Women's Gymnastics
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- brian.amato@oregonstate.edu
- Phone:
- 224-1320
Brian Amato has been coaching in the Willamette Valley for seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Oregon State gymnastics program. Recognized as one of the nation’s top club coaches on the uneven bars, Amato assumed a similar role at OSU upon being hired July 2013.
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Amato worked with a short-handed group on the bars following a pair of pre-season injuries that thinned the ranks on the apparatus. The Beavers’ lineup featured four seniors and the same six gymnasts performed in the competitive lineup in all 10 meets.
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In 2019, Amato helped lead the Beavers to a sixth place finish at NCAA Championships. His bars squad was challenged with replacing half of the previous season’s lineup due to graduation and injury. The group came together quickly and didn’t suffer a fall in the final nine meets of the season. Along the way, junior Halli Briscoe earned second team All-America honors on the bars.
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Tasked with replacing half his 2017 lineup including a pair of All-Americans, Amato built a solid group in 2018 that will continue to pay dividends moving forward. In particular, Mary Jacobsen and Halli Briscoe continued their development under Amato’s tutelage and Dani Dessaints recovered from injuries in time to have a dramatic impact on the back of the 2018 lineup for the first time.
Amato’s uneven bars lineup in 2016 finished the season ranked tied for 10th in the nation. Kaytianna McMillan earned National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women on the bars after ending the regular season ranked No. 7 with an RQS of 9.925.
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In 2015, Amato coached his first gymnast to All-America honors when Erika Aufiero scored a 9.90 on the bars to earn a spot at Individual Event Finals and the title of first team All-American. Aufiero went on to finish 11th overall at event finals. Following an injury that wiped out Aufiero’s 2016 season, she came back to earn All-America Second Team honors in 2017.
In Amato’s initial foray into college gymnastics, he led his charges on bars to an end of year ranking at No. 11.
Prior to his arrival in Corvallis Amato had been the head uneven bars coach at Brandy Johnson’s Global Gymnastics in Clermont, Fla. since 2008 where he was responsible for the event specific training plan and its implementation. In addition, he coordinated the development and teaching of advanced skills, combinations and routines. In 2013, his team was the Level 10 Florida state team champions and in 2012 the team was voted the nation Level 10 Team of the Year.
In recent years, Amato’s gymnasts have enjoyed an impressive string of successes. In 2012, Amato coached two Junior Olympic national champions on the bars as well as a JO all-around champion and a runner-up. Three of his gymnasts have earned spots on the JO national team in the last three years and he has helped to place multiple gymnasts on the Elite National Team. Amato has coached three Nastia Liukin Cup qualifiers in the past four years.
In 2011, Amato developed and coached a new JO bar release move – the Sims – that was added to the Junior Olympic Code of Points in 2012.
Amato assisted in coaching a three-time silver medalist in the 2006 World Championships and has served on the Region 8 regional training camp master staff from 2008-13. Over the course of 17 years of club coaching he has helped 20 gymnasts go on to receive Division I scholarships.
Amato received his Bachelor’s of Science in liberal studies with a focus on exercise physiology from Portland State following the winter term of 2016.
Brian and his wife, Tori, have two children, Alex and Brooke.
