Joanne Bowers Last College: James Madison University Position: Head Coach Experience: Fourth year

Joanne Bowers will enter her fourth year at the helm of the Washington women's gymnastics program in 2009-10

Bowers has brought the Washington gymnastics program back into the national spotlight, taking the team to the NCAA West Regionals in each of her first three seasons after the Huskies missed out in 2006 for the first time in school history. She has also sent individuals to NCAA Nationals in two of her three seasons ('07 and 08), the first Huskies to compete at nationals since 2004.

The 2009 season saw the Huskies finish fourth in the Pac-10 Championships, their best finish in six years. The team advanced to the NCAA West Regionals - which they hosted - and finished fifth. Bowers was named the West Region Co-Head Coach of the Year for her efforts.

In 2008, Bowers took her team to its second consecutive NCAA West Regional. The Huskies improved on their 2007 finish, earning fourth place with a score of 194.075 and ended the season with a team ranking of 27th in the country. Bowers also sent her second straight individual gymnast to the NCAA Championships when freshman Haley Bogart was selected to compete in Athens, Ga.

In her first season at UW, Bowers guided the Huskies back to the NCAA West Regional, where they placed fifth, one year after missing the Regional for the first time in program history. Bowers also helped guide the individual efforts of Chelsea Bakken (Class of 2007), who became the first Husky to compete at the NCAA Championships since 2004. For her efforts, Bowers became the third UW coach - and just the third first-year coach in conference history - to earn Pac-10 Coach of the Year. She was also named West Region Coach of the Year at the 2007 NCAA West Regional.

Bowers, who leads the coaching for the Huskies on the floor and helps with the balance beam, will begin her fourth season with the goal of taking the whole team to the NCAA Championships.

"We have a lot of talent in the gym," said Bowers. "We have the potential to be a very good team this year, but we're also very young. It's exciting to see the level of talent and potential we do have."

Bowers was named the fifth Washington women's gymnastics head coach on June 7, 2006. She arrived in Seattle from Ann Arbor, where she had spent the previous five seasons as a highly-successful assistant coach at the University of Michigan. Bowers helped lead the Wolverines to a seventh-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships in her final campaign with the team.

During Bowers' five seasons with the Wolverines, Michigan went to the NCAA Championships every year and won four Big Ten Championships. Bowers, who focused primarily on floor exercise and balance beam for Michigan, coached six individual All-Americans on beam and seven on floor. In addition, she tutored individuals to Big Ten Championships on beam and floor four times during her tenure.

Prior to joining the Michigan staff, Bowers spent four years as an assistant at Kent State University, helping lead the Golden Flashes to a Mid-American Conference championship in 2001. For her efforts, she earned Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastic Coaches for Women (NACGC).

Bowers graduated from James Madison University with a physical education degree in 1982. She was a four-year letterwinner and two-time team captain of the women's gymnastics team while at JMU. Bowers went on to obtain her master's degree in education with a minor in administration and supervision from Austin Peay State University in 1985.

Following graduation, she coached various club teams in the Midwest and on the East Coast and spent time as a gymnastics judge. From 1990-93, Bowers was the head women's gymnastics coach at Illinois State University, where she coached individuals to NCAA Regional berths. Bowers returned to coaching club teams and judging gymnastics before joining Kent State in 1997.

Bowers' husband, John, is the head football coach at Ballard High School. They have two sons, David (26) and Ross (13).

Last Updated: August 26, 2009