Washington hires gymnastics coach Jessa Hansen Parker

Washington hired Jessa Hansen Parker, a former teammate of 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, to lead their gymnastics program.

Washington hired a new gymnastics coach on Tuesday, swiping an assistant from the same school who took the Huskies’ head coach earlier this summer.

Jen Llewellyn left Montlake on June 6 to take the gymnastics coaching job at Iowa, which is also the previous stop of new Huskies coach Jessa Hansen Parker. A Hawkeyes alum, Hansen Parker spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Iowa.

In those four seasons, Hansen Parker coached 6 All-Americans, 13 All-Big Ten honorees, and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Adeline Kenlin, who was also the 2022 NCAA runner-up in the balance beam.

“We are thrilled to welcome coach Hansen Parker into the Husky family as the leader of our gymnastics program,” Washington athletic director Pat Chun said in a statement.

“Her passion for coaching and commitment to education is beyond evident and we can’t wait to see her vision unfold here on Montlake. Throughout her career, coach Hansen Parker has shown an amazing amount of energy and focus through leadership and her approach to team building. She brings elite-level experience as a student-athlete and coach at Iowa, as well as a commitment to excellence both athletically and academically, making her the perfect choice to lead our program into a new era within the Big Ten conference.”

Before returning to her alma mater, Hansen Parker spent seven seasons on the west coast as an assistant coach at Cal and UC Davis. At Cal, Hansen Parker helped guide the Golden Bears to their first NCAA national championship berth in 24 years in 2016. Cal finished No. 7 in the nation that year.

While at UC Davis, Hansen Parker was named the 2019 Assistant Coach of the Year by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

A two time All-Big Ten selection as a gymnast at Iowa, Hansen Parker was club teammates with 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson at Chow’s Gymnastics in West Des Moines, Iowa. That gym has also produced Olympians Gabby Douglas and Rachel Gowey.

Washington will hope to tap into that talent with Hansen Parker at the helm.