Gail Goodspeed - Head Coach - Women's Gymnastics Coaches - University of New Hampshire Athletics

Gail Goodspeed

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
gail.goodspeed@unh.edu
Phone:
603-862-3834

Follow @GailGoodspeed

Career UNH Coaching Record: 648-327-2 (40 seasons)

Gail Goodspeed is at the helm of the UNH gymnastics program for her 40^th season in 2018-19. The Wildcats have qualified for the Regional Championships in 36 of the 38 years that gymnastics has been sponsored by the NCAA, and her teams have qualified for the postseason 38 times in her 40 years at the reins (includes two AIAW Regional Championships prior to NCAA sponsorship.)

Goodspeed, who started as head coach at UNH in the fall of 1979, boasts a career record of 648-327-2 (.665) and seven league championships (four ECAC, three EAGL), which includes at least one in each of her four decades.

Goodspeed, the 2019 EAGL co-Head Coach of the Year, led the Wildcats to their third EAGL title this season. She previously guided the Wildcats to league championships in 2003 and 2014, winning all three times at the Whittemore Center.

She won three straight ECAC Championships from 1984-86 and again in 1994.

The 2019 season marks the 25-year anniversary of the most successful UNH gymnastics team in program history. The ‘Cats won the 1994 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and competed at the NCAA Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. UNH finished that season as the 12th-ranked team in the country. In addition to the team qualification to the national championship, individuals have represented UNH at the national championship 11 different times in the Goodspeed Era.

In her four decades of mentoring student-athletes, Goodspeed has coached one NCAA All-American (Lori Brady ’92), four NIT All-Americans, nine NCAA championship gymnasts, 31 ECAC champions, four ECAC Gymnasts of the Year and three EAGL Gymnasts of the Year.

The native of Kohler, Wis., is a six-time recipient of the NCAA Northeast Region Head Coach of the Year (1991-94-2001-03-08-15) and is a two-time EAGL Coach of the Year (2008-19).

Lindsey Bruck Ayotte, a two-time All-American at the University of Michigan, is in her third year as associate head coach of the Wildcats in 2018-19, and Sunny Marchand is in her second year as assistant coach.

Ed Datti, Gail’s husband, has spent 38 seasons on the coaching staff. The 11-time NCAA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year retired from his full-time role as associate head coach in July 2016 but remains on in a volunteer assistant role. Datti attends all practices and competitions.

The 2019 Wildcats earned the third EAGL Championship in program history, capturing the title in front of their home fans at the Whittemore Center. Senior Danielle Mulligan tied the league's all-time championship score on uneven bars (9.950) to win the event for the third straight year at EAGLs. UNH went a perfect 14-0 at home and 23-4 overall in reaching the NCAA Regionals the University of Georgia. Mulligan (all-around) and classmate Nicole O'Leary (vault) each competed in the second round of Regionals as individuals.

In 2018, Goodspeed guided the Wildcats to a second place finish at the EAGL Championship for the fourth consecutive year, scoring 196.300 at Towson. Earning the No. 6 seed at the NCAA University Park Regional (Penn State), UNH finished fourth. Junior Danielle Mulligan was the regular-season EAGL uneven-bar champion and became the first Wildcat and EAGL gymnast to achieve a score of 9.950 on the uneven-bars in the EAGL Championship meet since 2000 to win the league bar championship for the second straight year.

In 2017, the Wildcats finished runner-up at the EAGL Championship for the third straight year, scoring a 195.075 at N.C. State. UNH subsequently earned the No. 4 seed at the NCAA Gainesville Regional. Goodspeed earned her 600^th career victory Feb. 17, and the ‘Cats extended their home winning streak to 28 in a row dating back to March 8, 2014. Meghan Pflieger became the first Wildcat ever named the EAGL Senior Gymnast of the Year, and sophomore Danielle Mulligan finished the season as EAGL’s No. 1-ranked competitor on uneven bars for the second year in a row.

The 2016 Wildcats repeated as EAGL runner-up by scoring a 195.485 at EAGLs, hosted by Pittsburgh. The ‘Cats received a bid to the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional (Michigan). Freshman Danielle Doolin was named the EAGL Rookie of the Year and earned All-EAGL First Team on floor exercise and all-around. The ‘Cats boasted the league’s top performers on uneven bars (Danielle Mulligan) and balance beam (Casey Lauter), and had a balance beam lineup ranked nationally in the Top-10 for most of the season.

Despite losing three key seniors from the 2014 EAGL championship team, Goodspeed guided the ’15 Wildcats to the top RQS (195.860) among all EAGL teams and an 18-8 record, which included a perfect 7-0 at home. As a result, Goodspeed was named the NACGC/W Northeast Region Coach of the Year for the sixth time in her career; she was previously feted in 1991, 1994, 2001, 2003 and 2008. Goodspeed was able to weave five key freshmen into the lineup, including EAGL Rookie of the Year candidate Casey Lauter, and the ‘Cats advanced to the NCAA Morgantown Regional (West Virginia). Goodspeed mentored sophomore Meghan Pflieger to the EAGL Gymnast of the Year award, an honor last won by a Wildcat in 2005 (Amanda Hall), and the all-around championship at EAGLs.

In 2014, Goodspeed guided the Wildcats to the second EAGL Championship in school history and a berth in the NCAA University Park Regional (Penn State). UNH scored a 196.375 to capture the 19^th annual tournament inside the Whittemore Center Arena on the UNH campus. Senior co-captain Erin Machado led the way by winning the individual floor exercise championship. Associate head coach Ed Datti and assistant coach Ali Carr were recognized as the Northeast Region Assistant Coaches of the Year.

The 2013 Wildcats were led by sophomore Kayla Gray, who captured the individual balance beam championship at EAGLs at the University of North Carolina. Gray, who became New Hampshire's first outright EAGL beam champion since Mariana Pena-Trestini in 2006, earned an invitation as an individual all-around performer to the NCAA Morgantown Regional (WVU) along with senior Austyn Fobes (AA) and junior Hannah Barile (V, FX).

In 2012, the Wildcats competed at the Fayetteville Regional at the University of Arkansas. UNH completed the season ranked 31st in the nation. Austyn Fobes (bars), Kayla Gray (beam) and Danielle Reibold (bars) were each named to the 2012 All-EAGL First Team. Reibold, a biomedical science major, became the first Wildcat to ever be named the EAGL Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The four-time EAGL All-Academic Team member and four-time NACGC/W Scholastic All-American was the first ‘Cat gymnast to be commended as a league’s top scholar-athlete since Nicole Mullins won the ECAC Academic Gymnast of the Year award in 1993.

In 2006, senior captain Amanda Hall was the Northeast Regional Floor Champion and took third in the all-around. This qualified her for the NCAA National Championship, making her the seventh individual from UNH to earn such high honors. At the Championship, her score of 9.800 on vault narrowly missed qualifying her as an All-American. During the 2005 campaign, Amanda Hall and Mariana Peña Trestini scored a 9.975 on the floor exercise in the regular season, setting the new UNH record. In 2005 postseason action, Vanessa Berrios shared the Northeast Regional Balance Beam title with a score of 9.85, earning her a spot at the NCAA National Championship as the sixth individual to represent UNH.

The 2003 Wildcats captured their first-ever EAGL Championship with a UNH school-record team total of 196.75. At the same competition, Tara Phillips vaulted perfectly, scoring her first ever 10.0, permanently etching her name among the University’s all-time greats.

The ‘Cats won the 1994 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and competed at the NCAA Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. UNH finished that season as the 12th-ranked team in the country. In addition to the team qualification to the national championship, individuals have represented UNH at the national championship 11 different times during Goodspeed's tenure.

“It has always been our goal to help each student-athlete strive to reach her full potential and accomplish this in a positive atmosphere. When this occurs, the team is successful and it’s fun for everyone,” Goodspeed states.

Goodspeed earned a doctorate from the School of Education at Boston University in 1984. She has used this education to enhance the quality of the experience of practicing and competing. Her dissertation involved development and implementation of a comprehensive sport psychology program for female gymnasts. Aspects of the program are incorporated into the training plan at UNH. “We try to focus on those things over which we have control, including our own response to and perception of stressful situations. Training is intense and our team members are dedicated to each other and to the goal of achieving excellence,” Goodspeed says.

A collegiate competitor from 1970-74 at Springfield College, Goodspeed captained the team her senior year and was a member of two AIAW National Championship teams. She was assistant coach for her alma mater in 1974-75 when the team placed 4th at the National Championship. Goodspeed was inducted into the Springfield College Hall of Fame in October 2002. She has served as treasurer of the National Coaches Association and served on the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Committee.

She was head coach of California State-Northridge for two years and was also a business manager and coach at the Montvale Gymnastics Club. Goodspeed holds a master’s degree from Springfield and earned a doctorate in Sports Psychology from Boston University.

She and Ed have two daughters, Samantha and Brianna. Samantha married Colton Cyr on August 19, 2016. She has worked for Normandeau Associates, an environmental consulting firm, for the past seven years. Together, Sammy and Colton have purchased their first home together and live there with their sugar glider Cody and their dog Sadie.

Brianna graduated from the University of Connecticut as one of the top students in the Engineering department and was a four-year letterwinner for the Huskies volleyball team. She recently received her M.S. at Cornell University for Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology. In August 2017 she started a new adventure by moving to San Diego, Calif., to work as a Water Resources Engineer for Tetra Tech. In her free time, she is able to enjoy the many attractions of Southern California, including beach volleyball.

Goodspeed is a native of Kohler, Wis.

Beyond the team’s success Gail continues to be a strong advocate for women’s athletics not only on the UNH campus, but for female athletes everywhere. She is an outstanding role model for young women. Gail continues to be a voice for integrity and fairness in athletics and in women’s gymnastics. She works tirelessly to help her gymnasts be the best student-athletes they can be.

Year	Record	Postseason
1980	14-3	5^th EAIAW
1981	12-1	3^rd EAIAW
1982	11-1	2^nd NCAA Regional Championship
1983	12-0	2^nd NCAA Regional Championship
1984	24-2	ECAC Champions / 4^th NCAA Regional Championship
1985	16-9	ECAC Champions / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
1986	12-8	ECAC Champions / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
1987	15-7	3^rd ECAC Championship / 6^th NCAA Regional Championship
1988	14-10	4^th ECAC Championship / 7^th NCAA Regional Championship
1989	14-10	2^nd ECAC Championship / 3^rd NCAA Regional Championship
1990	12-9	3^rd ECAC Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
1991	17-7	2^nd ECAC Championship / 2^nd NCAA Regional Championship
1992	19-8	2^nd ECAC Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
1993	13-12	2^nd ECAC Championship / 3^rd NCAA Regional Championship
1994	22-8	ECAC Champions / NCAA Regional Champions / 12^th NCAA National Championship
1995	15-8	2^nd ECAC Championship / 3^rd NCAA Regional Championship
1996	16-11	5^th EAGL Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
1997	16-9	3^rd EAGL Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
1998	17-8	2^nd EAGL Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
1999	15-10	3^rd EAGL Championship / 3^rd NCAA Regional Championship
2000	14-10	6^th EAGL Championship / 6^th NCAA Regional Championship
2001	20-6-1	4^th EAGL Championship / 4^th NCAA Regional Championship
2002	11-11	5^th EAGL Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
2003	23-7	EAGL Champions / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
2004	12-10-1	6^th EAGL Championship / 6^th NCAA Regional Championship
2005	18-13	6^th EAGL Championship / 3^rd NCAA Regional Championship
2006	16-11	4^th EAGL Championship / 4^th NCAA Regional Championship
2007	12-17	7^th EAGL Championship / 4^th NCAA Regional Championship
2008	18-12	3^rd EAGL Championship
2009	18-12	5^th EAGL Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
2010	16-6	4^th EAGL Championship / 4^th NCAA Regional Championship
2011	17-10	2^nd EAGL Championship / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
2012	14-10	6^th EAGL Championship / 6^th NCAA Regional Championship
2013	19-12	6^th EAGL Championship
2014	21-4	EAGL Champions / 5^th NCAA Regional Championship
2015	18-8	2^nd EAGL Championship / 6^th NCAA Regional Championship
2016	16-10	2^nd EAGL Championship / 6^th NCAA Regional Championship
2017	21-6	2^nd EAGL Championship / 6^th NCAA Regional Championship
2018	15-7	2^nd EAGL Championship / 4^th NCAA Regional Championship
2019	23-4	EAGL Champions / NCAA Regional Championship