The 2020-21 season will be Thom Glielmi's 19th as head coach of Stanford men's gymnastics.
Glielmi guided the Cardinal to the 2019 NCAA national championship, running his total to three after capturing the title in 2009 and 2011. Glielmi has established the Cardinal as a perennial national contender, leading Stanford to top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships in each of the last 14 seasons they have been contested (the 2020 Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic).
Named the 2009, 2011, 2019 and 2020 National Coach of the Year, Glielmi is a four-time NCAA West Region Head Coach of the Year (2006, 2007, 2009, 2020), a five-time MPSF Coach of the Year (2009, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021) and was named 2019 U.S. Senior Coach of the Year at the U.S. Championships. Since his debut season on The Farm in 2003, Glielmi has mentored 22 NCAA Champions, 163 All-Americans and three Nissen-Emery Award recipients (Akash Modi in 2017, Eddie Penev in 2013, Dan Gill in 2004).
While the Cardinal did not have a chance to defend its national title in 2020 due to the cancelation of the NCAA Championships, Stanford finished the year ranked No. 1 in the nation and Glielmi and his staff were honored as the CGA National Coaching Staff of the Year based on a vote amongst CGA members. Stanford finished the 2020 season ranked first in the nation on parallel bars, still rings and vault, second on floor and high bar, and fourth on pommel horse. Stanford's average team score of 414.783 was more than four points better than Oklahoma's second-place average of 410.133 over the course of the year. At the conclusion of the season, eight different Stanford gymnasts combined for a program-record 16 All-America honors. The 16 selections eclipsed the previous Stanford record of 15 from 2008 and 2019, and were also the most in the nation, with Michigan taking second with eight. The Cardinal also claimed MPSF Gymnast of the Year (Brody Malone), CGA Rookie of the Year (Brandon Briones), a pair of Nissen-Emery Award finalists (David Jessen and Bailey Perez) and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient (David Jessen).
The 2019 season saw Stanford edge four-time defending national champion Oklahoma in the final rotation to capture the NCAA title – the program's sixth national championship. Brody Malone, the College Gymnastics Association Rookie of the Year and conference Gymnast of the Year, guided the way for the Cardinal, winning individual national titles in the floor exercise, high bar and all-around to become the first Stanford gymnast to win three individual titles in one championship meet. Malone captured five All-American honors during the championship run, and the Cardinal's 15 total selections matched a program record.
Glielmi was also at the helm for the development of Akash Modi, the most decorated Cardinal gymnast in program history and one of the most decorated gymnasts in NCAA history. Under Glielmi's tutelage, Modi won five NCAA Championships, including two in the all-around, two on parallel bars and horizontal bar. Modi claimed a program-best 17 All-American honors and was named the CGA Gymnast of the Week an NCAA-record 17 times. Modi capped his phenomenal career by becoming Stanford's fifth winner of the Nissen-Emery Award.
In 2016, Glielmi received the CGA Honor Coach Award, presented to a member of the coaching community in recognition of their service in coaching and developing gymnastics for over 25 years.
Recognized internationally in his talent of coaching elite gymnasts, Glielmi also served as the Team USA personal coach at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
In 2011, Glielmi led Stanford to its second NCAA title in three seasons. The Cardinal bounced back from a 2010 runner-up finish by capturing the title by 1.850 points over Oklahoma. Alex Buscaglia claimed an NCAA title on the horizontal bar and Glielmi added 11 more All-Americans, including three honors from Tim Gentry and a pair from Buscaglia and Josh Dixon.
In 2009, Glielmi led the Cardinal to MPSF and NCAA titles after falling just short in previous seasons. The NCAA title was Glielmi’s first as a head coach for Glielmi and the fourth in school history. Stanford earned the title with a 1.3-point advantage over Michigan. Glielmi added 11 more All-Americans in 2009, including three honors from Sho Nakamori, who ended his illustrious Stanford career with eight.
In 2008, Glielmi led the Cardinal to its third consecutive top-three finish at the NCAA Championships, finishing just 0.45 points behind champion Oklahoma and producing a single-season school record of 15 All-Americans - only one behind Nebraska’s all-time NCAA record of 16 in 1982.
Prior to arriving at Stanford for the 2003 campaign, Glielmi spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota and helped lead the Golden Gophers to a No. 7 finish in his final season. While at Minnesota, Glielmi was named the 2000-01 NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year after coaching the 2001 NCAA pommel horse and floor exercise champion.
Glielmi is involved on many levels of the sport from the grass roots level to the international elite. Glielmi is an FIG Brevet judge, an Executive Board Member to USA-Gymnastics (the governing body of gymnastics) and also serves on the NCAA Rules Committee for the men's program.
A USA Senior National Team Coach for ten years, Glielmi was a member of the 2006 and 2007 USA World Championships Team Coaching Staff. As head coach of the 2003 USA Pan American team, Glielmi led the squad to a bronze medal-winning competition. Additionally, he was part of the 2000 USA Olympic Team coaching staff.
Prior to coaching at Minnesota, Glielmi was the owner and head men's gymnastics coach at the International Sports Center in Matthews, N.C., where he coached junior national champions.
A 1988 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Glielmi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.
