TUCSON, Ariz. – University of Arizona women's gymnastics head coach John Court officially announced on Monday the hiring of two staff members, including assistant coach Taylor Spears and director of operations Tara Barrett. Spears will join assistant coach David McCreary, who returns for his fourth season with the Wildcats.

"The program is thrilled to welcome Taylor," Court said. "In our national search for an assistant coach, we focused on three main aspects: championship culture, coaching and recruiting. With Taylor, we are getting the best of all three."

Spears, a former NCAA team and individual champion, arrives in Tucson following one season at the University of North Carolina, where she had a hand in coaching all four events. Her contributions to the music and choreography on the floor exercise helped UNC rank No. 6 nationally in the event during the regular season.
 
Previously, Spears spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach helping her alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, win back-to-back team national championships in 2016-17.
 
"One of the many impacts she will have on our program is she has thrived in a championship culture," Court added. "She will be able to relate to our student-athletes and bring out the best in them as competitors and people."

At Oklahoma, Spears produced a distinguished career as a student-athlete. During her senior season in 2014, Spears was the individual national champion on balance beam, helping the Sooners to the team title. She also earned All-America honors on the uneven bars and was a finalist for the AAI Gymnastics award and a nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.

In 2013, Spears was the Big 12 Gymnast of the Year and was the Big 12 all-around, beam and bars individual champion. She earned All-America honors as a junior in the all-around, bars and beam, and was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection.
 
"I am very excited to join John and David to take this program to new heights," Spears said. "I have heard so many good things about this program, and the resources here are outstanding. The people have already made me feel welcome, and I love the climate. Seeing our campus and facilities, it's an awesome setup for the student-athletes, and I know I can contribute to this program in many ways."

In addition to her collegiate experience as a coach, Spears spent three years as a head coach at the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Okla.  In May 2017, one of her gymnasts from the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy captured the title of USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic national champion on balance beam.

Barrett joined UA Athletics in March 2018 as the director of operations for the women's soccer and gymnastics programs. Her dual role with these programs will greatly assist both Court and head soccer coach Tony Amato, neither of whom previously had a full-time position to assist in the operational aspects of their program.

"Tara is a perfect fit and will be an invaluable asset to our program in this new role," Court said. "Our administration has shown a great commitment to our program and the soccer program by adding this position. In a short time, Tara has taken the role and run with it. I look forward to her being a part of staff and making the position her own."
 
Prior to Arizona, Barrett worked at Montverde Academy in central Florida for five seasons as the director of operations/assistant coach for the women's soccer team. She helped support the team to win a state championship in 2018 and a No. 1 national ranking in 2015.  Barrett holds a B.S. in Sports Management from Johnson & Wales University.  During her time at Johnson & Wales, she was also a player and captain for the women's soccer team.

"I feel I can help each program grow," Barrett said. "I really enjoy being behind the scenes and doing everything I can to play a part in the success of a team. I am looking forward to helping both the soccer and gymnastics staffs focus on coaching so they can do what they do best, while I am able to do what I do best in helping the programs grow."