Beth Larson resigned from her position as the head coach of the Illinois State gymnastics team Friday to pursue a career in the private sector according to Illinois State Director of Athletics Perk Weisenburger.
The Cherry Valley, Ill., native was the Redbirds head coach for two years and enjoyed much success with her team, not only as a coach but also as a former student-athlete.
I truly enjoyed my time here not only as a coach but athlete as well and at this time, for personal reasons, I am looking forward to taking the next step and meeting new challenges in my life, Larson said. I feel that this program has been set up extremely well with new recruits and a solid group of athletes returning and I am looking forward to them coming in and making an impact next year and leading the Redbirds back to the NCAA Tournament.
The biggest thing I will miss about Illinois State is the team atmosphere, Larson continued. The support of the fans and community as well as the athletics staff is amazing. I have learned that life is always going to be changing and you have to take hold of what you have at the moment and be able to adapt to change that comes your way. I am going to take hold of the moment and make a change and I know the team will do the same and come out on top.
Weisenburger applauds Larsons dedication to Illinois State, but understands this is her moment to move on.
Beth has done a wonderful job with our Redbird gymnastics program these past two years, Weisenburger said. She will definitely be missed as a head coach, a member of our coaching staff and as a person who cares very deeply for Illinois State University. She has had a very positive impact on all of us, and particularly her student-athletes We wish her all the best in her relocation and new endeavors.
Larson took over the reigns of the Redbird gymnastics program in July 2001 from Jill Hollembeak, who coached Larson while she was a member of the squad. She inherited a team that was fresh off an NCAA Regional appearance and in her first season as head coach, she led the Redbirds to their second-consecutive NCAA Regional. Larson and her gymnasts posted an 11-16 record in 2002.
In 2003, Larson coached her team to a 5-16 record and fifth-place finish at the Midwest Independent Championships. While the team failed to make regionals for the third-straight year, Larson guided two individual athletes to the national competition. Denise Houda and Lisa Klein both competed as individual competitors at the regional meet alongside the No. 1 team in the nation, UCLA.
She finished her career as a coach at Illinois State with a 16-32 overall record while setting a new standard for Redbird gymnastics that started during her days as a student-athlete. She was a four-year letterwinner and served as team captain of the squad from 1999-2000. She also received the R.E.D.B.I.R.D. gymnastics award from 1997-2000. She qualified for regionals as an individual in 1999 and 2000 and was named most valuable performer from 1998-2000.
Larson, who received her bachelors degree in exercise science from Illinois State in 2000, will still be hosting her summer camps scheduled for June.
