Head Coach Jackie Fain embarks on her 11th season at the helm of the Ladies gymnastics program for the 2022 season.

She was named the Regional Coach of the Year by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association in 2020, earning the honor following a vote by her fellow head coaches. The award is the second major honor Fain has garnered in her tenure with the Ladies as she was named the 2013 Midwest Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year.

Fain came to Centenary prior to the 2011-12 season and wasted no time in putting her stamp on the program as the team’s regional qualifying score of 191.355 was its highest in four seasons. The Ladies also qualified for the USA Gymnastics (USAG) nationals as a team, garnering four All-American gymnasts. She led the Ladies to their highest team score (193.975 in 2013) since the 2005 season.

In Fain’s superb decade at Centenary, she has mentored 16 different student-athletes to 39 All-American accolades by the USGA and the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA). 18 all-conference recognitions,  and two USAG National Meet team appearances in her time at Centenary. Fain also mentored assistant Morgan Leachman for the 2016-2018 season. Following the USAG Championships in April 2018, Leachmann was named the USAG Assistant Coach of the Year.

The 2021 season was highlighted by sophomore Taylor Ann Wilson (Memphis, Tenn.) as she made history by claiming the individual bars title at the 2021 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championship in April in Cape Girardeau. Mo. Wilson scored a stellar 9.875, a new career high mark, to put an exclamation point on her season which can only be described as improbable. Wilson became a national champion just one day after making her collegiate debut in the event. She made history as she becomes the first Centenary gymnast to win an individual title at the USAG National Championships in the division III era (2012-present).

Wilson was named a First Team All-American on bars following her historic performance. Juniors Kendall Sanders (Spring Branch, Texas) and Xian Baumgartner (Albuquerque, N.M.) each earned First Team All-American honors in the all-around, and Sanders also garnered First Team honors on floor. Senior Sierra Ponder (Stone Mountain, Ga.) was honored as a Second Team All-American on bars. Huff, Ponder, and Sanders were also named All-Americans by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA).

Ponder (bars) and Sanders (floor and all-around) were also named All-Americans by USA Gymnastics as Ponder was a Second team selection and Sanders collected First Team honors. Huff and Sanders each achieved Second Team all-conference honors at the annual Midwest Independence Conference (MIC) Championships, Huff on vault and Sanders in both the all-around and on floor. Huff recorded a new career-high 9.800 while Sanders placed fourth in the all-around with a score of 38.650 and collected a 9.700 on floor. Ponder was named MIC Senior Athlete of the Year following the meet. Centenary had an impressive 16 gymnasts named as MIC Scholar-Athletes, as each earned a 3.25 GPA or higher, including nine with perfect 4.0 GPAs.

Centenary finished the abbreviated 2020 season ranked first in the nation in division III in the Road to Nationals rankings for the second year in a row and Finished the season ranked No. 1 on vault and beam and No. 2 on bars and floor in all of division III. The Ladies had individual athletes finished ranked No. 1 on vault, floor and all-around, second on beam and third, fourth and fifth on bars in division III and were on pace to have the highest season average since 2013.

The Ladies, as usual, picked up several high-profile awards after the season. Seniors Cami Bea Austin and Dorothy Mims, and sophomore Kendall Sanders were named to the 2020 Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-America Team. Austin was named All-America on the vault and Second Team All-America on the floor. Mims earned Second Team All-America honors on the beam, and Sanders was named All-America in the All Around. Austin placed first in the vault in the NCGA East Division with a Seasonal Average Score (SAS) of 9.738 and second on the floor with a score of 9.818. Mims placed second on the beam with a score of 9.775 while Sanders placed first in the All Around with an SAS of 38.28.

Austin and Mims were both named to the USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Senior All-Star Team and Mims, Kendall Sanders and Kendall Knaps were named USA Gymnastics Scholar Athletes. Centenary took home seven All-America honors in the 2020 season. 

Several Ladies were honored with Midwest Independent Conference postseason awards. Austin earned second team honors on both the floor and vault and was named the MIC Senior of the Year, an award which recognizes the most outstanding gymnast in their final season of competition. Austin, Mims, and Sanders were all named to the MIC Scholar-Athlete Team as each earned a 3.25 grade point average or higher during the fall 2019 semester. Mims was selected as the MIC Woman of the Year in a blind vote by an independent committee.

While the athletic achievements are impressive, Fain has made sure the Ladies have emphasized the STUDENT in student-athlete. Centenary gymnasts were named Scholastic All-Americans 37 times through her first seven seasons. In fact, the Ladies recorded the 11th highest GPA in the nation in 2017. 

Hosting the MIC Championships in 2019, the Ladies finished fifth and beat rival Southeast Missouri State. Navia Jordan finished all conference on beam and floor, while Cami Bea Austin received All-Conference recognition on vault. Five athletes qualified for USAG competition. Jordan grabbed All-American honors on both beam and floor, finishing with the second-highest score on floor for the second-straight season to end her stellar Ladies Gymnastics career.

For 2018, Centenary went from not scoring above a 189.750 in the first six meets to finishing with a 190+ in 4-of-6 meets to end the season - including three straight meets of 191 plus. That included a 191.175 against Southeast Missouri State to knock of its Midwest Independent Conference rival. At the annual USAG Championships, Tavia Smith used career highs on bars, beam, and floor to finish as an All-American in the all-around (also with a career high total). Navia Jordan garnered All-American accolades on floor and finished fourth on floor at event finals on the apparatus, just 0.025 from being a national champion. Freshman Sierra Ponder received Second Team All-American honors on bars. In all, five Ladies qualified for competition at the USAG Championships.

In 2017, 10 athletes qualified for USAG Nationals while Ashley White earned All-American recognition on the beam and finished as national runner-up in the beam finals. She also became the first Centenary gymnast to compete in NCAA postseason twice in the all-around. White was also the lone NCAA Division III qualifier for nationals.

In 2016, White became the fourth gymnast in program history to qualify for the NCAA regional. Competing in the all-around, she was also the only Division III athlete to compete on all four apparatuses at an NCAA regional. White also captured First Team USAG All-American laurels in the all-around and on vault and beam. Her 39.200 mark in the all-around at USAG nationals ranks fourth in program history and was the best total in 11 years.

White also received All-American honors on both vault and beam. Navia Jordan won First Team All-American distinction on floor. Megan Desjardins finished Second Team All-Conference on beam.

At Lindenwood on March 11, 2016, White’s 9.85 was just 0.25 off the Ladies record (and would have broken the record if not for a change in vault start values for the 2016 season). On beam, the Ladies hit all 18 routines at home. In their final home meet of the season, Centenary posted a 48.975 on the apparatus, the second-best team total in the school’s history. Ashley White (all-around, beam) and Noel Stubbs (vault) each grabbed USAG All-American honors in 2015. Kellie Slater was named Second Team All-Conference on floor.

In 2014, she oversaw six national qualifiers with Robyn Price advancing to the event finals in bars. Sylvia Keiter, Stephanie Strickler, Kellie Slater, Megan Desjardins, and Jordan Anderson all qualified for nationals. Megan Frazzini, Natalie Humbert, Kellie Slater, and Stephanie Strickler were named to the Midwest Independent Conference’s All-Academic Team.

For the 2013 season, Fain led the Maroon and White to a third place finish at the USA Gymnastics National Championships behind back-to-back, season-high performances. Under Fain's tutelage, five gymnasts received all-American honors with three claiming academic, all-American laurels.

During the national championships, Meg Crowley and Jessica Lieblich moved to individual finals with Crowley taking third in floor exercise. Crowley also added All-MIC honors along with Robyn Price.

In her first season at the helm, the Ladies reached new heights for the first time in several seasons and witnessed 53 individual career-highs set during the campaign. The Maroon and White recorded their highest score in six years with a 193.200 and its highest regional qualifying score in four seasons with a 191.335. Along with the highest team RQS; the squad also registered the highest RQS scores on the vault, beam and floor in four seasons.

Along with the success, the 2012 squad qualified for the USA Gymnastics Nationals as a team and saw four all-conference and four all-Americans recognized for their accomplishments.

Prior to joining Centenary Fain served as a coach and choreographer at the U.S. Gold Gymnastics Academy in Roanoke, Texas beginning in 2008. In that role, Fain coached several state champions and helped members qualify for regional and national competitions.

Fain worked as the first assistant coach at Midwest Independent Conference foe, Texas Woman's University, from 2001-07. She was a two-time USAG Assistant Coach of the Year, named NACGC/W Division II Assistant Coach of the Year and MIC Conference Assistant Coach of the Year during her six-year stint. Fain directed 16 athletes to all-American status and mentored over 50 Scholastic all-Americans.

She built an extensive resume after working several high-level camps over her career including University of Oklahoman, University of Missouri, University of Kentucky, and Iowa State.

Fain began her collegiate studies at the University of Kentucky and competed on the Wildcats gymnastics team. She holds the school record in every event - including All-Around. During her time at UK, Fain was named Most Valuable Gymnast, helped guide the team to three NCAA Regional berths and was an individual qualifier in the all-around competition. She was UK's first nationally ranked gymnast (16th).

Along with her coaching and student-athlete accolades, Fain is a graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy, serves on the NACGC/W Judges Educational Committee, and holds a national rating as a gymnastics judge since 1992.

Fain earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and Christian Leadership from Colorado Christian University in 2007 and her Master's of Science in Sports Administration from American Public University in 2009. In the fall of 2015, Fain added Senior Women's Administrator to her duties at Centenary.