Dr. Doug Van Everen - Head Gymnastics Coach - Men's Gymnastics Coaches

Dr. Doug Van Everen

Title:
Head Gymnastics Coach
Email:
doug.vaneveren@westpoint.edu
Phone:
3802

The Army West Point men’s gymnastics program has ascended to new heights since the inauguration of the Doug Van Everen era at West Point in 1990. Now in his third decade, the level of success that the 33rd-year mentor has reached is the reason the Black Knights continually rank among the nation’s leaders.

The veteran leader earned his 150th career victory on March 8, 2015 in a win at Springfield. He holds the honor of second winningest coach in Army West Point history, boasting a mark of 155-164-1 (.486), second to Olympic coach Tom Maloney’s mark of 211-34-6 (.853) from 1931-1966.

Van Everen has led the Black Knights to three Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) titles, claiming the top spot in 2005, 2015 and tying for the title in 2016. The team’s first-place finish in 2005 was the first since 1962, snapping a 44-year drought. The 2004 and 2005 squads each earned berths to the NCAA Championships, a milestone no Army West Point gymnastics team had accomplished since 1963. More recently, the 2019 team qualified as a team for NCAAs for the first time since 2015.

Under Van Everen’s tutelage, the Black Knights have been ranked as high as ninth in the nation, coming in 2003 and 2004, and have been consistently in the top-15.

In addition to his team success, his squads have been well-represented individually at the NCAA Championships, while qualifying a team in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2015 and 2019. A school-record 12 individuals met the standard in 2003, with nine meeting the criteria in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Committed to excellence, Van Everen is one of the most respected coaches in his profession. He was awarded the NCAA Honor Coach of the Year accolade in 2015, one of just two Army West Point head coaches to ever earn the honor. In addition, he has been named the East Regional Coach of the Year four times, including during his conference championship seasons in 2005 and 2015. He has also copped ECAC Coach of the Year honors three times.

An excellent recruiter, Van Everen has coached several of the finest gymnasts in Army West Point history. He has mentored four NCAA All-Americans in Imad Haque, Ben Hayward, Dustin Greenhill and Brian Lee. In addition, he has tutored 32 ECAC Champions, who have won a combined 80 titles.

Haque, a 1993 and 1994 ECAC still rings champion, was the first All-American coached by Van Everen following a sixth-place finish at the 1994 NCAA Championships in Nebraska.

Hayward was a three-time ECAC pommel horse champion who added an All-America certificate to his career following a tie for fourth at the NCAAs in 1997. Greenhill and Lee finished runner up on the parallel bars (2003) and still rings (2005), respectively at the NCAAs.

Also claiming ECAC titles were Steve Marshall, Kipp Webber, Mike Oliveria, Eliot Proctor, George Rhyedance, Brian Lee, Matt Eckerman, John Robella, Sam Kusnitz, Mike Sivulka, Garrek Hojan-Clark, Troy Pazcoguin, Nathan Goff, Mathew Davis, Cole Casanova and Elliott Herman.

Marshall made West Point history when he earned a spot on the senior men’s national team in 1995 and finished third on vault at the USA Championships. He was inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame with the second class in 2005.

Glenn became the first Army West Point gymnast to capture a pair of ECAC titles at a meet since 1939 when he earned all-around and high bar honors in 2014. He followed that up with an even more impressive 2015 performance, earning four victories, capturing the all-around, vault, parallel bars and high bar titles.

Under Van Everen, 10 gymnasts have earned 17 USAG All-America certificates. Five were collected at the 2003 championships, three during the 2011 championships and seven during the 2014 campaign. In 2003, Lee was crowed a national champion on still rings and was joined by Mike Tiffany who placed fifth on parallel bars and sixth on still rings. In addition, John Robella placed sixth on high bar and Chris Kennedy earned fifth on pommel horse.

In 2011, Hojan-Clark placed second on pommel horse, Chase Brown earned fifth on floor exercise and Jared Breeden tied for second on still rings.

Most recently, five gymnasts have earned USAG All-America honors, garnering a total of nine certificates. Glenn led the way at the 2014 championships, finishing as the national champion in the all-around, placing second on high bar, third on parallel bars and fifth on both floor exercise and pommel horse to claim five certificates. He was joined by teammates Webber, who earned second on vault, and Alex Ganz, who placed fifth on parallel bars. In 2019, Casanova championed the vault to gain an All-America nod, while Erik Del Cid joined him in the honors with a sixth-place finish.

Van Everen guided the Black Knights to runner-up honors at the ECAC Championships three times over a six-year span. Army West Point’s placing in 1999 was its highest in a decade, and the Black Knights repeated in 2003 and 2004.

In addition to the success in the gym, Van Everen’s gymnasts have also excelled in the classroom. The Black Knights ranked among an elite group of 20 teams selected in 1998 for national academic honors by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA). Army placed 12th with a 3.07 team grade point average, beating both Navy (15th) and Air Force (16th).

Jeff Means, Hayward and John Doss were among 49 individuals honored as scholar-athlete All-Americans, who earned a 3.50 grade point average or better, while Oliveria was named a CGA 2005 All-America Scholar Athlete.

In addition to turning out nationally-ranked gymnasts, West Point has become a showcase as one of the premier venues for prominent gymnastics meets. Army West Point served as the host for the 63rd NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships in 2005, was the venue again in 2010 and again in 2017. The Black Knights earned hosting duties for the ECAC Championships in 2008, 2009, 2015 and will in 2020.

Van Everen, who worked tirelessly to bring both the NCAAs and ECACs to West Point, also administers the annual West Point Open, one of the largest meets on the East Coast, now in its 29th year of operation.

Prior to becoming Army West Point’s sixth head coach, Van Everen was the head mentor at San Jose State for three years (1987-90). He directed his squad to an 8-11 record and a trip to the NCAA Western Regionals his final year, compiling a mark of 12-32.

Van Everen has made a name for himself on a national level as well, serving as president of the CGA and coaching the USA National Team in 1995 and 1996. He has also served as chairman of the NCAA Gymnastics Rules Committee, has been on the Board of Directors of USA Gymnastics and developed the College Gymnastics Foundation in 1996, for which he currently serves as president.

Van Everen graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1987 with a degree in physical education. A four-year letterwinner as an all-arounder, he led CSF to the NCAAs in 1985.

He earned his master’s degree in athletic administration from St. Mary’s of California in 1990 and completed his doctoral requirements in athletic administration from the University of New Mexico in 1996.

Van Everen and his wife, Terri, reside at West Point. They have two sons, Kirk and Connor. Kirk (USMA, 2011) is stationed in Wiesbade, Germany. Connor works in New York City.