Jillian Gambino serves as a High Performance Specialist at Penn State University, where she supports multiple sport programs through applied sports science, performance testing and monitoring, and data-informed practice planning. In her role, she works closely with coaching staffs to translate performance data into actionable insights that optimize training load, athlete readiness, and on-field performance.
Gambino joined the Penn State High Performance staff in 2023 after relocating to State College with her husband, Mike Gambino, the Nittany Lions’ head baseball coach. At Penn State she works with several programs including field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s golf, and fencing.
Prior to transitioning into high performance, Gambino built an extensive collegiate coaching career in field hockey. She played five seasons at Northwestern University, where she served as a two-year captain. Following her playing career, she began coaching at Boston College as an assistant coach before spending three seasons at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and one season at Babson college. She later returned to Boston College for six seasons, contributing to a staff that advanced to the NCAA Final Four while also leading initiatives in athlete development both on and off the field, mental skills training, and performance monitoring.
Gambino holds a master’s degree in education and combines her background in coaching, athlete development, and sports science to support high performance environments across Penn State Athletics. She and her husband have two children.