Gary Babjack begins his 14th season as SUNY Cortland’s women’s gymnastics head coach in 2011-12. In 2011, Babjack earned National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) National Coach of the Year and National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches for Women (NACGCW) East Region Coach of the Year honors after leading the Red Dragons to an ECAC Div. III title and a tie for fourth at the NCGA national meet.
Babjack led the team to a second-place showing at the ECAC Division III Championships and a fourth-place finish at the NCGA Division III Championships in 2010. In 2009, the Red Dragons finished third at the ECAC Division III meet and sixth at the national meet. In 2008, Cortland placed third at both the ECAC Division III and NCGA Division III Championships and Babjack was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for his efforts.
In 2006 and 2007, Babjack’s squads finished sixth at the ECAC Championships. In 2005, Babjack guided the team to third-place finishes at the ECAC meet and at the NCGA Championships. He was named the 2002-03 NCGA Division III Coach of the Year after guiding the Red Dragons to their second straight national runner-up finish and their second consecutive ECAC Division III title.
Babjack assumed his coaching duties with the Red Dragons in January 1999 and led the team to a third-place finish at the ECAC meet. In 2000, he guided the Red Dragons to a fourth-place ECAC finish and a fifth-place national showing. In 2001, the Red Dragons finished third both nationally and at the ECAC meet. In all, his athletes have earned 39 Division III All-America honors, including six national champions, and 13 NCGA All-Academic honors.
Babjack graduated from Slippery Rock (Pa.) University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1987 in addition to taking master’s classes in exercise and sport. From 1979-85, he was an assistant coach with Slippery Rock’s women’s gymnastics team. He assisted with both the men’s and women’s teams in 1985-86 and was the school’s men’s head coach from 1986-88.
From 1991-97 Babjack served as the head coach and program director at the Lakettes Gymnastics Academy in Erie, Pa. From 1997 until his appointment at Cortland, Babjack was an assistant coach at Olympic Dreams Gymnastics, Inc., in Youngstown, Ohio, a private gymnastics club, which featured Level 8, 9 and 10 and Elite Trainees. He also has worked at numerous gymnastics camps and taught fifth- and sixth-grade elementary classes from 1990-98 in Greenville, Pa.
A native of McKees Rocks, Pa., Babjack is a graduate of Montour Senior High School in Coraopolis, Pa. He has two children — Jorie and Julia.
