April 12, 2010

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis head coach John Lavallee was selected as the Division I West Region Coach of the Year, it was announced by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) recently. The NACGC/W handed out awards for each of the six Div. I regions, plus one each for Division II and III.

Lavallee has now collected a postseason coaching award in each of his four seasons at the Aggie helm. He garnered Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Coach of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2009 before yielding that award to Air Force's Doug Day this season.

Lavallee guided UC Davis to one of its finest years in program history. The Aggies went 13-4 in dual meets, then reclaimed the MPSF team title with a 194.150 score. Furthermore, the team surpassed the 194-point barrier five times in 2010, after having hit that milestone three times in its prior history. The final regional-qualifying score of 193.885 shattered the school's previous best, and ranked UC Davis 39th, just three spots from an NCAA regional berth.

Also winning awards from the West Region were UCLA's Chris Waller, named Assistant Coach of the Year; Boise State's Amy Glass, selected as Gymnast of the Year; and UCLA's Petrina Long, the Administrator of the Year.

Among the winners were two head coaches who brought their programs through UC Davis in 2010. Frank Kudlac of Texas Woman's was the Division II Coach of the Year, while Jen Regan of Wisconsin-Whitewater claimed the Division III honor.

The Aggies wrapped up its 2010 season with three qualifiers -- senior Tanya Ho, senior Lida Gehlen and freshman Katie Yamamura -- at the NCAA Los Angeles Regional on Saturday.