Brett Nelligan enters his seventh season at Maryland having recently assumed the role of head coach of the Terrapin gymnastics team for the 2009-10 season. He became the fourth head coach in the program's 34-year history beginning May 1, 2009, following the retirement of his father, Bob Nelligan. A member of the coaching staff since July 2003, Nelligan is responsible for coaching vault and tumbling. In 2008, the vault was among the highest average scoring events for the team. He is also relied on for his spotting abilities that are crucial to the team's success. In addition to coaching, Nelligan is credited with securing several of the Terps' most talented recruiting classes ever. Nelligan's recruiting success helped him earn the title of recruiting coordinator in May 2006. His father, former head coach Bob Nelligan, believes what makes Brett a good recruiter is his believability, "He is selling something that he believes in, his father and the Maryland gymnastics system. He also goes out recruiting with a plan to bring in the highest ranked athletes." A 2003 graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in sport management, Nelligan competed three years of gymnastics for the Minutemen, serving as co-captain one year. An accomplished gymnast himself, Brett regularly made lineup on vault, floor exercise, high bar and pommel horse. On vault, he placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships and third at the ECAC Championships. He was also an Academic All-American and aided his team in winning two ECAC Championships. A versatile athlete, Brett turned to diving after the UMass gymnastics program was cancelled, and witnessed the team achieve its third straight Atlantic-10 title. In recent years, Nelligan has spent his summers coaching at several gymnastics camps, including the University of Georgia, University of New Hampshire, University of Arizona, University of Rhode Island, University of Maryland Gymkana Gymnastics Camp, Woodward Gymnastics Camp, and at the U.S. Gymnastics Training Center in Holyoke, Mass. |
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