Pittsburgh Names New Gymnastics Assistant
7/17/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Pittsburgh Names New Gymnastics Assistant
7/17/1998
PITTSBURGH - Paul Scardina, who earned ECAC Assistant Coach of the Year honors while at Yale University, has been named assistant coach for the Pittsburgh women's gymnastics team.
Scardina will focus his coaching efforts on the uneven bars and vaulting events, and will provide assistance on the floor exercise. In addition, he will handle the Panthers' recruiting duties.
During his two-year tenure at Yale, Scardina was responsible for the Bulldogs' recruiting, as well as coaching the vault, uneven bars and the floor exercise. Additionally, he helped develop a strength and conditioning program. While there, Scardina earned 1998 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
Prior to Yale, Scardina served as the Head Women's Gymnastics Coach at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for three years from 1993-1996. There, Scardina's teams finished among the top three in the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) each year, including a first-place finish in 1996. In 1995, he was recognized as the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Division III and WWIAC Coach of the Year. Throughout his three-year tenure, he produced two national champions, six All-Americans and six all-around national qualifiers.
Scardina has also served as an International Gymnastics Camp Director and coach, a YMCA Gymnastics Youth instructor and the director of several university summer gymnastics camps. In November 1994, Scardina began the only high school gymnastics clinic in the state of Wisconsin.
"I am very excited about Paul's level of enthusiasm and energy. He comes from a university where students excelled academically and that philosophy will fit in well at Pittsburgh," Head Coach Debbie Yohman said. "All of Paul's experiences will be a great asset to our program."
Scardina is a 1995 graduate of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a bachelor's degree in exercise and fitness. As a collegiate gymnast at Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Scardina was a four-time All-American and a three-time national still rings champion.