Taylor Susnara - Acrobatics & Tumbling Coach - University of Oregon Athletics

Taylor Susnara

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
tgalvin@uoregon.edu

Former Oregon All-American and assistant coach Taylor Susnara was named the head coach of the acrobatics and tumbling program on June 9, 2021. In four seasons under Susnara, Oregon has a 19-15 record while winning 10 national event titles.

2025 marked the Ducks’ strongest season to date with Susnara as head coach, finsihing with a 7-3 record, including four top-10 victories in the regular season and another trip to the NCATA semifinals. In the season opener against Morgan State, the Ducks posted their best season-opening score since 2015 and best score under Susnara in a 281.205-256.145 victory. Oregon’s seven wins during the 2025 season mark the most since the 2018 campaign.

Susnara guided the Ducks to their third straight NCATA National Championship appearance before coming up short against top-seeded Baylor in the final. Oregon had its’ share of individual success, taking home three event titles. Bethany Glick and Bella Swarthout earned a 9.875 in the seven-element acro to capture UO’s first-ever title in the event. Swarthout joined Blessyn McMorris, Selah Bell, Emily Rezner and Brylie Hoover who teamed up to secure the open pyramid title, which had been the Ducks’ strongest event throughout the season. Riley Watson was the third champion for Oregon, scoring a 9.775 to win the six-element tumbling title.

Blessyn McMorris and Alexis Giardina each earned NCATA all-American recognition in 2025. This marks the second season that Giardina has been named an all-American, becoming one of 12 Ducks in program history to earn multiple all-America honors during their career. This season, she competed in five of six events and was a part of the tumbling lineup that set the two highest scores since 2017 (58.275 at Baylor, 58.025 vs. Gannon) and the two highest team event scores under head coach Taylor Susnara (99.43 at Baylor, 99.18 vs. Morgan State).

McMorris became the 18th Duck to earn all-America recognition. She was named the NCATA Athlete of the Week after the Ducks' first win of the season, leading the Ducks to scores of 9.85 or better in all three pyramid heats against Morgan State. She was instrumental in both of the Ducks' 10.0 scores in open pyramid, as well as UO's fifth-ever event title in the open pyramid.

The 2024 season saw more success as the Ducks collected four top 10 victories and advanced to the semifinals of the NCATA Championships for the second time under Susnara. Against No. 9 Hawai’i Pacific, Oregon turned in a season best performance with a score of 276.915, including a perfect 10 in the open pyramid, to earn a road victory. The Ducks’ performances led to a sweep of the NCATA weekly awards with Cami Wilson earning Athlete of the Week, Carrion winning Specialist of the Week and Bella Swarthout claiming Freshman of the Week. After finishing the regular season with a 3-3 record, Oregon defeated fifth-seeded Mary Hardin-Baylor in the quarterfinal round before battling to a narrow defeat against top ranked Baylor – the third time the Ducks and Bears squared off that season.

On the final day of the 2024 season, Susnara and Oregon dazzled by winning the open toss, duo tumbling, trio tumbling and quad tumbling national event titles, giving the Ducks their most wins in the event finals since 2019 and pushing the program total to 56. Two members of the UO squad garnered NCATA All-America status as Carrion earned the award for the second time in her career while junior Alexis Giardina was recognized for the first time.

During her second season at the helm in 2023, Susnara guided Oregon back to the NCATA National Championship finals for the first time since 2019, earning the second seed after compiling a 6-3 record along the way. The Ducks earned three-ranked victories in the regular season against Azusa Pacific (twice) and Gannon.

That season Oregon claimed its 27th and 28th NCATA All-American nods with senior Karly Nowak and junior Makena Carrion, and with Susnara’s guidance the Ducks brought home their 51st and 52nd individual event titles. Oregon won its third-consecutive trio tumbling title while freshman Rickelle Henderson became the first freshman since Susnara in 2015 to take home an individual tumbling event title, doing so in the six-element pass. With Susnara’s coaching, Nowak also became the eighth UO athlete to earn NCATA Athlete of the Week recognition following the Ducks’ upset victory over then-No. 2 Azusa Pacific.

In her first season at the helm of the program in 2022, Susnara led Oregon to the NCATA Quarterfinals as the No. 5 seed. The Ducks finished with a 2-5 record against a loaded schedule that featured four teams in the NCATA Championships field and five top-ten opponents. Oregon battled injuries throughout the season, losing key contributors in January and February, but UO still picked up wins over No. 2 Azusa Pacific and No. 5 Hawaii Pacific.

Susnara led the Ducks to their 50th individual event championship, winning the trio tumbling title. She also mentored Blessyn McMorris as she became Oregon’s first NCATA Freshman of the Year and coached Alyssa Hew to All-American honors. Sara Buchner brought home All-Academic honors and the Louise Goodrum Academic Award in Susnara’s first year in charge.

Prior to taking over as head coach, Susnara was a three-time NCATA All-American for the Ducks from 2015-18 before working as an assistant for three seasons under then-head coach Keenyn Won. Susnara is the fourth head coach in the program's history.

Over her three seasons as an assistant, Susnara helped Oregon compile a 13-7 record. During those three seasons, the Ducks had at least one student-athlete earn an NCATA weekly honor after 10 of its 15 regular season meets. Oregon was ranked No. 2 nationally by the NCATA in all 15 meets of Susnara’s first two seasons. The Ducks achieved the No. 1 national ranking on March 31, 2021 in the midst of Susnara’s third season as an assistant.

In Susnara’s first season as an assistant, Casi Jackson, Addie Lacewell, and Payton Coon earned All-American honors. Coon and Lacewell repeated as All-Americans in 2021, and Alyssa Hew earned national honors as well.

The Ducks also emphasized strong academics during Susnara’s time as an assistant. Oregon had 18 student-athletes make the NCATA 2019 Academic Honor Roll, and 28 Ducks made the list in 2021.

A native of Lake Forest, Calif., Susnara was a two-time open tumbling national champion and two-time 6-element tumbling national champion. As a senior in 2018, Susnara captured her second open tumbling national title and was a two-time NCATA Player of the Week.

Susnara graduated with a degree in Social Science and was a four-year letter winner. One of two student-athletes in Oregon history to be named a three-time NCATA All-American, Susnara helped the Ducks compile a 31-13 record and three NCATA national runner-up finishes over her four years as a student-athlete.