Gymnastics
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- blorenz@ia.ua.edu
- Phone:
- 205-348-2875
When head coach Dana Duckworth went to hire the first new member of the Crimson Tide’s coaching family since the 1990s, the search was exhaustive, but in the end the choice was clear and Bill Lorenz joined Duckworth and associate head coach Bryan Raschilla to lead Alabama gymnastics into the future.
“We talked to people all over the country in preparing to make this hire and time and again, it came back to Bill,” Duckworth said. “He is a tremendous coach, but more than anything, he understands the tradition of excellence that Alabama’s championship legacy is built on. Most importantly, his coaching style is built on the sense of family that has made Alabama gymnastics so great for so many years.
“He is the perfect fit for our program,” Duckworth said.
Now in his third season with Alabama gymnastics, Lorenz made an immediate impact for the Crimson Tide, helping lead the 2015 team to its ninth Southeastern Conference title. In 2016, he helped coach Alabama to its NCAA-best 31st regional championship, 32nd top-six finish at the NCAA Championships.
“It was an exciting year to say the least,” Lorenz said. “It’s one thing to see what Alabama gymnastics is from the outside, to see how they win championships and produce amazing gymnasts, it’s quite another to be a part of it from the first practice on. It is an amazing experience. I can’t wait to get to work every day.”
In his second year with the Tide, he also helped coach Katie Bailey to the 2016 NCAA vault title, Alabama’s fifth national vault championship and 26th individual NCAA title overall. Mackenzie Brannan also won the 2016 SEC vault title after winning the NCAA Auburn Regional vault championship in 2015.
In addition to his in-the-gym coaching duties, Lorenz is also the Tide’s recruiting coordinator.
“His attention to detail and his winning personality have allowed him to really make a difference in the gym and in his role as our recruiting coordinator,” Duckworth said. “He has such a kind and genuine personality that really shines through in his work with our ladies every day, he’s just a joy to have to have as part of our family.”
Lorenz came to Alabama after spending a decade at Ohio State, where he was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2012 and the Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2012.
“I feel privileged to be able to work alongside two of the best gymnastics coaches in the business in Dana and Bryan,” Lorenz said. “I always knew there was something special about Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama, but after seeing it firsthand, their tradition of excellence is unparalleled in college athletics.”
Lorenz served as chair of the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches competition committee from 2011-15.
“Through my work with the competition committee, I had the opportunity to meet and get to know coaches all over the country, and I can tell you that one of things that makes Alabama so special is the extraordinary people here,” Lorenz said. “From the coaches to the athletes and the incredible support staff, everyone here is incredibly driven not only to see our ladies be successful in the gym but in the classroom and in life beyond college as well. I think it’s what makes the Crimson Tide so successful.”
Lorenz is excited to be part of a staff that includes veterans with nearly 40 years of combined experience with the Tide.
“To work with Dana, who has been through this program as a phenomenally successful athlete and coach, and Bryan, who has been a large part of the program’s success for the last 20 years, is a real draw,” Lorenz said. “Both have been involved in winning NCAA and Southeastern Conference championships and both were mentored by Sarah and David Patterson, who have not only left their mark on this program, but the entire sport of gymnastics.“
During his tenure in Columbus, he helped lead the Buckeyes to their first NCAA Championship appearance in 22 years in 2012. The Buckeyes also produced seven All-Americans, including their first in more than a decade while Lorenz was on staff, as well as 19 All-Big 10 gymnasts and two Big 10 Freshmen of the Year
Prior to joining Ohio State, Lorenz spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State, a stint that included a runner-up finish at the Big 10 Championships.
He started his collegiate coaching career with a year each at Maryland and George Washington.
At the club level, Lorenz coached at Chantilly Gymnasium, Nassau Gymnastics and the legendary Woodward Gymnastics Camp.
Lorenz earned a Bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Massachusetts, in 1998, where he competed as part of the Minutemen’s gymnastics team. He is married to the former Andrea Scialdo. The couple has two daughters, Madeline and Courtney.
“As excited as I am to be a part of this amazing program, my wife and I are equally excited about to raise our family in a community that is so nurturing and giving,” Lorenz said. “And of course, to have the opportunity for our girls to be around this team and to have such wonderful role models is a tre-mendous plus as well.”
