Jay Ronayne is in his fourth season as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for the Auburn gymnastics program.

Ronayne has an incredible knowledge of gymnastics and puts his skills to use, coaching three events for the Tigers.

His knowledge of gymnastics has also helped him with his responsibilities as top recruiter. Though Auburn[apos]s program and campus speak for themselves, Ronayne[apos]s gymnastics history has enabled him to bring talented athletes to the program on an annual basis. Ronayne[apos]s recruiting success spans well beyond the Southeast, a fact that is evident from the 2006 roster. The Tigers hail from eight different states, stretching from coast to coast.

Ronayne is responsible for bringing in six newcomers this season, including highly touted recruits A.J. Mills and Lindsey Puckett.

Ronayne[apos]s impact at Auburn was visible on a national level last season, as three of the four Tigers who qualified for the NCAA Championships were recruited by him.

A native of Worcester, Mass., Ronayne began coaching gymnastics after competing in the sport for 12 years at the USGF and NCAA levels. A 1989 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Ronayne received a bachelor[apos]s degree in English. Since his graduation, Ronayne has done extensive graduate study in sport psychology and athletic coaching education.

Prior to joining the staff at Auburn, Ronayne was the first assistant at West Virginia where he helped the team to eight Big East Conference titles, 13 NCAA Regional appearances and three National Championship appearances. He also coached four All-Americans, seven individual qualifiers, two NCAA Regional Champions and 20 Conference Champions.

Jay resides in Auburn and is married to the former Mary Hefferin, assistant director of the Auburn aquatics center.