ANGOLA, Ind. – Trine University President Dr. Earl D. Brooks and Assistant Vice President for Athletics Matt Land have named Katelyn Horstmann as inaugural head coach of the Thunder acrobatics and tumbling program.
"We are truly excited to welcome Kati as the first head coach of Trine University's acrobatics and tumbling program," said Land, "Her championship pedigree and life-long passion for the fundamentals of acrobatics and tumbling make her a perfect fit to build our program. I am confident she will be a great addition to Trine athletics."
Horstmann has spent the last four years as a member of the highly successful Baylor University acrobatics and tumbling program where she and her teammates captured four national championships.
Individually she picked up another win at nationals in the Acro 6 Element in 2019 and qualified three times for national events in Pyramid. She also earned Academic All-Big 12 during her career.
She graduated from Baylor in 2019 with a Bachelor of Administration degree with a focus on management. Horstmann was a member of the Dean's Academic Honor List during her entire Baylor career.
In addition to her experience on the mats, Horstmann has served in multiple coaching roles during her collegiate days. For the past three summers, she served as a camp head coach during Baylor's acrobatics and tumbling camps. While serving in that role she led a group of 20-25 campers which culminated in a choreographed "Team Event."
Horstmann also has served as a camp organizer for East Texas Baptist University where she trained collegiate athletes in the basics of acrobatics techniques to prepare them to safely assist in instructing campers. She also structured the camp's agenda, taught skills and organized the camps final exhibition.
She has also served as a coach for both Rebelz Cheer and Courage Cheer and Dance United working with youth athletes on the fundamentals of tumbling and team competition.
"I am beyond excited to begin my coaching career here at Trine," said Horstmann, "I love the commitment to excellence that Trine instills in its students. I can't wait to get started building a program that will empower young women and gives student-athletes the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. I can already tell that I am surrounded by a supportive staff and an enthusiastic athletic director who are excited to learn about acrobatics and tumbling."
Acrobatics and tumbling is a discipline of USA Gymnastics, with all events sanctioned through USA Gymnastics. The sport involves tumbling, tosses, acrobatic lifts and pyramids. Teams compete in head-to-head competition in meets consisting of six events, including Compulsory, Acro, Pyramid, Toss, Tumbling and Team.
"We are proud to be among the few NCAA Division III institutions to offer acrobatics and tumbling as a competitive sport and we are excited for Katelyn to take the lead for the program at Trine," said Brooks, "Her experience and excitement will be a great asset for our student-athletes. I look forward to seeing the program and sport grow in the future."
The Thunder, led by Horstmann, will begin competition during the 2021 season which will run from February until the NCATA National Championships, which take place annually in April.