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Mazza is in her fourth year as an assistant coach for the Illini, after coming to Illinois in September 2002. She primarily coaches the balance beam, while assisting in vault as well. Additionally, Mazza choreographs floor and beam routines, structures day-to-day practices, and monitors the conditioning program for the gymnasts. Outside of the gym, she plays a vital role in both on and off campus recruiting. Last season, Mazza was honored as the 2005 South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
Prior to the 2002-2003 season, Mazza spent two years as an assistant coach for Iowa State University. At Iowa State, her beam team finished in the top-10 nationally in 2002 with a season-high ranking of fourth. Before her coaching career, Mazza was one of the most decorated gymnasts in Cyclone history. She was ISU's first-ever national qualifier in 1997, a two-time all-conference pick, the school's Most Valuable Gymnast in 1996 and '97, and she recorded the first 10.0 in school history with a perfect performance on the floor exercise at the 1997 Big 12 Championships. The four-year letterwinner was named ISU's Woman Athlete of the Year in 1997.
In addition to her stellar athletic career, Mazza also excelled in the classroom. She was a four-time academic all-conference selection, a two-time GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American, and was in the top two percent of her class when she earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance in 1997. Mazza received the Big 12 Postgraduate Scholarship and the NCAA Women's Enhancement Program Postgraduate Scholarship after earning her undergraduate degree.
From 1998-2000, Mazza earned an MBA degree, while serving as a graduate assistant in compliance for the university. She was also the Iowa State gymnastics meet director and coached at the Cardinal Gymnastics Academy in Ames, Iowa. She completed her master's degree in Business Administration in May of 2000.
