Thom Glielmi

The 2023-24 season will be Thom Glielmi's 22nd as head coach of Stanford men's gymnastics.

Glielmi has guided the Cardinal to four consecutive national championships in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, running his total to six after also capturing the title in 2009 and 2011. The six national championships rank third overall among active Stanford head coaches and trail only Lele Forood of women's tennis (10) and John Tanner of women's water polo (9).

Glielmi has established the Cardinal as a perennial national contender, leading Stanford to top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships in each of the last 17 seasons they have been contested (the 2020 Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic).

A seven-time National Coach of the Year (2009, 2011, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), Glielmi is a five-time NCAA West Region Head Coach of the Year (2006, 2007, 2009, 2020, 2022), a six-time MPSF Coach of the Year (2009, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) and was named 2019 and 2022 U.S. Senior Coach of the Year at the U.S. Championships. Since his debut season on The Farm in 2003, Glielmi has mentored 31 NCAA Champions, 210 All-Americans and four Nissen-Emery Award recipients (Akash Modi in 2017, Eddie Penev in 2013, Dan Gill in 2004, Brody Malone in 2022).
 
Stanford most recently led from start to finish on the way to winning its fourth consecutive NCAA men's gymnastics championship on April 15, 2023 at Penn State's Rec Hall. Stanford, the nation's top-ranked team, scored 422.458 points to beat runner-up Michigan with 419.889, giving the Cardinal its ninth championship overall. Prior to winning the national title, Stanford successfully repeated as MPSF champion for the second consecutive season. The Cardinal captured two individual national titles, as Nicolas Kuebler finished atop the podium on floor while Asher Hong earned the crown on vault to cap a remarkable freshman campaign. Hong, the 2023 MPSF Gymnast of the Year and CGA Rookie of the Year, earned three of Stanford's 12 All-America selections at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship meet. With the title, gymnastics became just the second Cardinal men's sport to win four consecutive NCAA titles, and the first since men's tennis from 1995-98.

The Cardinal three-peated as national champion in 2022, putting the finishing touches on one of the most dominant seasons in NCAA and school history. Stanford, which won the MSPF title for the first time since 2011, overwhelmed the six-team field, totaling a 423.628 while producing individual NCAA champions in five different events. Senior Brody Malone, the 2022 Nissen-Emery Award winner, captured a pair of individual national titles on horizontal bar and pommel horse and earned five of Stanford’s program-record 20 All-America honors. Curran Phillips (parallel bars), Riley Loos (rings) and Bryan Perla (floor) also won individual national titles. In addition to the national title on the parallel bars, Phillips was named CGA Specialist of the Year.

Stanford won its second consecutive NCAA championship in 2021, turning in its best score of the year at 414.521. Malone repeated as an individual national champion, capturing the all-around and high bar titles for the second time in as many championship meets. Led by four All-America selections for Malone, Stanford garnered 15 as a team.

Following the national championship run, Glielmi coached Malone to a U.S. Championships national title in June of 2021 and a first-place finish from the Olympic Trials. Having trained Malone and Olympic alternates Brandon Briones and Modi at Stanford, Glielmi was named Head Coach for Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Glielmi helped guide Team USA to a fifth-place finish in the team final, while Malone finished fourth in the horizontal bar final and 10th in the all-around final. USA's Sam Mikulak finished 12th in the all-around final and sixth on parallel bars, Yul Moldauer finished sixth on floor, and Alec Yoder finished sixth on pommel horse.

In January 2023, Glielmi was USA Gymnastics' nominee for USOPC College Coach of the Year as a testament to his immense contribution to the Olympic and Paralympic Movement and dedication to excellence in coaching.

While the Cardinal did not have a chance to defend its national title in 2020 due to the cancelation of the NCAA Championships, Stanford finished the year ranked No. 1 in the nation and Glielmi and his staff were honored as the CGA National Coaching Staff of the Year based on a vote amongst CGA members. Stanford finished the 2020 season ranked first in the nation on parallel bars, still rings and vault, second on floor and high bar, and fourth on pommel horse. Stanford's average team score of 414.783 was more than four points better than Oklahoma's second-place average of 410.133 over the course of the year. At the conclusion of the season, eight different Stanford gymnasts combined for a then-program-record 16 All-America honors. The 16 selections were the most in the nation, with Michigan taking second with eight. The Cardinal also claimed MPSF Gymnast of the Year (Malone), CGA Rookie of the Year (Brandon Briones), a pair of Nissen-Emery Award finalists (David Jessen and Bailey Perez) and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient (David Jessen).

The 2019 season saw Stanford edge four-time defending national champion Oklahoma in the final rotation to capture the NCAA title – the program's sixth national championship. Malone, the College Gymnastics Association Rookie of the Year and conference Gymnast of the Year, guided the way for the Cardinal, winning individual national titles in the floor exercise, high bar and all-around to become the first Stanford gymnast to win three individual titles in one championship meet. Malone captured five All-American honors during the championship run, and the Cardinal finished the meet with a then-program-record 15 total selections.

Glielmi was also at the helm for the development of Akash Modi, one of the most decorated Cardinal gymnast in program and NCAA history. Under Glielmi's tutelage, Modi won five NCAA Championships, including two in the all-around, two on parallel bars and horizontal bar. Modi claimed a program-best 17 All-American honors and was named the CGA Gymnast of the Week an NCAA-record 17 times. Modi capped his phenomenal career by becoming Stanford's fifth winner of the Nissen-Emery Award.

In 2016, Glielmi received the CGA Honor Coach Award, presented to a member of the coaching community in recognition of their service in coaching and developing gymnastics for over 25 years. 

Recognized internationally in his talent of coaching elite gymnasts, Glielmi also served as the Team USA personal coach at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. 

In 2011, Glielmi led Stanford to its second NCAA title in three seasons. The Cardinal bounced back from a 2010 runner-up finish by capturing the title by 1.850 points over Oklahoma. Alex Buscaglia claimed an NCAA title on the horizontal bar and Glielmi added 11 more All-Americans, including three honors from Tim Gentry and a pair from Buscaglia and Josh Dixon.

In 2009, Glielmi led the Cardinal to MPSF and NCAA titles after falling just short in previous seasons. The NCAA title was Glielmi’s first as a head coach and the fourth in school history. Stanford earned the title with a 1.3-point advantage over Michigan. Glielmi added 11 more All-Americans in 2009, including three honors from Sho Nakamori, who ended his illustrious Stanford career with eight.

In 2008, Glielmi led the Cardinal to its third consecutive top-three finish at the NCAA Championships, finishing just 0.45 points behind champion Oklahoma and producing 15 All-Americans.

Prior to arriving at Stanford for the 2003 campaign, Glielmi spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota and helped lead the Golden Gophers to a No. 7 finish in his final season. While at Minnesota, Glielmi was named the 2000-01 NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year after coaching the 2001 NCAA pommel horse and floor exercise champion.
 
Glielmi is involved on many levels of the sport from the grass roots level to the international elite. Glielmi is a FIG Brevet judge, an Executive Board Member to USA-Gymnastics (the governing body of gymnastics) and serves on the NCAA Rules Committee for the men's program.

A USA Senior National Team Coach since 1998, Glielmi is a seven-time member of the USA World Championships Team Coaching Staff (2006, 2007, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023). As head coach of the 2003 USA Pan American team, Glielmi led the squad to a bronze medal-winning competition. Additionally, he was part of the 2000 USA Olympic Team coaching staff.

Prior to coaching at Minnesota, Glielmi was the owner and head men's gymnastics coach at the International Sports Center in Matthews, N.C., where he coached junior national champions.

A 1988 graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Glielmi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.