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Women's Gymnastics
Durante, Danna
Danna Durante
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- unc-gymnastics@unc.edu
Danna Durante was named the head coach of the North Carolina gymnastics team in June 2021, becoming the fourth head coach in program history. The 2024-25 season marks her fourth year at the helm.
Durante's Coaching Career:
At North Carolina:
Under Durante's leadership in her first season at UNC, the Tar Heels put together one of the best seasons in program history, earning the team's first NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship regional berth since 2017.
Carolina opened the 2022 season with the highest season-opening score in program history, setting a new program record for single-meet attendance. The Tar Heels were crowned the EAGL regular season champions, going a perfect 7-0 against conference opponents.
UNC recorded its highest NQS since 2004, finishing the season with its best final NCAA ranking since 2012. As a team, the Tar Heels earned 11 All-EAGL regular-season and 12 All-Tournament honors.
Carolina also excelled in the classroom in 2022, with 17 gymnasts named to the EAGL All-Scholastic Team. Junior All-American Elizabeth Culton was named the EAGL Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The Tar Heels defended their EAGL regular season crown in 2023, again going undefeated at 6-0 before finishing third at the league championships for their highest finish since 2011. The team saw 10 All-EAGL regular-season and 15 All-Tournament selections. UNC also earned its second-straight NCAA Regional team berth.
Lali Dekanoidze was named WCGA Regular Season First Team All-America on bars, Durante's first at Carolina. Dekanoidze, who first broke the school record in the home opener at 9.975, finished the season ranked eighth nationally based on her NQS of 9.955.
Durante successfully led the Tar Heels into their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. Four gymnasts earned All-ACC Championship Team honors at the first ACC Championship in 40 years. Dekanoidze and Isabelle Schaefer, who went 1-2 on the uneven bars at the ACC Championships, garnered All-ACC First Team praise and earned individual berths to NCAA Regionals.
At Georgia:
Durante led Georgia’s gymnastics program from 2012-2017, where the Gymdogs made five straight NCAA Championship appearances (2013-17), including Super Six appearances in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
Durante coached Georgia to a fifth-place NCAA Championship finish in 2014, sixth-place finishes in 2013 and 2016, ninth in 2015 and 12th in 2017.
In 2016, she coached two NCAA individual national champions - Brandie Jay (vault) and Brittany Rogers (bars).
Twenty-four individual athletes earned 38 first-team All-America awards during her tenure at Georgia.
The Gymdogs earned a 100 percent graduation rate and 39 individuals made the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Her teams also garnered 30 NACGC Academic All-America awards, and Noel Couch earned a postgraduate scholarship in 2013.
Prior Coaching Stops:
Prior to her five-year stint in Athens, Durante served as the head gymnastics coach at the University of California in 2011-2012.
From 2002-2011, Durante spent nine seasons at the University of Nebraska and worked as the Huskers’ beam coach and choreographer. In 2007, she was promoted to associate head coach, a position she held until 2011.
Under her tutelage, Nebraska gymnasts earned 23 All-America awards and a fourth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championship.
Before coaching at Nebraska, Durante was an assistant coach at the University of Washington, where she guided the Huskies to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championship and a 1999 NCAA West Regional title. For her efforts with the Huskies, she was named the West Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002. Prior to her time at UW, she coached the Arizona Sunrays and Royal (Fla.) Gymnastics Clubs.
As a Gymnast:
An impressive gymnast in her own right, Durante was a two-time member of the U.S. Gymnastics Federation in 1988 and 1990 and qualified for the 1988 Olympic Trials. In addition to competing globally in Bulgaria, France, Germany, South Africa and Canada representing the United States, she won top honors in the all-around in the 1986 and 1987 South African Cup.
An Elite Level Judge from 1996-2000, she graduated from Arizona State in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. She turned in an illustrious collegiate career with the Sun Devils where she was an All-Pac 10 gymnast from 1992-95 and scored five perfect 10s.
Personal:
Durante and her husband, Joe, have a daughter, Samantha, and two sons, Jaxson and Jordan. Samantha was a gymnast at LSU from 2017-22.
The Tulsa, Okla., native returned to coaching after spending four years recruiting top talent for executive teams for Fortune 500 companies and serving as operations director for What Drives Winning.
NOTE: Danna Durante is pronounced DAN-nuh der-RAN-TEE
Durante's Coaching Career:
At North Carolina:
Under Durante's leadership in her first season at UNC, the Tar Heels put together one of the best seasons in program history, earning the team's first NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship regional berth since 2017.
Carolina opened the 2022 season with the highest season-opening score in program history, setting a new program record for single-meet attendance. The Tar Heels were crowned the EAGL regular season champions, going a perfect 7-0 against conference opponents.
UNC recorded its highest NQS since 2004, finishing the season with its best final NCAA ranking since 2012. As a team, the Tar Heels earned 11 All-EAGL regular-season and 12 All-Tournament honors.
Carolina also excelled in the classroom in 2022, with 17 gymnasts named to the EAGL All-Scholastic Team. Junior All-American Elizabeth Culton was named the EAGL Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The Tar Heels defended their EAGL regular season crown in 2023, again going undefeated at 6-0 before finishing third at the league championships for their highest finish since 2011. The team saw 10 All-EAGL regular-season and 15 All-Tournament selections. UNC also earned its second-straight NCAA Regional team berth.
Lali Dekanoidze was named WCGA Regular Season First Team All-America on bars, Durante's first at Carolina. Dekanoidze, who first broke the school record in the home opener at 9.975, finished the season ranked eighth nationally based on her NQS of 9.955.
Durante successfully led the Tar Heels into their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. Four gymnasts earned All-ACC Championship Team honors at the first ACC Championship in 40 years. Dekanoidze and Isabelle Schaefer, who went 1-2 on the uneven bars at the ACC Championships, garnered All-ACC First Team praise and earned individual berths to NCAA Regionals.
At Georgia:
Durante led Georgia’s gymnastics program from 2012-2017, where the Gymdogs made five straight NCAA Championship appearances (2013-17), including Super Six appearances in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
Durante coached Georgia to a fifth-place NCAA Championship finish in 2014, sixth-place finishes in 2013 and 2016, ninth in 2015 and 12th in 2017.
In 2016, she coached two NCAA individual national champions - Brandie Jay (vault) and Brittany Rogers (bars).
Twenty-four individual athletes earned 38 first-team All-America awards during her tenure at Georgia.
The Gymdogs earned a 100 percent graduation rate and 39 individuals made the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Her teams also garnered 30 NACGC Academic All-America awards, and Noel Couch earned a postgraduate scholarship in 2013.
Prior Coaching Stops:
Prior to her five-year stint in Athens, Durante served as the head gymnastics coach at the University of California in 2011-2012.
From 2002-2011, Durante spent nine seasons at the University of Nebraska and worked as the Huskers’ beam coach and choreographer. In 2007, she was promoted to associate head coach, a position she held until 2011.
Under her tutelage, Nebraska gymnasts earned 23 All-America awards and a fourth-place finish at the 2011 NCAA Championship.
Before coaching at Nebraska, Durante was an assistant coach at the University of Washington, where she guided the Huskies to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championship and a 1999 NCAA West Regional title. For her efforts with the Huskies, she was named the West Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002. Prior to her time at UW, she coached the Arizona Sunrays and Royal (Fla.) Gymnastics Clubs.
As a Gymnast:
An impressive gymnast in her own right, Durante was a two-time member of the U.S. Gymnastics Federation in 1988 and 1990 and qualified for the 1988 Olympic Trials. In addition to competing globally in Bulgaria, France, Germany, South Africa and Canada representing the United States, she won top honors in the all-around in the 1986 and 1987 South African Cup.
An Elite Level Judge from 1996-2000, she graduated from Arizona State in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. She turned in an illustrious collegiate career with the Sun Devils where she was an All-Pac 10 gymnast from 1992-95 and scored five perfect 10s.
Personal:
Durante and her husband, Joe, have a daughter, Samantha, and two sons, Jaxson and Jordan. Samantha was a gymnast at LSU from 2017-22.
The Tulsa, Okla., native returned to coaching after spending four years recruiting top talent for executive teams for Fortune 500 companies and serving as operations director for What Drives Winning.
NOTE: Danna Durante is pronounced DAN-nuh der-RAN-TEE
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