Providence, R.I.—Rhode Island College has named Jim Hayes as an assistant women's gymnastics coach.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Jim to the coaching staff," RIC Head Women's Gymnastics Coach Monica Mesalles Nassi said. "He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will be a tremendous asset to our growing program!"
"I am very excited to coach at RIC this year," Hayes said. "Coach Nassi has recruited some great student-athletes. They are working hard right now and we should have a banner season."
Prior to joining the RIC staff, Hayes was an assistant women's gymnastics coach at Brown for four seasons where he was the 2016 USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2018-19, he coached Mei Li Costa, who went to Div. I Regionals and won bars at USAG Nationals.
During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Bears placed third at the ECAC Championship in back-to-back years and gained a spot as a team in the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships for the fifth and sixth straight seasons. Caroline Morant earned 2017 ECAC Gymnast of the Year accolades and qualified for the NCAA Regionals.
In his first season at Brown in 2016, Hayes helped guide Brown to a program and Ivy League record team score of 195.175 as the Bears qualified for team finals at the USAG Collegiate National Championships for the second time in school history. The Bears notched a 22-12-2 record, posting the most wins during head coach Sara Carver-Milne's tenure. Jorden Mitchell '17 won her second straight Ivy Classic all-around title while six members of the team gained USAG All-America accolades.
Hayes served as an assistant coach with Towson during the 2010-11 season, helping the Tigers compile an 18-1 record on the season and finish third at the ECAC Championships, hosted at Brown. He coached Avis Hixon, who qualified for NCAA Regionals, and focused primarily on coaching uneven bars while assisting with all events.
Working with the URI varsity program as an assistant in 2006-07, he coached a pair of NCAA Regional qualifiers in Kelly Gurney and Ananda Fraser.
Hayes also worked as an assistant coach at MIT from 2008-10, coaching two Div. III National Champions in Julia Zimmerman and Sophia Harrison. With the Engineers, he specialized in coaching bars, vault, and tumbling for floor.
Prior to joining the Bears, he served as an assistant coach with URI's club program, aiding the Rams in garnering a pair of second place finishes at club nationals.
As a coach with pre-college student-athletes, Hayes has developed USAG Junior Olympic competitors at Connecticut Gymnastics Academy, Yellow Jackets and currently is employed at Prestige Gymnastics.
An experienced gymnastics professional outside of the coaching realm, Hayes has worked with DGS 9.9, the United States' largest gymnastics supplier. With DGS, he focused on equipment installation, design, and sales.
A graduate of Springfield College, he earned a bachelor's degree in recreation management from Springfield in 1998. Hayes lives in Richmond, Rhode Island with his wife Kimberly, daughter Charlotte and son Hudson.
