DENVER – Stephen Hood will be the next assistant coach for the University of Denver gymnastics team, Joy S. Burns Women's Gymnastics Head Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart announced on Tuesday.
 
"We're excited to welcome Stephen to the Denver Gymnastics family," Kutcher-Rinehart said. "He's detail oriented, thorough, hardworking and passionate. I love his energy, excitement and enthusiasm for DU. He has a competitiveness to win with integrity, and he'll embrace our philosophy of character, teamwork and excellence."

"I am thrilled to be joining the University of Denver gymnastics staff," Hood said. "I am excited to work with such an incredible group of young women who embody teamwork, character and excellence. I believe in the vision and the program Melissa has built and look forward to working alongside our entire staff to make Denver the best gymnastics program in the nation.
 
"The future of DU Gymnastics is bright, and I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running with our current team and with recruiting. Go Pioneers!"
 
Hood joins Denver after serving as an assistant coach at Utah State University for the 2022 season. He was USU's primary coach on vault and co-coach on bars, helping lead Maia Fishwick to a share of the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference title on bars and Rebecca Wells to All-MRGC honors on vault. Utah State won its first MRGC team title in 2022 and set multiple program records at NCAA Regionals.
 
Previously, he spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman's University, also as the vault and bars coach. In 2018, TWU won the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championship, and Hood helped Schyler Jones qualify to NCAA Regionals on vault.
 
Before coaching collegiately, Hood was the women's team coach and women's recreational program director at Gulf Coast Gymnastics.
 
Hood graduated with his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Central Florida in 2017. As a student, he was a member of UCF's two-time world champion cheer team.
 
Hood replaces Dave Kuzara, who retired following more than 30 years coaching women's collegiate gymnastics.
 
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