|
Kim Landrus Promoted to Associate Head Coach
Nov. 28, 2006 Illinois Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Bob Starkell announced the promotion of Kim Landrus to Associate Head Coach. Now in her fifth season with the Illini, Landrus will take on the recruiting coordinator role in addition to her previous duties. "Kim has done a phenomenal job for Illinois Gymnastics and it's with great pleasure that she has been promoted to associate head coach," Starkell said. "She has had other coaching opportunities come along the way only to turn them down because she feels that Illinois is heading in the right direction and that she would like to see this team make it to the NCAA Championship finals. Landrus' contributions and dedication to this program have been outstanding. Our administration goes to great lengths to make sure our athletic teams have top notch coaching and resources and promoting Landrus shows the commitment the athletic department has towards success." Landrus has had much success during her four year tenure as an assistant coach for the Illini. During her stint at Illinois she has led the Illini to three straight NCAA Regional appearances for the first time in 16 years, 2004-2006. She was also named the NCAA South Central Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2005 and helped qualify two University of Illinois individuals to NCAA Nationals in 2004, something that hadn't been done in 17 years. "It's an honor for me to be named Associate Head Coach," Landrus said. "The last four years at Illinois have been very rewarding. All of our accomplishments are stepping stones, which Illinois Gymnastics will continue to build on in the upcoming years. I feel very fortunate to have an integral role in helping this program reach its ultimate goal of being one of the top teams in the Big Ten and qualifying for the NCAA National Championships in the future. I want to thank Bob Starkell and Ron Guenther for the opportunity they have given me here at Illinois and look forward to working with them as we take this program to the next level." The Elk Grove, Ill. native, Landrus, formerly Mazza, spent two years as an assistant coach for Iowa State University prior to coming to Illinois. 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, Landrus was one of the most decorated gymnasts in Iowa State 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.
|
