ANCHORAGE – Just days after receiving a reprieve for the 2022 season, the Alaska Anchorage gymnastics program gained more stability Tuesday as athletic director Greg Myford announced that Marie-Sophie Boggasch has had the interim tag removed from her head coaching title.
Boggasch – who was set to assume her competitive coaching career this spring prior to the pandemic – now becomes the third permanent head coach in program history, following former mentors Paul Stoklos and Tanya Ho.
"Marie-Sophie has earned the title of head coach," said director of athletics Greg Myford. "Since assuming the interim role last July, she has provided a degree of stability to the young women of our team at a very difficult time to do so. The ongoing financial challenges, preparing the team throughout COVID conditions, and keeping her team focused in the classroom through it all. She has delivered. Marie-Sophie is an outstanding representative of UAA -- as a former student-athlete, alum and, now, coach and teacher."
Tuesday's news comes on the heels of last week's announcement that the Seawolf program recently met its fundraising goal to assure reinstatement for the 2021-22 season. The program had previously been slated for elimination following the 2020-21 season. The team's successful fundraising efforts now continue with approximately $323,000 needed in order to secure future years of competition.
"I'm excited and honored to continue this tremendous path of growth our team has been on, pursuing athletic and academic excellence," said Marie-Sophie Boggasch. "I especially want to express my deep gratitude for my team and for my assistant coach, Kendra Daniels, who showed an incredible amount of perseverance and placed their trust in my leadership throughout this difficult year. After a canceled season that was mainly focused on our fundraising efforts, Kendra and I cannot wait to lead our Seawolves on the competition floor. I would also like to once more thank Interim UA President Pitney, Interim UAA Chancellor Schultz, UAA Athletic Director Myford and the UA Board of Regents for working together with us on a successful future for UAA gymnastics."
Prior to taking over as interim head coach in July 2020, Boggasch spent two years as an assistant on the Seawolf staff under Ho. In her first season in 2019, UAA produced the top season in program history, setting 17 school records, including bars, beam, floor and overall average and NQS marks. In a shortened 2020 campaign, she went on to help the Seawolves again improve on the school records for bars average and NQS. Boggasch also served as the team's primary beam coach as an assistant, aiding in the development of MPSF champion Sophia Hyderally and helping improve scores for multiple other gymnasts on that apparatus.
A four-year letterwinner (2013-16), the native of Schwarzenbach am Wald, Germany, competed on vault, bars and floor exercise for UAA, helping the Seawolves break school records for team season average and NQS as both a junior and senior. A three-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic Team honoree, she tied for runner-up on uneven bars at the 2015 MPSF Championships.
Boggasch graduated from UAA with a 4.00 grade-point average in 2016, earning her bachelor's degree in aviation technology, and is a former commercial pilot. Boggasch also earned a masters of science degree in interdisciplinary studies -- with a concentration on management, adult education and aviation -- from UAA in 2020.
