Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft announced the selection of Jennifer Green as head coach for the Penn State Nittany Lion women’s gymnastics program On Tuesday, August 4. Green, the reigning Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year, heads to Penn State after one of the most dominant years in Air Force Gymnastics history and a NCAA Regional appearance, the first for the program since 2002.
“We set out to find a coach who could lead at the highest level of college gymnastics, and Jennifer Green quickly distinguished herself as the right person for Penn State,” said Kraft. “She has coached in both the Big Ten and the SEC, and as an All-American gymnast at LSU, she understands firsthand what it takes to compete and win at the highest level. Jennifer is a proven program builder, a relentless competitor and an outstanding developer of student-athletes. Her vision for Penn State, her belief in what this program can become and her passion for this community have me excited for the future of Penn State gymnastics.”
“It is truly an honor to be named the head coach of Penn State Women’s Gymnastics,” said Green. “I want to sincerely thank Pat Kraft and the entire athletic department for their trust and confidence in me. Penn State’s rich tradition of excellence, its commitment to developing outstanding student-athletes, and the passion of Nittany Nation makes this an incredibly special opportunity. I look forward to building meaningful relationships with our student-athletes, alumni, and fans while creating an exceptional student-athlete experience and competing for championships in the Big Ten and on the national stage. My family and I are excited to join the Penn State community and get to work. We Are!”
Green arrived as the head coach of the United States Air Force Academy in 2021 and began to rebuild the Falcons into a national power. During her first five years in Colorado Springs, Green’s squad earned a pair of podium finishes at USA Gymnastics Nationals, crowned three USA Gymnastics National Champions and garnered 26 USA Gymnastics All-Americans and 19 combined Women’s College Gymnastic Association and USA Gymnastics Scholar Athletes. Green led the Falcons to a Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year accolade and the program’s first ever Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Freshman of the Year as well as setting new program meet records on the vault apparatus and in the all-around.
In 2026, Green led the Falcons to one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Under Green’s tutelage, Air Force finished the season ranked 36th in the country, the third-highest finish in program history and the highest end-of-season mark since 2002, as the Falcons qualified for NCAA Regionals for the first time since the 2002 season. Green led her squad to scoring the first 197-plus score in program and Mountain West Conference history against Fisk University and secured an 8-1 record inside Cadet Gym. The Falcons garnered 46 total Mountain West Conference weekly awards in 2026 with 10 All-Conference honors. Under Green’s guidance, junior superstar Maggie Slife earned her second-consecutive Mountain West Gymnast of the Year honor, was named College Gym News’ 2026 Most Valuable Gymnast and became the first Air Force gymnast to qualify for the NCAA National Championship as an individual all-arounder. Green herself was honored as the Mountain West Coach of the Year and was nominated for the College Gym News’ Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to her time in Colorado Springs, Green spent six years with Iowa and an additional two years before that at Missouri. During her stint with the GymHawks, she helped the Iowa women’s gymnastics program finish with a pair of top-20 finishes and was named the NCAA North Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year for her efforts in 2016. While in Iowa City, Green was a part of a pair of NCAA Regional teams including a third-place finish at the Champaign Regionals during the 2017 campaign. As an assistant coach at Missouri, Green led the Tigers’ efforts on choreography and beam.
Preceding her stint in Columbia, Green spent four years as recreational director as well as the beam and floor coach at Elite Gymnastics Club in Lenexa, Kansas. Afterwards, she moved on to Kansas Gymnastics and Cheer, where she spent 12 years as the beam and floor coach. Green has coached numerous athletes to USA Gymnastics Western Nationals and Level 10 Junior Olympic Nationals, and several earned state, regional and national titles.
Along with her highly-successful coaching career, Green was just as spectacular as a gymnast at LSU. Green (neé Lyerly) was a four-year letterwinner at LSU from 1986-89 and she earned All-America status on vault as a sophomore in 1987. The former Tiger guided LSU to the 1986 NCAA Central Regional championship. As a senior in 1988, Green tied for the SEC Vault title with fellow Tiger Julianne Wilson as LSU captured the vault team title at the SEC Championship.
Green earned a bachelor’s degree in management and human relations from Mid America Nazarene University and a Master of Education in Education, School, and Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Positive Coaching and Athletic Leadership from the University of Missouri. In addition to her pair of degrees, she also received her Sport Life Coaching certificate and attended both the WeCOACH NCAA Women Coaches Academy and the NCAA Academy 2.0. Green is the mother of four children: Taylor, Matt, Jackson and Bailey.