Ryan Roberts announced his Auburn gymnastics coaching staff on Wednesday.

The former Georgia co-head coach has hired Aja Sims-Fletcher as associate head coach and Adam Duncan and Sophia Davila (nee Groth) as assistant coaches.

“I wanted to make sure I created a balanced staff,” Roberts said of his choices. “And I know my personality. I’ve done a lot of self-awareness. I know how I’m perceived a lot of times, and I wanted to have a really good balance between the staff in various ways.”

On Tuesday, Roberts was formally introduced as the head coach of the Tigers in a press conference at Neville Arena. When Gymnastics Now asked what he was looking for in his assistant coaches, he went in-depth on each hire. Here’s what he had to say about his new coaching staff.

Aja Sims-Fletcher

Sims-Fletcher returns to the state of Alabama after two seasons as an assistant coach at Illinois. Prior to working with the Illini, Sims-Fletcher was the head coach at Talladega and, before that, a volunteer assistant coach at Alabama – her alma mater.

“What I looked for was a strong female second who the girls can go to and approach and be communicative and partner with me to make sure they’re being taken care of holistically,” Roberts said, describing Sims-Fletcher. “Also somebody that has experience in NCAA, in the SEC, those things were very important for me for that second.”

During her time with the Crimson Tide (2014-17), Sims-Fletcher earned three All-American nods and helped the team win two SEC titles and appear in four-straight NCAA Super Six team finals.

Sims-Fletcher is expecting a baby boy with her husband, Allen Fletcher, in May.

Adam Duncan

Duncan has worked with Roberts through the years, including at WOGA. He is moving to Auburn from Dallas where he most recently has been working in corporate finance since the summer of 2022.

“I was looking for a good technician, a spotter – somebody who is a go-getter,” Roberts said, describing Duncan. “[He] has built out a whole AI thing for recruiting and our current roster, and I think that’s kind of the future of recruiting… [He is] somebody who can match my pace.”

Roberts has developed a reputation for being an outstanding recruiter, so Duncan’s expertise in that area could complement that.

Sophia Davila

Davila, formerly Groth, is very familiar with the program as she competed for Auburn from 2022-25.

“Finally, the fourth spot, somebody who [is a] former student-athlete, closer in age to the girls,” Roberts said, describing Davila. “I think it’s important to have that connection, just because they can relate, and they can support them in different ways than I can.”

Davila contributed on all four events but was especially known for her beam and floor. She was a two-time All-American and All-SEC.

Davila married her husband Paul – a former Auburn cheerleader – shortly after graduating with her master’s degree in May 2025. She has spent the past year in Dallas working for SMU as an athletics development assistant.

Full press conference: Ryan Roberts introduced as next Auburn gymnastics head coach

Want to watch more from Ryan Roberts’ introductory press conference? Gymnastics Now has the full video below.