Gymnastics
Mike Hunger
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- mhunger@huntsman.utah.edu
Coaching Timeline
2024- Present Utah
2016- Present USA National Team, Staff
1987- 2024 Twin City Twisters, Owner/Coach
Coaching Highlights
Over 100 NCAA athletes produced
NCAA All-Americans: 1
Mike Hunger will be taking on his third season with the Red Rocks in 2027 after being brought on in May 2024 ahead of the 2025 competition season as Carly Dockendorf's first official hire as head coach.
The vault lineup continued to flourish under Hunger in 2026, improving from No. 6 in 2025 to No. 3 in the final Road-to-Nationals regular season rankings, and finished as the Red Rocks highest rated unit for the season. Additionally, four Red Rocks finished the year ranked top-25 on the event with sophomore Avery Neff (tied eighth), senior Makenna Smith (tied 11th), junior Ella Zirbes (tied 14th), and senior Ashley Glynn (tied 25th).
Neff scored two perfect 10s on the apparatus in 2026 under Hunger's care (Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad and Southern Utah).
The Red Rocks clinched their 36th NCAA Regional title in 2026 during the Corvallis Regional and finished the year 10th in the final Road to Nationals rankings.
Utah's vault team also cleaned up in conference competition with five Red Rocks (Neff, Smith, Zirbes, Glynn and Zoe Johnson) earning spots on the All-Big 12 team while Smith claimed the individual crown. Utah went on to earn its second straight Big 12 Championship and Regular Season title, moving its conference championship count to six-straight (four Pac-12- 2021-2024, two Big 12- 2025-2026).
Early in the season at the Sprout Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, Utah posted a 49.600, tying its fourth highest score in program history, hitting the mark for the first time since 2005.
In Hunger’s first year with Utah, the vault lineup saw improvement, moving from No. 7 in 2024 to No. 6 in 2025.
The Red Rocks wrapped up Hunger’s first season with a trip to their 49th straight National Championship appearance and fifth straight Final Four appearance, finishing fourth place overall in the country. Utah gymnastics is the only collegiate team in the nation that has never missed either competition.
Additionally, with Hunger’s help, the Red Rocks earned their 35th NCAA Regional title as a program, and kept their conference title streak alive at five straight (four Pac-12 titles- 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and one Big 12 title- 2025), winning the Big 12 Regular Season title and Big 12 Championship in their first season competing in the conference.
Hunger’s vault team cleaned up in Big 12 Conference recognitions placing four athletes (Makenna Smith, Ella Zirbes, Ashley Glynn, and Grace McCallum) on the All-Big 12 vault team. McCallum and Glynn were also crowned Big 12 vault co-champions, with McCallum earning NCAA First Team All-America honors on vault later in the season.
Hunger has brought nearly 50 years of diverse coaching experience to the Utah staff after spending most of his career working with the developmental levels, Olympic medalists, and World Champions before arriving in Salt Lake City. The Red Rock vault coach has also served on the USA National team staff since 2016, and has been an active educator and clinician on the national and international stage.
With a widespread reputation throughout the gymnastics community as the founder and former owner of the Twin City Twisters Gymnastics Club in Champlin, Minn., Hunger has produced a number of Red Rock greats such as, Abby Paulson, Grace McCallum, Abby Brenner, and his own daughter Breanna Hughes.
Since he opened Twin City Twisters in 1987, Hunger has guided over 100 athletes to compete at the NCAA level. Additionally, Hunger has coached seven national all-around champions and nine U.S. National Team members, world champions, and Olympic medalists.
With Hunger's guidance as her personal coach, McCallum became an Olympic silver medalist and two-time World Champion with Team USA, as well as a four-time national team member. Former Red Rock Abby Paulson also went through her gymnastics career under the tutelage of Hunger as a five-year international elite gymnast and member of the U.S. Senior National Team.
2024- Present Utah
2016- Present USA National Team, Staff
1987- 2024 Twin City Twisters, Owner/Coach
Coaching Highlights
Over 100 NCAA athletes produced
NCAA All-Americans: 1
Mike Hunger will be taking on his third season with the Red Rocks in 2027 after being brought on in May 2024 ahead of the 2025 competition season as Carly Dockendorf's first official hire as head coach.
The vault lineup continued to flourish under Hunger in 2026, improving from No. 6 in 2025 to No. 3 in the final Road-to-Nationals regular season rankings, and finished as the Red Rocks highest rated unit for the season. Additionally, four Red Rocks finished the year ranked top-25 on the event with sophomore Avery Neff (tied eighth), senior Makenna Smith (tied 11th), junior Ella Zirbes (tied 14th), and senior Ashley Glynn (tied 25th).
Neff scored two perfect 10s on the apparatus in 2026 under Hunger's care (Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad and Southern Utah).
The Red Rocks clinched their 36th NCAA Regional title in 2026 during the Corvallis Regional and finished the year 10th in the final Road to Nationals rankings.
Utah's vault team also cleaned up in conference competition with five Red Rocks (Neff, Smith, Zirbes, Glynn and Zoe Johnson) earning spots on the All-Big 12 team while Smith claimed the individual crown. Utah went on to earn its second straight Big 12 Championship and Regular Season title, moving its conference championship count to six-straight (four Pac-12- 2021-2024, two Big 12- 2025-2026).
Early in the season at the Sprout Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, Utah posted a 49.600, tying its fourth highest score in program history, hitting the mark for the first time since 2005.
In Hunger’s first year with Utah, the vault lineup saw improvement, moving from No. 7 in 2024 to No. 6 in 2025.
The Red Rocks wrapped up Hunger’s first season with a trip to their 49th straight National Championship appearance and fifth straight Final Four appearance, finishing fourth place overall in the country. Utah gymnastics is the only collegiate team in the nation that has never missed either competition.
Additionally, with Hunger’s help, the Red Rocks earned their 35th NCAA Regional title as a program, and kept their conference title streak alive at five straight (four Pac-12 titles- 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and one Big 12 title- 2025), winning the Big 12 Regular Season title and Big 12 Championship in their first season competing in the conference.
Hunger’s vault team cleaned up in Big 12 Conference recognitions placing four athletes (Makenna Smith, Ella Zirbes, Ashley Glynn, and Grace McCallum) on the All-Big 12 vault team. McCallum and Glynn were also crowned Big 12 vault co-champions, with McCallum earning NCAA First Team All-America honors on vault later in the season.
Hunger has brought nearly 50 years of diverse coaching experience to the Utah staff after spending most of his career working with the developmental levels, Olympic medalists, and World Champions before arriving in Salt Lake City. The Red Rock vault coach has also served on the USA National team staff since 2016, and has been an active educator and clinician on the national and international stage.
With a widespread reputation throughout the gymnastics community as the founder and former owner of the Twin City Twisters Gymnastics Club in Champlin, Minn., Hunger has produced a number of Red Rock greats such as, Abby Paulson, Grace McCallum, Abby Brenner, and his own daughter Breanna Hughes.
Since he opened Twin City Twisters in 1987, Hunger has guided over 100 athletes to compete at the NCAA level. Additionally, Hunger has coached seven national all-around champions and nine U.S. National Team members, world champions, and Olympic medalists.
With Hunger's guidance as her personal coach, McCallum became an Olympic silver medalist and two-time World Champion with Team USA, as well as a four-time national team member. Former Red Rock Abby Paulson also went through her gymnastics career under the tutelage of Hunger as a five-year international elite gymnast and member of the U.S. Senior National Team.
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