Jenny Rowland, a former All-American and USA World Championship team member, was named 2015 NCAA co-Assistant Coach of the Year with Auburn assistant Kurt Hettinger. Rowland, who will be entering her sixth season on the Auburn coaching staff in 2016, was promoted to Associate Head Coach in March 2013.
As associate head coach, Rowland works with all aspects of the Auburn gymnastics program. She coordinates 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.
Rowland also serves as the lead balance beam coach and works with floor exercise dance and routine construction. Additionally, Rowland lends her judging expertise through video breakdown of Auburn's routines.
Auburn advanced to the NCAA Championship Super Six in 2015 for the first time in 22 years as the the Tigers broke or tied 52 program records. Auburn's sixth place finish at the Super Six was the Tigers' second best in history and highest since 1993 with a NCAA nationals record score of 197.075. The Tigers also had a program record Super Six score of 195.625.
Auburn reached the 2015 NCAA Championship for the first time since 2003 and for only the fourth time overall as the Tigers tied a school-best with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Regional with a regional record score of 196.900. Auburn's No. 2 regional seed was the highest in history.
The Tigers broke or tied 52 program records in 2015 with six of the top eight scores in program history. The Tigers also scored record team totals in the SEC Championship, NCAA Regional, NCAA Semifinal and the NCAA Super Six. Seventeen of the top 20 scores in program history have now been achieved under head coach Jeff Graba and his staff since 2012.
Auburn defeated seven top 10 teams in 2015, haivng only defeated seven top 10 teams in its history prior to 2015. The victories came against No. 4 LSU, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 UCLA, Georgia (twice as No. 9, once as No. 10) and No. 9 Nebraska. Auburn's victory against No. 4 LSU in the NCAA Semifinal was the highest ranked team the Tigers have ever defeated.
Auburn was ranked in the top 10 for 10 consecutive weeks, a school record. Auburn has only been ranked in the top 10 16 total weeks in the last 20 years combined.
Auburn set school overall records in a three-meet span, capped with a 197.750 in the win vs. No. 9 Georgia in the first sellout in program history with a crowd of 7,424 in Auburn Arena. It was only the Tigers' fourth victory over Georgia in 80 meetings with the others coming in 1975, 1977 and 2010.
The Tigers finished fourth in the SEC Championship after competing in the coveted night session for the first time in history while also defeating Georgia for the second straight time, a first in program history.
The Tigers finished the regular season ranked eighth nationally, the highest finial regular season ranking in history with its program record RQS of 197.045.
Auburn's RQS score of 197.025 heading into the 2015 SEC Championship was the highest in the school's history as the Tigers' set a school record SEC Championship score of 196.925 finishing fourth, its best SEC finish in 22 years.
Three Tigers earned All-America honors as Caitlin Atkinson earned NAGC/W regular season first-team All-America honors in the all-around. At the NCAA Championship, Atkinson won All-America first-team honors in all-around by finishing third with 39.550 and won beam with a career-high tying 9.950.
Megan Walker earned NAGC/W regular season second-team All-American honors on beam while Walker and Bri Guy both earned NCAA Championship All-America second-team honors on beam with a pair of 9.85s.
Three Tigers earned All-SEC honors in 2015 in Megan Walker, Lexus Demers and Abby Milliet, the first Auburn freshman to earn the honor since Caitlin Atkinson in 2013. Milliet also garnered Freshman All-SEC honors.
Rowland has been part of the leadership that guided the Tigers to its highest ranking since 2009 at No. 6 in 2015, No. 10 in 2014 and No. 11 in 2013 and just its second win over a top-six team since 1998 with the upset victory over then-No. 6 LSU in February 2013 with a program-record score of 197.175.
One of the many high points in the 2014 season came with a win at No. 10 Arkansas 196.550-196.100 for the Tigers first win in six meetings in Fayetteville. Auburn (197.000) posted its second highest score of 197 or higher in 2014 against Missouri, marking the first time that an Auburn team has accomplished the feat. The Tigers have scored 197 or higher three times in the last 15 meets, a plateau that had only been reached once in the program's previous 38 years of competition. Eight of the top 10 scores in program history have now been achieved under head coach Jeff Graba and his staff.
Caitlin Atkinson and MJ Rott were named National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women regular season All-Americans. Atkinson, Brittany Webster and Megan Walker were named All-SEC while Rott was a Freshman All-SEC selection. The Tigers ranked 20th in the nation in balance beam RQS while Walker was 18th (9.885) and Atkinson (9.880) was 20th nationally on beam.
Auburn advanced to the2014 Baton Rouge regionalwhile the Tigers won the SEC Gymnastics Championship afternoon session for the second year in a row and finished fifth overall.
Under Rowland's tutelage, Auburn impressed on balance beam in 2013. The Tigers ranked seventh nationally in balance beam RQS with a score of 49.195. Both Megan Walker and Caitlin Atkinson finished the 2013 season ranked in the top 30 nationally in individual balance beam RQS.
In 2012, Auburn recorded the then second-highest regional score in program history with its 196.100 performance in Auburn Arena. The mark ranked 12th nationally and would've been good enough to send the Tigers to nationals in two other regions.
Rowland joined the Auburn staff in 2010 after spending the previous four years as a gymnastics judge on the national and international levels. She is an eight-time USA Championship judge, served as a U.S. Olympic Trials judge in 2008 and 2012. Rowland currently serves as an International Brevet judge.
She achieved the rank of Level 3 International Brevet judge in 2013.
Rowland spent five years from 2001-2006 as a women's assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma where she coached the 2004 Big XII Champions, three-time team NCAA qualifiers (2004-2006) and three Big XII Gymnasts of the Year.
As a gymnast, Rowland was a USA National Team member from 1985-1990 and was on the 1989 USA World Championship Team. She competed collegiately at Arizona State University, where she was an Uneven Bars All-American in 1993.
Rowland received her bachelor's degree in health and sports sciences from the University of Oklahoma in 1997. She is married to Garon Rowland, a two-time All-American gymnast at Oklahoma, and the couple has two daughters, Ella and Emmy.