Head Coach Lindsey Bruck Ayotte (middle) with Amanda Fillard and Steve Avgerinos
Photo by: Meghan Murphy
Gymnastics Announces Coaching Staff Additions
9/10/2019 8:46:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
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Bruck Ayotte brings aboard Avgerinos, Fillard for defending EAGL champions
DURHAM, N.H. – University of New Hampshire first-year head gymnastics coach Lindsey Bruck Ayotte officially filled out her coaching staff Tuesday with the hiring of associate head coach Steve Avgerinos and assistant coach Amanda Fillard, effective immediately.
Steve Avgerinos (Photo courtesy Illinois State Athletics)
Avgerinos, who brings nearly 20 years of NCAA collegiate gymnastics coaching experience to the Wildcats, most recently served as associate head coach at his alma mater, Illinois State University. He was twice (2006, 2009) named the Midwest Independent Conference Assistant Coach of the Year. Avgerinos' extensive coaching career with the Redbirds stretched from 1998-2003, and then again from 2005-19. As part of his duties at ISU, the Lansing, Ill., native taught skills on all four events, structured practice and choreography on vault and uneven bars, and worked as a spotter for all events. Avgerinos was a collegiate cheerleader and an acrobat with the Gamma Phi Circus.
"Steve brings a great amount of experience and knowledge to our program, and we are very excited to have him join the Wildcats," Ayotte said. "He has an extraordinary eye for the sport and is an amazing technician and spotter. A big role for Steve, as well, will be our recruiting coordinator. His gym and office skills along with the energy he brings to work every day are all huge assets to our program."
Amanda Fillard (Photo courtesy N.C. State Athletics)
Fillard was a four-year gymnast at North Carolina State from 2014-17. As a senior captain, she was an NCAA Regional Championship individual competitor on bars and was named to the All-EAGL First Team in that event. The EAGL All-Scholastic gymnast earned her team's MVP award and received N.C. State's Kay Yow Award for outstanding academic and athletic achievement combined with community service and teamwork. The native of Centereach, N.Y., most recently worked as a USA Gymnastics Coach/Event Coordinator at New Image Gymnastics Academy in Long Island from 2017-19. She directed and organized gymnastics competitions, encouraged athletes to reach their full potential, composed lesson plans and assisted in travel arrangements to go along with working on choreography and spotting.
"I am so happy to have Amanda on board with us," Ayotte said. "Her background as a talented Division I student-athlete and the added experience she gained as head coach at New Image Gymnastics will make our program stronger. She is a hard worker and I am very excited she has decided to coach at the collegiate level. With her organizational skills, choreography and knowledge of gymnastics, she is going to be an exceptional coach for UNH."
About UNH Gymnastics
The UNH gymnastics program has reached the NCAA Regional Championships 36 times in the 38 seasons in which the sport has been sponsored at the Division I level. New Hampshire went 23-4 in 2019 and won the third EAGL Championship in school history.
About UNH Gymnastics