After 16 years at Michigan State, Nicole Jones has been named the next head coach of the Nebraska women’s gymnastics team.

Jones, a Michigan State standout herself, worked her way up the coaching ranks with the Spartans, most recently serving as associate head coach for nine seasons.

“It is an honor to be named the head coach of a Nebraska women’s gymnastics program that is so rich in tradition, and I look forward to leading our student-athletes to their highest levels of success in all areas,” Jones said in a press release. “From its 12 NCAA Finals appearances, 25 conference titles and more than 160 All-America awards, Nebraska has proven it belongs among the elite in the sport. Nebraska’s Academic All-America tradition is also unsurpassed across all sports, including 17 in women’s gymnastics. Add in Nebraska’s amazing gymnastics facilities and the support of the administration and Husker Nation, and all the ingredients are here to build champions in Lincoln.”

Jones replaces Heather Brink.

Nebraska announced on April 6 that Brink’s contract would not be renewed, opting to pay out the remainder to the former Husker standout through its expiration at the end of June.

The Huskers haven’t broken into the top 20 nationally since the 2020 season that was cut short by COVID-19. The team dropped to top 30 and top 40 placements in the years following long-time head coach Dan Kendig’s retirement in 2018. Kendig led the program for 25 seasons, and when Brink stepped in for him, she wasn’t able to continue that level of success.

For the 20 years prior to Kendig’s retirement, Nebraska was, more often than not, a top 10 or top five team, winning 16 conference titles and appearing in 12 Super Six finals.

Nebraska has one ranked commit currently set to join the team in the fall in three-star Dana Khalil, per College Gym News. Recruiting will be a major factor for Jones in the coming seasons as she looks to add to an already talented roster and develop the program into the future, likely starting with the currently active transfer portal.