Jan. 25, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - This is the first installment of a new series focusing on the achievements of former Penn State women's gymnasts called, "Where Are They Now?" Check GoPSUsports.com after each home meet to meet another group of former gymnasts.
Michelle "Missy" Leopoldus O'Brien - 1999
Missy competed for the Nittany Lions from 1995-99. She is married to Corey O'Brien ('96) and has three children, Kate (7), Casey (5), and Jacob (8 months). She owns her own law firm and practices law in the Scranton, PA area. As a freshman in 1996, Missy was the Regional Champion on beam and in the all-around. In 1997 she was the Regional Champion on bars and earned All-American status on vault. During her junior year she was crowned the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. Missy closed out her career in 1999 becoming the first Penn State gymnast to score a perfect 10.00 (on beam)! Known for her consistency, she earned the Joanne Beltz Award for hitting all of her beam routines in every meet that same season. Missy was a scholar-athlete and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Denise Wiest Coats - 1973
Denise was a member of the Penn State women's gymnastics team from 1970-73. She now resides in Dallas, Texas where she has been a high school Health/PE teacher at Lake Highlands High School for the last 36 years. For 34 of those years she also served as the head coach for the varsity gymnastics program at her school and has led her team to two State Championships. In 1998 she was named a Disney Teacher of the Year. Denise has achieved the rating of Brevet Judge and serves as a judge for numerous NCAA, club, YMCA and high school gymnastics meets. Her special PSU memories include coming back to the gymnastics reunion and getting to see Betz Hanley (her former coach), and being the meet referee at the competition in front of her friends.
Denise says of her time at Penn State: "Gymnastics has shaped my life with coaching and judging. Penn State Gymnastics put me in the direction to be a high school gymnastics coach and begin my judging career."
Jan Anthony Perkins - 1980
Jan was a four-year letterwinner at Penn State. In 1977 she earned All-American honors on vault and helped her team to a third place finish at Nationals. In 1978 she achieved All-American status on vault, bars and in the all-around as Penn State won its first National Championship! In 1979 she once again earned All-American honors on the vault while her team finished second nationally. In her senior year the team won a second National Championship! Jan competed in the all-around in every meet and the Iron Horse Award was created and named in her honor for this accomplishment.
Currently, she resides in Alpharetta, Ga. and enjoys traveling as well as skiing and playing tennis. Until this past year, Jan was coaching gymnastics at Roswell Recreation Center while her daughter, Elizabeth, competed in the sport. A loyal fan, Jan recently saw the 2011 Penn State gymnastics team compete at the season opener in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Of her time at Penn State she writes: "My experience meant working hard to reach a goal that I did not understand was a great achievement until years later! However, it was not the achievement but the everyday work that was important! We reached our ultimate goals because of our hard work, day in and day out. Sometimes it was not fun and sometimes it was not pretty, but it was definitely worth it because of the 'good days'. Those days when you hit everything, the days when the team won, and when the crowd cheered you on!"
Kate Stopper Miklos - 2005
Kate was part of the Nittany Lion team from 2001-05 and was co-captain in her senior year. She is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. In 2005 she won the Big Ten Floor Championship and was a recipient of the Ann Carr award. She currently resides in Reading, Pa. where she is a high school guidance counselor. In July 2009 she married former Penn State men's gymnast Justin Miklos ('07). They welcomed a baby girl, Alessa, in September 2010 to their family. Kate and her husband both enjoy snowboarding in the winter and spending time at the Jersey Shore in the summer.
Kate writes about her time at Penn State: "Being a PSU gymnast was unlike any experience I could have imagined. It filled me with a sense of pride for myself, my school, my team, my fans, and my family. My teammates became my sisters. My fellow athletes became my family. It truly is difficult to describe. The best I can come up with is, WE ARE... PENN STATE!"