GW Athletics hired Hilary Steele as women’s gymnastics’ next head coach, officials announced ​​Friday. 

The former USA Gymnastics National Team member joins the Revolutionaries after three seasons as head coach of the Temple University gymnastics team and previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Maryland. Steele, who announced her departure from Temple University on July 14, takes over for Stephanie Worrell, who resigned in June after two seasons at the helm. 

Steele said in the release she is “incredibly honored” to join a program with a “tradition of excellence” forged by its coaches, student-athletes, and alumni.

“I’m excited to build on that foundation by fostering a championship mentality, a winning culture and an environment where our student-athletes can thrive both in the gym and in the classroom,” she said.

During her time at Temple, Steele saw success across the board with gymnasts setting six of the top 20 scores in program history under her leadership. She led the Temple gymnastics team to a second-place finish at the EAGL Championships, behind first-place finisher GW. 

Steele earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and led their gymnastics team, the GymDogs to the national championship in both 2008 and 2009.  She secured Second Team All-America honors on the beam during her freshman campagin and won the Southern Eastern Conference Individual vault championship during her junior year. Following graduation, Steele volunteered with the team as an assistant coach during the 2011-2012 season. 

Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz said in the release Steele has a vision for elevating the program’s profile while maintaining its strong academic performance.

“Hilary is a winner in everything she does and brings a competitive spirit that will be infectious for our department and team at GW,” Lipitz said. “In more than two decades as an elite coach and athlete, she has demonstrated an ability to inspire and lead others to fulfill their potential.

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