Wayne Wright is in his 12th season as the head coach of the San Jose State women's gymnastics team. The Spartan program has made significant strides during Wright's tenure, breaking school records, winning conference championships and receiving team invitations to the NCAA West Regional.

   Since 2003, the Spartans have competed as a team at six NCAA Regionals. In the years not competing at a team, at least two gymnasts have advanced to regionals. The team's best finish has been fourth in 2006 and 2011. Two gymnasts have Regional Championships: Thomasina Wallace on bars in 2009 and Katie Valleau on floor in 2011.

   Wright has also coached three gymnasts at the NCAA   Championships. In 2011, Valleau was the first Spartan to compete at the championships as an individual specialist after she tied for first on the floor at the regionals with a 9.900. Veronica Porte and Wallace advanced to the 2009 NCAA Championships in the all-around as the top-two qualifiers from the West Region.

   In 2012, Wright was named the NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year after the team earned the WAC regular season title and recorded its second-highest team score in school history. He also coached Thomasina Wallace to the WAC Freshman of the Year title in 2009 and in 2012, the WAC Gymnast of the Year title after she won the conference's All-Around title.

   The Spartans have broken every team school record since 2004 including the beam record in 2011 and the vault record in 2009.  Every individual record has also been tied or broken over the past 11 years.  In 2012, two records were tied (beam and floor).

   Outside the gym, Wright believes firmly in the importance of academics and athletics in a college education. The 2011 team posted the highest grade-point average among all 16 San Jose State intercollegiate teams.  In his 11 seasons, 29 gymnastics have received 63 Academic All-WAC Awards, while 24 gymnasts received 45 NACGC/W Scholastic All-America recognition.

   Wright's teams are also one of the top Spartan teams in giving back to the community. In the fall of 2011, the team participated in the 5^th Annual SJSU Day of Service as they tagged books for a local, categorizing them by reading level and the quiz number and how many points the students earn in accelerated reading. The team participates in various activities throughout the season and participates in "Think Pink" month in February as all teams raise the awareness of breast cancer research.

   As an assistant coach, Wright was at Stanford from 1996- 2001 and at San Jose State from 1987-1996. While at Stanford, Wright helped coach the team to its first Pac-10 title in 1998 and an NCAA West Regional championship. During his first stint at San Jose State he coached Tara Law, the 1996 Big West floor champion, to the NCAA West Regional.

   Showing his success at the collegiate level, Wright has coached gymnasts to all three Bay Area schools’ halls of fame: Kristen Smyth at California, Larissa Fontaine at Stanford, and Dani Albright at San Jose State.

   Before he began collegiate coaching, Wright served as program director and head coach of the Kokokahi Gymnastics Center in Kailua, Hawaii, developing Class I National Junior Olympics gymnasts. He also worked with U.S.A. Gymnastics at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and was on the floor when the team won the gold medal.

   Active in the community, Wright served on the local organizing committee for the 2007 VISA U.S.A. Women's Gymnastics Championships held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. He helped to insure that the meet was run smoothly for all participants and spectators.

   Wright has an extensive background in nursing and physical education. He graduated from the Academy of Health Sciences in Texas with a degree in nursing. He also studied physical education and recreation at the University of Hawai'i.

   Wright served three years in the U.S. Army as a nurse attached to Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a certified phlebotomy technician and a candidate for a California Nurse's License.