Kerr Resigns, OU Hires Trautman as Assistant Coach

NORMAN — University of Oklahoma head women's gymnastics coach K.J. Kindler announced Tuesday that assistant coach Ashley Kerr has resigned her position and that former OU individual national champion gymnast Olivia Trautman is replacing her.

"With gratitude and a heavy heart, we say goodbye to Ashley after nine seasons," said Kindler. "It's rare to work beside someone who makes everyone around them better every day. Ashley's impact on OU Gymnastics will be long-lasting, and she will always be a part of our family. Her devotion to the program and her constant drive for forward progress have been truly inspiring. We are deeply thankful for the time, leadership, passion and care she brought to this team, and she will be greatly missed.

"Olivia has spent a successful season under the tutelage of former Sooner Kristin White at Utah State. She brings incredible qualities to our staff, including energy, attention to detail and grit. Beyond her work ethic, her character, integrity and genuine care for those around her make her an outstanding addition to our program. She is one of the best examples of what it means to be a Sooner and her passion will resonate strongly with current and future OU gymnasts. We are thrilled to welcome her back to Norman."

Kerr was a member of the Oklahoma coaching staff for nine seasons, assisting primarily on balance beam and helping the Sooners to national championships in 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026. Working alongside Kindler, Kerr helped guide OU's beam team to a top-three national ranking on the event in each of those nine years, including back-to-back No. 1 rankings in 2018/2019 and 2024/2025.

Kerr, who started at Oklahoma in October 2017 as a volunteer assistant and was elevated to assistant coach in July 2023, was part of OU teams that qualified for the NCAA finals seven times and that won five national titles, eight NCAA regional championships and seven conference crowns. Kerr also helped coach OU athletes to 25 NCAA All-America honors on beam, including national champions Audrey Davis and Faith Torrez in 2024.

"After sincere thought, I have decided to resign from my position as assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma," said Kerr. "I want to thank K.J. for the opportunity to be a part of a championship program. She, along with Tom, Lou and (athletic trainer) Jenn (Richardson), welcomed me into the OU family, fostered my growth as a coach and changed my life.

"I have been inspired by our athletes' commitment to excellence inside and outside the gym. Being a part of their journey has been an absolute privilege. My nine years at OU have brought me great joy and fulfillment. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities, experiences and relationships that I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

Kerr and fellow assistants Lou Ball and Tom Haley were named 2024 and 2026 WCGA South Central Region Assistant Coaches of the Year, as well as 2024 WCGA National Assistant Coaches of the Year.

One of the most decorated gymnasts in OU history, Trautman, a 10-time NCAA All-American who won three national team championships as a competitor, as well as the 2023 NCAA vault title her final year, spent the 2026 season as an assistant coach at Utah State where she assisted on beam. In her first year as a full-time assistant coach, she helped the Aggies to the Mountain West Conference title and two athletes to first-team all-league honors on beam.

Trautman won NCAA team titles as a gymnast at OU in 2019, 2022 and 2023, and another in 2025 as the Sooners' graduate assistant and interim director of operations. She was a two-time WCGA All-American (first team on floor, second team on vault), four-time Big 12 individual champion (twice on vault, once each on bars and floor), five-time All-Big 12 Championship Team honoree (twice on vault and once each on bars, beam and floor) and three-time NCAA regional champion (twice on floor and once on vault). She was also named 2019 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

"I'm incredibly grateful to be able to come back to the University of Oklahoma as an assistant coach," said Trautman. "This program shaped me into the athlete and person I am today, and I'll forever be thankful for every coach, teammate and person who poured into my journey along the way. The love and passion I have for Oklahoma Gymnastics has never changed and it's an honor to now give back to the place that gave me so much. I'm beyond excited to get to work alongside this team and staff to continue chasing greatness."

Trautman also excelled in the classroom, earning 2019 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team acclaim and four subsequent Academic All-Big 12 First Team accolades and four WCGA Academic All-America honors.

The Champlin, Minn., product graduated from OU in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in health and exercise science (minored in psychology) and earned a master's degree in 2025 in adult and higher education (intercollegiate athletics administration). During the 2023-24 season, she served as an OU student assistant coach, the same year the Sooners set an NCAA scoring record with a 198.950 in the Big 12 Championship.

Oklahoma is coming off a 2026 season in which it went 35-1-1 and won the outright SEC regular season title, its 16th consecutive NCAA regional championship and its eighth national title in the last 12 years, all under Kindler.