Robert Drass enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Penn State women’s gymnastics program in 2019.
In 2018, the Nittany Lions finished with an 11-8 meet record, including three wins over ranked opponents. The Nittany Lions made an appearance in the NCAA Regionals and finished the year with a No. 32 national ranking.
Freshman Lauren Bridgens and senior Briannah Tsang claimed All-America honors. Tsang was the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and won the individual Big Ten Floor Exercise title. Penn State earned three All-Big Ten honors with Bridgens and Tsang on First Team, while junior Sabrina Garcia was a Second Team selection. Bridgens competed in the All-Around at the NCAA Championships.
Bridgens set a Nittany Lion record with a perfect 10 on the Uneven Bars on March 4, 2018, while Tsang earned two Top Five scores in program history on the Floor Exercise.
Drass, an alum of the Penn State men’s gymnastics program, joins the Nittany Lions after serving as the assistant head coach for the University of Pittsburgh women’s gymnastics team from 2014-17.
During his time at Pittsburgh, Drass helped the Panthers capture their first East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) title in program history in 2016. Individually, he helped coach Lindsay Offutt to the 2016 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, where she competed on floor. Offutt was the sixth Panther all-time and first since 2007 to earn become a National Qualifier
Prior to joining the Panthers, Drass was the head coach at the University of Missouri from 1999-2013. As the head coach of the Mizzou Tigers, Drass was tabbed the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2002, and he led his team to seven top-20 NCAA finishes. In 2010, the Tigers captured an NCAA Regional title and a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
After completing his career as a student-athlete at Penn State, Drass was a member of the University of Nebraska women’s gymnastics coaching staff from 1991-99. During his time at Nebraska, the Cornhuskers won six Big 8/Big 12 conference titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships four times, which included two Super Six appearances. While he was on staff at Nebraska, Drass served as the primary recruiter.
Drass is a 1990 graduate of Penn State as he obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing with an emphasis in finance and computer science. He then went on to earn an MBA with a concentration in strategic management and long-range planning from the University of Nebraska in 1994.
A native of Altoona, Pennsylvania, Drass is married to Dr. Joy C. Drass and they have two children, Molly and James.