University of Denver Athletics

Linas Gaveika will enter his 13th season with Denver in 2025. He spent his first three seasons with the team as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in June 2015. He is currently Denver's lead vault and bars coach, as well as the team's recruiting coordinator.

Awards & Honors

• 2019 National co-Assistant Coach of the Year
• Three-Time Region 2/North Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year (2019, 2018, 2011)

2024

• Set new program bars record (49.750) on February 4
• Finished with program-record bars NQS (49.510) and second-highest vault NQS (49.360)
• Coached four gymnasts to a combined five near-perfect 9.975s across his events of vault and bars
• Helped lead Rylie Mundell to Big 12 Event Specialist of the Year honors by way of her NQS on vault, bars
• Helped coach Jessica Hutchinson to WCGA Regular-Season All-America honors on vault

2023

• Coached Lynnzee Brown to NCAA runner-up finish on vault and Rylie Mundell to Big 12 vault title
• Helped lead Rosie Casali and Kiley Rorich to WCGA postseason All-America honors at the NCAA National Championships
• Set new vault program records twice during the season, both at away meets (most recently: 49.600 on February 24)
• Posted four of the top six bars scores in program history
• Took over lead coaching on vault

2022

• Coached Rylie Mundell to Big 12 bars title
• Earned what was then the program's second-highest postseason bars score (49.500 at Big 12 Championship); also ranked as program's fifth highest overall bars score
• Set then-fourth-highest bars NQS in program history (49.370)

2021

• Helped coach Denver to its first-ever Big 12 Conference Championship
• Coached Lynnzee Brown to a ninth-place tie on bars at NCAA National Championships
• Also coached Brown to two perfect 10.0s on bars, the first of his career
• Finished the year ranked No. 2 in the country on bars, the highest final event ranking in DU history
• Set what was then a new program bars record (49.325) on March 7
• Tied what was then the program postseason record on bars (49.525 at Big 12 Championship); also tied third highest overall bars score in school history
• Finished with program record for bars NQS (49.500)

2020

• Spent the entire season ranked inside the top five nationally on bars, including season-high ranking of No. 3 for five weeks
• Set what was then a new program bars record (49.575 on February 16)
• Coached Maddie Karr to four near-perfect 9.975s on bars
• Finished with what was then the second-highest bars NQS in program history (49.420)

2019

• Named National and Regional co-Assistant Coach of the Year
• Helped coach Denver to its first NCAA Championship Final appearance where DU finished a record-shattering fourth overall
• Coached Maddie Karr to a program-record sixth-place finish on bars at NCAA Nationals
• Finished ranked what was then a program-record No. 4 nationally on bars
• Set what was then a school record on bars (49.525 on January 19, just the second meet of the year)

2018

• Set what was then a school record on bars (49.475 at Big 12 Championship)
• Earned five of the program's then-top 10 bars scores (all achieved at road meets)
• Finished the season ranked No. 6 nationally on bars (then a program record)
• Named North Central Region co-Assistant Coach of the Year

2017

• Coached Maddie Karr, Julia Ross to Postseason All-American honors on bars
• Helped Denver qualify as a team to the NCAA National Championships for the fourth time in school history
• Set what was then the program record on bars (49.450 on March 10)
• Also tied what was then the fourth highest bars score in school history (49.400 on February 11)

2016

• Set multiple then-top-10 bars scores in program history including season-high 49.475 at Big 12 Championship
• Spent entire season ranked inside top 15 on bars including No. 10 final ranking
• Named Associate Head Coach

2015

• Tied what was then the fourth highest bars score in program history (49.325 on March 9)
• Final season as team's lead vault coach; tied the then-second highest vault score in school history (49.425 on February 27)

2014

• Set a then-program record on vault (49.475 at Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Championship)
• Finished ranked inside the top 25 on both of his events (vault, bars)

2013

• Coached Denver to a final national ranking of No. 12 on bars

Prior to Denver

• Assistant coach at the University of Iowa (2009-12)
  • Helped coach GymHawks to four NCAA Regional berths
  • Named North Central co-Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011
• Gymnast at the University of Iowa (2002-05)
  • NCAA National Champion (high bar)
  • Four-time All-American (three times on high bar, once on parallel bars)
• Member of Lithuanian National Team (1995-2007)
  • Competed at six World Gymnastics Championships and three European Championships
  • Qualified for multiple event and all-around finals at both World Championships and European Championships

Education

• Master's degree in sports sciences (Iowa '11)
• Bachelor's degree in Russian and literature (Iowa '05)