MSU Gymnastics Names Katie Teft Assistant Coach
8/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Aug. 17, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Still celebrating the unprecedented success of the 2004 season, yet already preparing to surpass recent accomplishments, MSU gymnastics added Katie Teft as its assistant coach for 2005, the program announced Tuesday, Aug. 17. "I am thrilled to have Katie Teft join our coaching staff at MSU," said head coach Kathie Klages, who enters her 15th season at the helm of Spartan gymnastics in 2005. "Having coached a few camps with Katie, I know her level of expertise will aid this program in its goals to become a national caliber program." "I am very excited to get the opportunity to work with such an excellent coaching staff as well as work with a very talented group of young ladies," said Teft of her upcoming role with MSU. Teft, a 2003 graduate of Central Michigan University, brings significant talent to the program, boasting over a decade of excellence in gymnastics, in the U.S. and overseas. "As an international competitor, a Pan American gold medalist, a 1996 Olympic Trials selection, and a NCAA national competitor, Katie brings a wealth of competitive experience to the program," Klages said. "Combine that experience with her knowledge of the sport and her ability to communicate well with the athletes, and she will make an exceptional collegiate gymnastics coach." Teft's track record of domestic competition is impressive in and of itself. At the 1993 National Championship, she captured a first-place finish on the balance beam, as well as first place all-around in the children's division. Teft went on to claim two fourth place all-around finishes that year, first at the U.S. Championship and again the U.S. Classic, both in the junior division. She also finished first on the floor and ninth all around at the Catania Cup Classic in Sicily, Italy in 1993. In 1994, Teft took first place in the all around (junior division) at both the U.S. Classic and the American Classic/World Championship Trials. She also contributed to a first-place team finish amongst competitors from across the globe at the 1994 Hilton Challenge and finished eighth all around at the 1994 Coca-Cola National Championships. Teft's skills took her to Barcelona, Spain, where she competed in the Joaquim Blume Memorial and posted a third-place all-around finish. The following year, Teft further extended her spectrum of competition and continued to embrace the opportunity to face international opponents, as she had in the past. At the American Classic/Pan American Game Trials, she captured fifth place on bars and beam, while ranking sixth on the floor and fifth in the all around. Teft's performance lead her to become a member of 1995 U.S. Pan American gold medal-winning team. Teft earned a fourth place finish on the balance beam to contribute to the team victory at the Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina. After her success at the Pan American Games, Teft went on to an impressive second-place finish on the vault at World Team Trials in 1996, but was unable to complete competition due to injury. At the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, Teft ranked eighth all-around, which allowed her the opportunity to serve as an alternate for 1996 U.S. Olympic team. She also contributed to a first-place team finish at the 1996 Senior Pacific Alliance Championships in Kuantan, Malaysia. She was also a 1998 state champion in the all-around, bars and floor exercise, while competing for Forest Hills Central high school. After immense success throughout the 1990s, Teft delved into collegiate competition as a freshman gymnast at the University of Massachusetts in 2000. Her debut season, she was honored as Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for three straight weeks (Jan. 31, Feb. 8, Feb. 14, 2004), she smashed the school record on bars (9.950) and beam (9.925) and scored 39.175 all around on two occasions, good for fourth place all time at UMass. As a sophomore, Teft tied her own all-time university record with a 9.950 on bars. She scored a 9.900 or higher six times in the event in 2001, including a conference-best 9.950. She also scored 9.800 or higher three times on beam as a sophomore. In 2002, Teft established herself as the all-time university record holder on both bars (9.975) and beam (9.925) and went on to become the Atlantic 10 Conference Champion on bars with 9.950. She also took fourth place on bars (9.800) at the 2002 NCAA Northeast Regional. To complete her collegiate career, Teft transferred to Central Michigan University, where she set the all-time university record on bars with two perfect 10s in 2003. She earned a 9.975 on bars, which made her the Michigan Athletic Conference Champion in that event. She was also a regional champion on bars (9.900), which qualified her for Nationals.
