Assistant women's gymnastics coach Shannon Welker just wrapped up his fourth season as a member of the U-M coaching staff. His primary responsibilites include coaching vault and floor exercise, and assisting in recruiting efforts.
Welker coached three Wolverines to high accolades on vault during the 2012 season. Freshman Sachi Sugiyama became the program's 14th Big Ten individual champion on vault after she won the title at the 2012 Big Ten Championships. Joanna Sampson and Katie Zurales shared the NCAA Auburn Regional vault title, both qualifying for the NCAA Championships, where Zurales was named a second team All-American.
Welker spent one year as an assistant at Bowling Green after nine years as the head women's gymnastics coach and program director at the St. Louis Gymnastic Center in Missouri. While with the Falcons, Welker focused on the vault and uneven bars, helping send a pair of athletes to the NCAA Regionals for the first time in program history.
A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Welker was a four-year standout on the men's gymnastics team (1993-97). He was a three-year team captain, an NCAA All-American in 1996 and was the school's Athlete of the Year his senior season. Welker was also a diver from 1993-94. He spent a year (1997-98) as an assistant men's gymnastics coach for his alma mater and, in 2005, was inducted into the University of Illinois at Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame.
Welker earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1998, with a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology. Welker and his wife, Molly, have two sons, Ian and Brendan.
