off-campus recruiting responsibilities.

 

The 2007 season was a strong one for Durante’s competitors, as the Huskers combined for 11 individual beam titles and 14 first-place finishes on floor. Durante’s beam team entered the NCAA Championships ranked sixth nationally, while the floor team was ranked fifth. Under her guidance this year, two NU gymnasts earned All-America honors on beam and floor: junior Emily Parsons, who was a first-team selection on vault and floor for the second straight year, and sophomore Tricia Woo, who was a first-team honoree on beam.

 

“Danna has been an outstanding member of our staff for five seasons, and the contributions she has made to our team’s success are unparalleled,” Nebraska head coach Dan Kendig said. “She has a tremendous talent for choreography and beam coaching, and she has taken our beam and floor teams to new heights each year. The leadership she provides for our team is so valuable in building the spirit of Nebraska gymnastics. We couldn’t dream of a better coach than Danna.”

 

A native of Tulsa, Okla., Durante is a 1995 graduate of ArizonaStateUniversity, where she earned All-America honors on beam as a junior. As a member of the coaching staff at the University of Washington from 1998 to 2002, Durante was named the West Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002.