Jones Added to Women's Gymnastics Staff

NORMAN – Taylor Jones, a former gymnast at Ohio State University, has joined the Oklahoma women's gymnastics staff as the director of operations, head coach K.J. Kindler announced Monday.

“Taylor is a perfect fit for our program,” Kindler said. “We watched her career at Ohio State and were so impressed with her tenacity, development and drive. She has experience as a Division I athlete and coach at the highest level. We are so fortunate that she has returned home to Oklahoma and decided to make OU the next step in her career. We couldn't be more excited!”

A native of Edmond, Okla., Jones excelled as a four-year letterwinner at Ohio State from 2009-12, competing in every meet of her career. Jones was a first team All-Big Ten selection, 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and co-captained the Buckeyes in 2012 when the team finished 10th at the NCAA Championships, the best team finish in 22 years. Jones also was named an NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honoree in 2012. In her senior year, she led the Buckeyes to their first NCAA Championship appearance since 1990, competing on vault, uneven bars and floor exercise for the team.

"The opportunity to work with such a prestigious gymnastics program and staff in my home state is a dream come true,” Jones said. “I never imagined the opportunity would present itself, but I couldn't be more grateful. I'm extremely excited to be a part of the OU family I grew up around and to help contribute to the best staff and program in the country."

Jones graduated in 2012 with a degree in criminology. Upon graduation, she was hired at Bowling Green State University where she served as an assistant coach for two seasons. In her first year with the program, Jones helped the Falcons' to one of their finest seasons in history. Among her greatest accomplishments is coaching freshman Alyssa Nocella to the 2013 MAC balance beam title. She also coached the Falcons to the second-highest beam score at the MAC Championships. Bowling Green finished the year ranked fourth in the MAC on beam with a season-high score of 48.725.

Jones returned to her alma mater in 2014, serving as an assistant coach from 2015-2017. She coached Taylor Harrison to an individual qualifier spot at the 2015 NCAA Championships, along with coaching seven All-Big Ten members and three All-Championship members during her tenure. Jones helped lead the Buckeyes to a win over Michigan at home for the first time in over 20 years in 2016.

The OU women's gymnastics team begins competition on Jan. 5 at the University of Arkansas and will return to Lloyd Noble Center on Jan. 11 for the home opener against the University of Georgia. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Jones Added to Women's Gymnastics Staff

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