Jen Llewellyn

Jen Llewellyn was named the fifth head coach in program history on June 6, 2024.

2026

In her second season as head coach, Jen Llewellyn was named WCGA North Central Region Head Coach of the Year, becoming the second coach in program history to earn the honor. She led Iowa to a 14–6 overall record and a 6–3 Big Ten mark, finishing fourth in the regular season B1G and fifth at the Big Ten Championships. The Hawkeyes ended the year ranked No. 17 nationally and posted a 9–0 home record.

Iowa made its 26th straight NCAA Regional appearance and set a program record with a 197.225 against Nebraska on Feb. 7. The Hawkeyes recorded three of the top 18 team scores in school history and broke the uneven bars school record twice, most recently with a 49.575 at NCAA Regionals. The team added a 49.475 on floor against Penn State on Feb. 21, tying the sixth‑highest score in program history.

Sophomore Aurélie Tran earned WCGA second‑team All‑America honors on bars and in the all‑around. She won the NCAA Corvallis Regional bars title with a program‑record 10.0 and tied for second on bars at the NCAA Championships with a 9.9750, the highest bars score by a Hawkeye at the national meet. Tran became the 12th Hawkeye to qualify for the NCAA Championships and the first to qualify on bars since 2003.

Llewellyn coached three All‑Big Ten award. Tran earned first‑team honors, while JerQuavia Henderson and Sophie Schriever were named to the second team. Schriever also earned Big Ten All‑Freshman Team honors.

2025
In her first season as head coach, Llewellyn led the Hawkeyes to a fifth-place finish at Big Ten Championships and the regular season after being picked to finish 10th.  The GymHawks started the season ranked 29th in the preseason poll and finished 23rd and qualified for regionals as a team with an NQS of 196.430. Coach Llewellyn turned the program around after going 2-7 the previous year the Hawkeyes went 5-4 in Big Ten competition. Iowa picked up ranked wins over No. 25 Nebraska, No. 26 Illinois, and No. 25 Penn State during the 2025 season.

Llewellyn comes to the Hawkeyes after three years as head coach at the University of Washington. At Washington, Llewellyn led the Huskies to three-straight NCAA second round regional appearances, including a sweet 16 appearance in 2023. In 2024, the GymDawgs recorded two team scores above a 197, the second time the squad has notched two 197+ scores in Llewellyn’s tenure at Washington. Llewellyn had student-athletes named NCAA Regional floor co-champions at the Cal Regional. She had one student-athlete qualify for NCAA National Championships in the all-around where she was a two-time All-American on bars and the all-around.

Prior to Washington, Llewelyn was at Lindenwood University since the start of the program in 2012. She served as the interim head coach for the inaugural season and was named the head coach in 2013. Llewellyn led the Lions to six straight conference championships and three USAG National Championships. She was named Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) Head Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Llewellyn was named the USA Gymnastics Head Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016. She helped the Lions earn three different Gymnast of the Year awards from the MIC including the 2015 Gymnast of the Year, the 2015 Newcomer of the Year, and the 2018 Senior Athlete of the Year.

Llewellyn coached the Lions to their first-ever NCAA Regionals appearance after Lindenwood finished 2019 by winning the MIC championship and was selected to the Baton Rouge Regional as the third-ever Division II program to qualify for NCAA Regionals. The Lions had eight different individuals qualify for Regionals in Llewellyn’s time as head coach, including three in 2021

The Lions posted six-straight MIC championships under Llewellyn’s leadership. Over her nine seasons, Lindenwood earned 78 all-conference honors, including 18 in 2021. The Lions also earned four WCGA All-American honors in 2021, giving the Lions 64 All-Americans during Llewellyn’s tenure. Llewellyn was named Division II Regional Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021.

In the classroom, the Lions achieved the highest GPA in program history in 2021, posting a 3.84 to top the previous record of 3.82 from 2020. Her student-athletes earned numerous MIC Scholar-Athlete and USA Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete honors, and in 2017 two members of the program became the first Academic All-Americans in team history

A native of Kenmore, Washington, Llewellyn was a three-time all-American and a national runner-up on bars at Oregon State. She would also win a Pac-12 championship in 2009 on bars and an NCAA Regionals championship in 2008 on bars.

Llewellyn earned her bachelor’s degree in merchandise management in 2012 from Oregon State and her master’s in communication from Lindenwood in 2014. She and her husband, Cody, have two children, William Grayson and Blakely.

What they’re saying about Jen Llewellyn:

Jen Cohen, USC Athletic Director, former Washington Athletics Director
“Jen Llewellyn is an exceptional coach, leader and person. She brings to Iowa Gymnastics a wealth of experience, a championship mindset and will build a culture where the young women in her program will thrive both in and out of competition. This is a great hire by Iowa.”

Jay Clark, Head Coach, Louisiana State University
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jen since she was an athlete that I recruited. She was a tenacious competitor then, and I’ve watched from afar as she has grown into the complete coach she is today. She understands the importance of standards, values and todays need for a true culture of buy in from every role being played on her team. I’m excited to see her take this next challenge and move the needle the way she has everywhere she has been.  Iowa is fortunate to have such a coach full of integrity and ambition to succeed.”

K.J. Kindler, Head Coach, University of Oklahoma
“In Jen’s young career she has accomplished what many thought might be unreachable including growing the Lindenwood program from inception to a birth in the NCAA post season and nurturing the Washington Huskies to compete in the final sixteen.  Her professional endeavors are always preceded by her devotion to personal relationships with her student- athletes.  She will undoubtedly provide the leadership and vision to propel the Hawkeyes into the next phase.”

Tanya Chaplin, Head Coach, Oregon State
“Jen is an exceptional coach, mentor, and teacher, dedicated to developing and empowering her athletes at every stage of their journey. Her enthusiasm and passion for the sport are contagious. It has been exciting to watch her succeed at every step of her journey, from a student-athlete to a championship coach. I am excited to watch her thrive at Iowa.”