Jay Ronayne - Gymnastics Coach - Iowa State University Athletics

Jay Ronayne

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
jronayne@iastate.edu
Phone:
515-294-0555

Jay Ronayne led the Iowa State gymnastics program for 17 seasons, beginning in 2007 before finishing his ISU tenure in 2023. During his time at the helm, Ronayne saw his Cyclone program rise back up among the nation’s best programs both in the gym and in the classroom.

The Worcester, Massachusetts native has coached Cyclone student-athletes to 12 Big 12 Championships, six NCAA Gymnastics Championships individual event specialists qualifications, eight All-America honors, two Big 12 Gymnasts of the Year titles, three Big 12 Newcomers of the Year nods and a Big 12 Event Specialist of the Year award.

Under Ronayne, Cyclone student-athletes earned First Team Academic All-Big 12 Honors 106 times. In his final season, ISU placed a league-best nine athletes on the first team. Ronayne also had athletes be named to the Second Team Academic All-Big 12 24 times during his tenure.

Iowa State made it to the NCAA Gymnastics Championships Regionals in 14 of a possible 16 occasions under Ronayne and came within a tiebreaker of advancing to the 2007 NCAA Championships. Five of Iowa State’s six-highest regional round scores in program history have come under Ronayne’s guidance, with the 2022 squad setting the record with their 196.725 at Auburn.

During his tenure in Ames, Ronayne saw record crowds come to watch his Cyclones inside Hilton Coliseum. The top 10 attended meets in Iowa State history, including a record crowd of 7,732 against Oklahoma on Feb. 8, 2013, have come under Ronayne’s watch. The Cyclones’ meet against Iowa on March 4, 2022 saw a crowd of 3,889, a gymnastics-only record for ISU. Iowa State consistently ranked among the nation’s best in attendance numbers, as the Cyclones finished the season in the top 25 in national attendance for 20-straight years.

Iowa State finished the season ranked in the top-25 each from 2018-22, the second-longest streak in program history. In 2022, Iowa State posted a 196.875 against Lindenwood, its second highest under Ronayne. ISU gymnasts logged 31 scores of 9.900 or higher, the ninth most in a season in program history.

The 2021 season saw the Cyclones pick up their first top-five win of the Jay Ronayne Era (over No. 5 Denver on Jan. 31) and post their two-highest scores under Ronayne, the best of those being a 197.050 at the Big 12 Championships which was also the highest at a conference championship in Iowa State history.

The 2021 season also saw a best for the Ronayne Era of scores of 9.900 or higher, with 33 being posted across eight different student-athletes (the second-most Cyclones to record a 9.9 or better in a single season in program history). The highlight of those 33 came in the aforementioned meet at Denver when Addy De Jesus posted a Perfect 10 on vault, the first of Ronayne’s tenure. De Jesus went on to earn two WCGA All-America honors on all-around and vault, tie for the Big 12 title on floor and earn the Big 12’s Newcomer of the Year award in 2021.

The 2020 Cyclones notched five 9.950 scores, the most in a single season under Ronayne. Leading the way was Andrea Maldonado, with the Puerto Rican earning First Team All-America honors on floor with four 9.950s in the event. The 2019 Iowa State squad features seven gymnasts who recorded a score of 9.900 or better during the season for the first time in his tenure.

Ronayne and the Cyclones were fortunate to have a recent outstanding run of quality individual gymnasts who have gone on to represent ISU at the NCAA Championships. Meaghan Sievers twice won the vault competition at the Regional Championships (2016, 2018) to advance to the National Championships, while Haylee Young, a two-time Big 12 champion, made it to NCAAs as an all-arounder in 2017.

Senior Caitlin Brown qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual for the second-straight year in 2015, making it five times in the previous six years Ronayne has had an individual qualify for the NCAA Championships. Brown’s senior year had many highs, tying a school record on balance beam, regular and postseason All-America honors on beam and a Big 12 championship on uneven bars, the apparatus coached by Ronayne. Big 12 All-Around champion, Haylee Young, was the first Big 12 all-around crown for Iowa State in 12 years.

The 2014 season saw the Cyclones put up another outstanding postseason run. A challenging regular season left Iowa State needing to post its season-high score at the Big 12 Championships hosted by West Virginia. Ronayne and the Cyclones delivered, finishing second with a season-high team score of 196.650 and Camille Santerre-Gervais earning the Big 12 title on uneven bars. One of the last teams to make the NCAA Regional Field, the Cyclones put up another strong performance at the Baton Rouge Regional, finishing third for the second consecutive season with a 196.350.

In 2013 Ronayne guided the Cyclones to one of the best postseason runs in program history. Iowa State’s season culminated with Michelle Shealy finishing fifth on balance beam at the NCAA Championships, the highest finish by a Cyclone in program history on the beam. Shealy also earned All-America First-Team honors on the beam. ISU started its 2013 postseason with its best score of the year at the Big 12 Championship to place second before finishing third at its NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Shealy was not the lone Cyclone to earn prestigious post-season distinctions, as senior Elizabeth Stranahan was named the Big 12 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and four ISU gymnasts took home All-Big 12 Championships honors.

Ronayne’s squads continually score well in the classroom and make their impact in the community. During his time at Iowa State, the Cyclones have received 96 total Academic All-Big 12 honors. In 2021, Iowa State’s 13 Academic All-Big 12 First Team honorees were the most in the Big 12 and the most in one season in program history.

In 2012, Ronayne’s team earned the Cyclone Challenge Cup, an honor that goes to the Iowa State team that tallied the most points through individual and team participation in Iowa State Student-Athlete Development programming.

Ronayne was named head coach at Iowa State on July 5, 2006. He came to Iowa State after four highly successful seasons (2003-2006) as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Auburn.

Ronayne’s tenure at Auburn coincided with the most productive period in school history. The Tigers competed in four consecutive NCAA Regional Championships (2003-06), one NCAA Championship (2003) and produced three All-Americans in his four years. Ronayne is credited with helping elevate the Tigers’ program into a steady top-20 finisher (three times in his four seasons) with his tireless and effective recruiting skills. Prior to his appointment, Auburn had gone six seasons finishing outside of the NCAA’s Top 20. Ronayne also helped the Tigers rank in the nation’s top five in attendance in two of his last three seasons.

Prior to joining the staff at Auburn, Ronayne was the top assistant at West Virginia University, where he helped the team to eight conference titles in the EAGL (East Atlantic Gymnastics League), 13 NCAA Regional appearances and three NCAA Championship appearances. He coached four All-Americans, seven individual qualifiers, two NCAA Regional champions and 20 conference champions. He was named the 1992 NCAA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

A native of Worcester, Mass., Ronayne began coaching gymnastics after competing in the sport for 12 years at the USGF and NCAA levels. A 1989 graduate of Massachusetts, Ronayne received a bachelor’s degree in English. Since his graduation, Ronayne has done extensive graduate study in sport psychology and athletic coaching education.

Ronayne is married to the former Mary Hefferin, who is the Iowa State director of gymnastics operations. The couple had their first child, Jack, on Jan. 1, 2014.