MU hires gymnastics coach from Denver

John Figueroa plans to improve gymnastics program through recruits.

By Sam Wilson

Published June 6, 2007

Last season, John Figueroa worked to keep the University of Denver gymnastics team ahead of MU in the rankings for the postseason.

The teams were often close in the standings, but Denver qualified for the NCAA Championships while Missouri did not.

But one year later, Figueroa is the newly appointed associate coach for MU and trying to bring the Tigers to the NCAA Championships.

Figueroa said he fell in love with Missouri's campus and felt it would be easier to recruit at MU, especially because the Tigers are in the Big 12.

"The opportunities here are great compared to Denver," Figueroa said.

Another reason stood out in his mind when deciding to make the move.

"More than anything it was Rob," he said, referring to the opportunity to work for MU coach Rob Drass.

Drass ran into Figueroa often on the recruiting trail and now wants to put Figueroa's connections to work for him.

"He just knows everybody in the sport," Drass said. "I know he's one of the best recruiters in the country."

Figueroa said he thinks recruiting is the key to improving the MU gymnastics, and he plans to find gymnasts from around the world as he did at Denver, where he successfully recruited Jessica López from Venezuela.

"I have a great name in the community of women's gymnastics," Figueroa said.

Drass said he would be the only holdover from last season's coaching staff. His three 2007 assistants, Sarah Goebbert, Jodie Heinicka and Lauren Schwartzman, all competed for him the previous year and coached for the season until permanent assistants could be found.

"Our team was so grateful to have our seniors from the previous year help us out this season," senior Julie Abaray said. "It takes a big heart to contribute that much time and effort to something that they weren't technically involved with anymore."

Drass said he was thankful for his assistants' performance, but also excited for what he's calling a long-term solution.

"It's really difficult to compare them," Drass said of last season's assistants and Figueroa. "They just don't have the wealth of experience that somebody like John has."

Drass said he has been conducting interviews to hire another assistant coach by July.

"We're going to try to hit another home run," Drass said.

Until coach is hired, Figueroa's exact role will be unclear. As of now, the plan is for him to focus on the bars and vault events. Abaray said he would be able to improve the team's practices.

"Adding Fig to our program should bring more consistency and discipline to our training," she said. "Being able to find a coach like (Figueroa) who has so much experience and success in coaching is a real treat for Mizzou gymnastics."

The gymnastics team lost three seniors from last season. The team must replace the seniors' six routines in the competitive lineup. Included among the returnees is junior Adrianne Perry, a two-time national championship qualifier.