BATON ROUGE – The LSU Gymnastics program and head coach Jay Clark named former volunteer assistant coach Courtney McCool Griffeth a full-time assistant coach ahead of the 2024 season.
The promotion comes after the NCAA Division I Council approved legislation in January 2023, which permits the conversion of volunteer assistant coach positions into full-time, paid assistant coach positions beginning on July 1.
“We are extremely happy to announce Courtney as a full-time paid coach. While she already fully functioned as our floor coach and choreographer, she will now be compensated and be able to participate fully in on and off campus recruiting responsibilities,” said head coach Jay Clark.
“Courtney has already proven to be an incredible asset to our program. Our ability to utilize her in this increased capacity will only further her value to the program. As an Olympian, NCAA Champion, and NCAA Event Champion, combined with her 12 years of coaching experience, her resume speaks for itself and provides instant credibility to our prospects.”
McCool Griffeth, a 2004 Olympian and NCAA Champion, has been a pivotal piece of the LSU Gymnastics program since joining the staff as a volunteer assistant coach in 2022. She enters her third season with the Tigers as she continues her role as the floor coach and choreographer and transitions into new roles within the program.
“Excited and grateful doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel! Every day that I get to be a part of this team and this family is truly the best,” said McCool Griffeth. “They have my whole heart and I’m so excited for the journey ahead. I can’t wait to continue to work for a championship in this new capacity. Let’s Geaux!”
McCool Griffeth primarily coaches the floor exercise and has led the Tigers to top 10 finishes nationally on the event in back-to-back years. In her first season at LSU, her floor squad finished eighth in the rankings while earning a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 49.475. This year, the Tigers finished third in the country with an NQS of 49.595 and a season average of 49.452. LSU posted a floor score of 49.500 or better in seven competitions in 2023.
In her first two seasons at LSU, McCool Griffeth has been a part of two postseason appearances with the Tigers, including a final four appearance in the NCAA Championship Final in 2023. Haleigh Bryant and Aleah Finnegan combined for four All-America honors on floor this year under her tutelage, each notching one WCGA regular season season and NCAA honor, respectively.
The LSU floor squad owns two of the top scores in program history under the leadership of McCool Griffeth. The Tigers posted a school-best score of 49.775 against Auburn in 2022 while the second highest score of 49.750 came against West Virginia in 2023.
An accomplished coach and choreographer, McCool Griffeth has over a decade of experience at the NCAA and elite levels. She previously served as an assistant coach at Utah, Arkansas and Texas Woman’s.
McCool Griffeth was named the WGCA Region 2 Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020 for her efforts in Salt Lake City. The Utes went 21-1 during the regular season, won the 2021 Pac-12 Championship and finished third nationally after advancing to the NCAA Championship Final. Utah Gymnast Mailie O’Keefe won the NCAA floor championship and was named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year under her guidance.
She also coached and choreographed Arkansas’s Sophia Carter to regular season All-America honors on floor in 2019. Carter qualified for the 2019 NCAA Championships as an individual competitor.
McCool Griffeth began her collegiate coaching career at Texas Woman’s, where she was named the 2014 Coaches Association Division II Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2017 Midwest Independent Conference Assistant Coach of the Year. She coached two USAG national floor champions and helped lead the Pioneers to a USAG National Championship in 2017.
At the elite level, McCool Griffeth has coached at different clubs around the country, including Texas Dreams Gymnastics, Great American Gymnastics Express, Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy and Georgia Elite Gymnastics.
McCool Griffeth is also an accomplished competitor as she was named a silver medalist with Team USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. She competed collegiately under Clark at the University of Georgia from 2007-10, helping the GymDogs win three-straight national championships and becoming a NCAA floor champion in 2008.
The Kansas City, Missouri, native earned her bachelor’s degree in child and family development in 2011 and a master’s in sports management and policy in 2012 from Georgia.
She is married to LSU Gymnastics assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Garrett Griffeth. Together, the two have three daughters, Rae, Blakely and Ryleigh.
Follow along with the Tigers on the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook.