SALT LAKE CITY — Utah gymnastics has made history once again.
The Red Rocks announced the hiring of Misty-Jade Carlson Wednesday morning, rounding out the team’s new-look coaching staff.
Carlson will be Utah’s creative content manager, the first (full-time) manager hired by any collegiate gymnastics program in the country.
She will serve as a sport-specific, non-coaching staff member and will have a host of duties including, but not limited, to “developing and creating graphics and videos to promote Utah gymnastics on all of their digital platforms, overseeing academic registration, monitoring study table and mentoring sessions and tracking academic progress, and finally, increasing social media engagement and followers through the use of innovative content.”
A former Iowa Hawkeye, Carlson competed on the college stage as recently as this past season, namely on vault and beam.
She was a three-time Big Ten All-Academic team selection and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award recipient.
“We believe with the hiring of Misty that our program will continue to be one of the leaders in marketing gymnastics to the masses," Utah gymnastics head coach Tom Farden said in a release. "Her ability to produce eye-catching assets coupled with her self-starter motivation is a perfect fit for our program."
Carlson is but the latest in a series of new hires by Farden, who has remade the Red Rocks’ coaching staff in the wake of the retirement of Megan Marsden and the departures of Robert Ladanyi and B.J. Das.
Utah brought in the duo Garrett Griffeth and Courtney McCool Griffeth, from Arkansas, to serve as an assistant and volunteer coach, respectively.
Carly Dockendorf, who previously was the team’s director of recruiting and player development, was promoted to assistant coach almost immediately following Marsden's retirement.
Also on staff is Jennifer White, the gymnastics chief of staff and new media director, roles she has held since 2017.
Carlson, who graduated with degrees in mass communication and graphic design earlier this year, stands as the final addition to Utah gymnastics’ staff for the 2019-20 season.