Jenny Rowland, who swept all possible coaching honors in 2020, begins season 11 as University of Florida’s head gymnastics coach. Rowland is the seventh head coach for the Gator program, which begins its 54
th season in 2026.
Rowland brought experiences from the sport’s highest level to Florida. She is a former U.S. National Team member and a collegiate All-American. Rowland claimed the 2020 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) National Coach of the Year award.
Rowland’s Coaching Career:
At Florida:
The Gators ranked among the nation’s top four teams throughout Rowland’s first 10 seasons at Florida. The Gators claimed second in the 2022 and 2023 NCAA team finals. The Gators were the only Southeastern Conference team among the 2021 NCAA Championships’ Team final, taking fourth overall. The 2020 Gators were 10-0 and ranked No. 2 before the Covid-19 pandemic ended NCAA action for all sports. In NCAA Super Six team final action, the 2016 Gators were fourth and took third in 2017 and 2018. Seven NCAA team final appearances since 2016 equals the national high.
The Gators are seven-time Southeastern Conference champions under Rowland – winning the 2016, 2022 & 2023 SEC Championship meets and 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 SEC regular-season crowns. Florida set the SEC unbeaten record at 26-0-1 (started March 2019 – Feb 10, 2023).
Rowland shared the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year honor. In 2020, Rowland swept all coaching honors – SEC, Region 5 and WCGA National Coach of the Year. She again was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2021 and three such honors is the most for any league coach in their opening six seasons. The 2025 Region 5 Coach of the Year honor went to Rowland.
Since 2016, 26 Gators collected 192 All-America honors (at NCAA Championships and WCGA regular-season). Five Gators claimed 11 NCAA event titles - Bridget Sloan (2016 NCAA all-around, uneven bars, balance beam), Alex McMurtry (2017 all-around, uneven bars; 2018 vault), Alicia Boren (2019 floor exercise), Trinity Thomas (2022 all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise) and Leanne Wong (2024 bars). Sloan (2016), McMurtry (2017) and Thomas (2022 & 2023) claimed the Honda Award, given annually to the top collegiate female athlete in each of 12 sports.
The Gators also excelled in the classroom, with the team’s cumulative 3.73 grade point average for the spring 2025 semester ranking as best ever among all Florida teams. The 2017 NCAA Elite 90 Award went to McMurtry, an honor given to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average at each of the 90 NCAA Championship sites. McMurtry (2018) and Thomas (2024) earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and Grace McLaughlin received a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship as the 2018 Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award winner.
She earned her 200
th win in the March 15, 2024 quad. Her overall record now stands at 235-50-1 and Rowland is the only current SEC coach with 200 wins.
Rowland served on the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Committee (2019-23).
At Auburn:
Rowland came to Florida after spending five seasons at Auburn. She joined the Auburn coaching staff as an assistant coach in October of 2010 and was elevated to associate head coach in March of 2013. Rowland worked with all aspects of the Auburn gymnastics program, coordinating all of the program's community outreach efforts and interactions on campus as well as playing an integral role in recruiting and in-gym activities.
She was named co-National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015 after helping Auburn reach the NCAA Super Six for the first time in 22 years.
She served as the lead balance beam coach, as the Tigers put up the top beam totals of 2015 Southeastern Conference and NCAA Semifinal II competition. Three Tigers earned beam All-America honors in 2015. She also worked with the Tigers’ floor exercise and routine construction. Rowland, who is a Category 3 International Brevet judge, offered her judging expertise through video breakdown of Auburn's routines.
Coaching Career Start in Sooner State:
Rowland coached Elite gymnasts at Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma, for five years and then joined the Oklahoma coaching staff in June of 2001. At OU, she helped coach the Sooners to the 2004 Big XIII title, three-time team NCAA qualifiers (2004-06) and three Big XIII Gymnasts of the Year.
As a Gymnast:
During her gymnastics career, Rowland was a USA National Team member from 1985-1990 and was part of the U.S.’s 1989 World Championships team. During her collegiate career, she earned All-America honors for the uneven bars in 1993 for Arizona State.
After retiring from competition, she returned to her home state, enrolling at the University of Oklahoma to finish her degree.
More Rowland Info:
She graduated from Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in health and sports sciences in 1997. Rowland married Garon Rowland, an All-American gymnast for the Sooners, and the couple has two daughters – Ella and Emmy.
Rowland is a Category 3 International Brevet level judge. She served on the judging panel for the 2008, 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Jenny (Ester) Rowland File
Birthdate:
July 18, 1974 in Bedford, Texas
Collegiate (Arizona State: 1993-94)
- All-American on uneven bars in 1993
- Turned in the Sun Devils’ first 10.0 uneven bars mark
- Retired from competition due to injury, transferring to Oklahoma to finish degree
Elite
- USA National Team member from 1985-90
- Member of 1989 USA World Championship team
Coaching Career
- Auburn Associate Head Coach (2013-15)
- Auburn Assistant Coach (October 2010 – March 2013)
- Oklahoma Assistant Coach (2001-06)
- Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy Elite Coach (1996-2000)
Coaching Honors
- 2020 WCGA National Coach of the Year
- 2020 & 2025 WCGA Region 5 Coach of the Year
- 2021, 2020 and 2016 SEC Coach of the Year
- 2015 National Assistant Coach of the Year (at Auburn)
Other Notables:
- A Category 3 International Brevet level judge (judged 2008 & 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials)
- Starred as Tracy Prescott in the 1986 movie “American Anthem”, which also starred Maria Anz, who won Florida’s first NCAA event title (floor exercise) in 1985
- Won the all-around title when Florida visited Arizona State for a Feb. 25, 1993 dual meet in Tempe, Ariz.
| Florida Finishes Under Rowland |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Year |
SEC |
SEC Meet |
Region |
NCAA |
All-America honors^ |
| 2016 |
|
1st |
1st |
4th |
5 with 28 honors |
| 2017 |
2nd |
|
1st |
3rd |
5 with 20 honors |
| 2018 |
T2nd |
3rd |
1st |
3rd |
6 with 21 honors |
| 2019 |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
- |
5 with 12 honors |
| 2020 |
1st |
No competition due to pandemic |
4 with 9 honors |
| 2021 |
1st |
3rd |
1st |
4th |
7 with 22 honors |
| 2022 |
1st |
1st |
1st |
2nd |
5 with 27 honors |
| 2023 |
1st |
1st |
2nd |
2nd |
7 with 23 honors |
| 2024 |
1st |
4th |
1st |
4th |
4 with 14 honors |
| 2025 |
T3rd |
3rd |
1st |
7th |
5 with 16 honors |
| Totals |
|
|
|
|
24 individuals with 192 honors |
^ NCAA competition and WCGA regular-season honors
SEC regular-season champion began in 2017 |
| Rowland Record |
Record
(through SEC Championships) |
Record (all meetings) |
| Year |
W |
L |
T |
% |
W |
L |
T |
% |
| 2016 |
15 |
2 |
0 |
0.882 |
27 |
5 |
0 |
0.844 |
| 2017 |
14 |
3 |
0 |
0.824 |
26 |
6 |
0 |
0.813 |
| 2018 |
13 |
4 |
0 |
0.765 |
25 |
7 |
0 |
0.818 |
| 2019 |
13 |
3 |
0 |
0.8125 |
17 |
5 |
0 |
0.773 |
| 2020 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
1.00 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
1.00 |
| 2021 |
12 |
2 |
0 |
0.857 |
20 |
6 |
0 |
0.769 |
| 2022 |
20 |
0 |
1 |
0.976 |
31 |
1 |
1 |
0.955 |
| 2023 |
19 |
2 |
0 |
0.905 |
28 |
5 |
0 |
0.848 |
| 2024 |
21 |
4 |
0 |
0.840 |
29 |
8 |
0 |
0.734 |
| 2025 |
15 |
5 |
0 |
0.750 |
22 |
7 |
0 |
0.759 |
|
152 |
25 |
1 |
0.857 |
235 |
50 |
1 |
0.823 |
