Quest Hayden Named Assistant Gymnastics Coach

CHAPEL HILL – Former Penn State standout and US national team member Quest Hayden has been hired as an assistant coach, interim Head Coach Marie Denick announced today.

"I am very excited to welcome Quest Hayden to Chapel Hill as our assistant gymnastics coach. He brings great experience, technical knowledge and communication skills to our program," said Denick. "It was clear from our first conversation that he is very passionate about college gymnastics and sees a great future for Carolina Gymnastics. He is a great addition to the Chapel Hill community and the Carolina Gymnastics Family."

Hayden comes to Chapel Hill from the University of Michigan, where he served as the volunteer assistant coach where he helped coach vault, bars and floor. He helped the Wolverines beat their all-time school record twice as well as help guide the team to its highest vault average in program history.

He was awarded the WCGA "Regional Assistant Coach of the Year" in 2020.

"I believe UNC women's gymnastics is destined for great things and I am very excited to be a part of the process," said Hayden.

Prior to his time at Michigan, Hayden served as the volunteer assistant at Penn State in 2018-19, where he helped the Nittany Lions win vault at their Big Five championships and lifted their national ranking from 32^nd to 24^th.

A five-time national qualifier, he competed for the Nittany Lions from 2014-18 and was an all-around gymnast that helped guide Penn State to the 2015 Big Ten Championship.

Before competing in State College, he was a 2013 USA national team member.

Michigan Head Coach Bev Plocki on Hayden
"I am so excited for Quest to be getting this opportunity to make his mark on the UNC program with this new staff. He was a bright light in our program and has such a great future ahead of him. I can't wait to see the great things he is able to contribute to this team's success."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

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