Penny Jernigan was named the Western Michigan gymnastics head coach on August 1, 2013. Since Jernigan’s arrival in Kalamazoo, the Broncos have broken the program’s meet scoring record ten times, with a high of 197.100. Jernigan, the 2020 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, has led the team to three conference championships, three consecutive trips to the NCAA post-season as a team and 14 WMU student-athletes to 27 regional qualifying appearances.
At the conference level, Jernigan has overseen 13 individual MAC championship titles including Payton Murphy (beam/2022 & floor/2022 & 2023), Amanda Gruber (beam/2024), Dani Petrousek (floor/2024) and Cassie St. Clair (floor/2024), Halle Faulkner (vault/2022), Sarah Moravansky (all-around/2021), Alexis Olivier (2019/bars), Stacie Harrison (2018/bars), Jessie Peszek (bars/2017) and Anna Corbett (all-around/2015 & vault/2017),
Individual league accolades have been plentiful during Jernigan’s tenure with a MAC Specialist of the Year - Amelia Mohler (2020) as well as three MAC Freshman of the Year awards - Reilan Garvey (2025), Sarah Moravansky (2021) and Morgan Spence (2018), two MAC Senior of the Year selections - Payton Murphy (2024) and Rachael Underwood (2019) and one MAC Gymnast of the Year - Payton Murphy (2023).
Within the WMU record book, a Bronco coached by Jernigan owns the top score on every event and in the all-around. Cassie St. Clair (2023) and Anna Corbett (2017) are tied for the top score on the vault (9.925). On bars, Amelia Mohler ((2018 & 2019) and Stacie Harrison (2018) are tied with a score of 9.925. Broncos Amanda Gruber & Payton Murphy share the top all-time score on balance beam (9.95). Murphy and teammate St. Clair are tied for the school record on floor (9.975). Murphy owns the school record in the all-around (39.55) which she broke herself five times. Jernigan’s teams also own every team record on each apparatus - Vault 49.25, Uneven Bars 49.325, Balance Beam 49.375 and Floor Exercise 49.575.
Academically, Jernigan’s gymnasts have been ranked first or second in the MAC in overall grade-point average every season, and they finished the 2018 and 2019 campaigns standing second nationally in team GPA. The gymnastics program also owns the highest team GPA in the athletic department’s school history with a 3.923. (2020)
Jernigan has led her teams to perfect NCAA Academic Progress Rates of 1,000 (APR) every year.
The 2020 campaign saw the Broncos capture their first MAC regular season championship since 2006 with a 5-1 league mark and 6-2 overall ledger. The last regular season meet and the league and NCAA championships were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Senior Amelia Mohler was rewarded at the end of the campaign with Co-MAC Specialist of the Year accolades, becoming the first league specialist of the year in program history. Jernigan also brought to Kalamazoo the MAC Coach of the Year honor. She is the fifth Western Michigan recipient and first since Dave Kuzara in 2011.
Jernigan’s 2020 team captured the league’s regular season title with a 196.075-195.500 victory against Kent State on March 8, which served as Senior Day. The 196.075 tied for the second-highest score in program history, just 0.1 off the school mark of 196.175, set against Eastern Michigan in 2015. Overall, the 2020 squad posted four of the top 25 scores in program history, and two of the top six with a 195.750 against Ball State on February 9.
During the Senior Day meet versus the Golden Flashes, WMU also established the program record for floor score with a 49.375, edging past the previous mark of 49.300. The Broncos finished the season with two of the top four floor marks in program history.
Individually, the 2020 squad had Mohler tie for the program’s fourth-highest score on the beam with a 9.900 against Ball State and Harrison tie for WMU’s third-highest score on the floor with a 9.925 against Kent State. The Broncos kept their academic laurels going with Taylor Buis, Emily Carless, Harrison, Carissa Ludwig, Mohler, Olivier and Morgan Spence receiving first team Academic All-MAC honors.
In 2019, Jernigan guided Olivier to the MAC’s bars crown and helped Rachel Underwood to MAC Senior of the Year accolades during a 3-9 campaign. Underwood qualified for the regional meet in the all-around and Spence qualified on the bars. At the University of Illinois-Chicago on March 5, Underwood finished with a 39.325 in the all-around, tying herself for the second-highest score in program history. She had set the all-time mark a year earlier against Ball State. Olivier and Underwood were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team as the Broncos finished sixth overall. Spence and Underwood were named second team all-MAC.
In Jernigan’s fifth season at Western Michigan, in 2018, the Broncos claimed 16 team event titles and concluded the year 5-8 overall with a fifth place finish at the 2018 MAC Championships. WMU posted a 196.075 team score against Ball State on March 10, tying for the second-highest mark in program history. The Brown & Gold posted three more scores of greater than 195.200 during the year to all place in the top 25 in the WMU record book.
Under Jernigan’s guidance, Spence earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors while fellow rookie Harrison became a MAC champion on the bars with a 9.925 to tie the school record. Underwood and Spence qualified for the NCAA Central Regional competition at Ohio State University, where Underwood became the first gymnast in program history to finish in the top three of any event during the meet. Underwood delivered a 9.900 on the floor to tie for second in Columbus. During the season, Underwood also achieved a career-high and program record 39.350 all-around score against Ball State.
The 2017 season had the program total 12 team and 17 individual records, including the highest team score at a MAC Championship, 196.075, and the highest team regional qualifying score in program history, 195.405.
At the MAC Championships on March 18, Underwood set a then-WMU record with a 39.325 in the all-around. Corbett won the vault title with a career-high 9.925, which tied the WMU program record. On beam, the Broncos tied the program’s high score with a 49.175 at the MAC Championships. Jessie Peszek scored a 9.900 on bars, winning the event title. Corbett, Peszek and Underwood were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team while Peszek received MAC Senior Gymnast of the Year accolades. Corbett and Underwood were also named to the all-MAC second team in the all-around.
WMU advanced three individuals to the NCAA Regional Championships at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Underwood and Corbett qualified in the all-around and Peszek qualified as the No. 1 seed on both bars and beam. Underwood finished seventh in the all-around, Corbett 15th on vault and Peszek 17th on beam.
In the spring of 2017, the NCAA honored WMU gymnastics for scoring a perfect 1,000 Academic Progress Rate (APR) for top scores in the classroom. WMU also set the then-record for most Academic All-MAC selections with nine.
The 2016 team added three high scores to round out ownership of the top five team scores in WMU program history. Against the University of Illinois-Chicago, the Broncos scored a 195.95, then second only to the team’s 196.175 against Eastern Michigan in 2015. The team tallied a 195.575 at the University of Washington for the fourth-highest mark in school history and the highest away meet score. At home against Missouri, the Broncos scored a 195.525, setting the fifth-highest score.
Beam was a particularly strong event for the Broncos in 2016, setting the three highest scores in school history. Corbett finished with a 9.900 on vault at Eastern Michigan, tying for the then third-highest score in program history. She also added two all-around scores that were then in the top five with a 39.25 (2nd) against Missouri and a 39.175 (5th) against Ball State. Peszek scored an impressive 9.900 on the beam at Central Michigan, tying for the third highest WMU score of all-time.
WMU advanced a record seven individuals to the NCAA Regional Championships at the University of Iowa with Jessi Buis (vault), Corbett (all-around), Kelsey Hood (all-around), Jessie Juncaj (bars), Audry Merritt (floor), Peszek (bars and beam) and Underwood (beam and floor). Peszek was the standout, scoring a 9.825 on bars and a 9.775 on beam. She tied for 17th on bars and 26th on beam. The top performer on beam was Underwood, scoring a 9.800 to tie for 17th. Buis had the top finish of any Bronco, placing 16th on vault with a 9.750.
Seven Broncos were named Academic All-MAC with six earning 4.00 GPAs during the 2015-16 academic year. Kayla Weber was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Women’s At-Large Team with a 4.00 GPA in biomedical sciences and was honored with the MAC Medal of Excellence Award, which is presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each of the 12 conference member institutions. Academically, the 2016 team finished fifth in the nation with a team GPA of 3.7206.
Jernigan led the 2015 squad to 24 team and individual all-time school records, third place in the MAC regular season standings, third at the MAC Championships and a 6-4 overall record. During the year, the Broncos broke the team score school record that stood for over a decade, totaling a 196.175 in a win over Eastern Michigan.
On the road at George Washington, the Broncos tied the school vault record of 49.175. In the final meet of the regular season, the team posted a 195.725 to take the top two scores in program history. Jessi Buis, Peszek and Hood were All-MAC selections with Buis first team for vault and Hood (all-around) and Peszek (bars) second team honorees.
At the MAC Championships, Corbett won the all-around title with a 39.125 and Weber was runner up with a 39.05. WMU recorded a 195.525 at the MAC Championships to take third. Hood was named MAC Co-Freshman of the Year while Corbett and Weber earned spots on the MAC All-Tournament Team.
WMU advanced four individuals to the 2015 NCAA Regional Championships. Corbett and Hood qualified in the all-around, Jessi Buis on vault and Peszek on bars. Buis tied for 12th on the vault and Corbett 12th in the all-around.
Six Broncos were on the Academic All-MAC Team for the 2015 season with four Distinguished Scholar Athletes. The team maintained the eighth-highest GPA the nation for the 2014-15 academic year with a 3.6075.
In Jernigan’s first season at Western Michigan, in 2014, the Broncos won 19 individual apparatus titles and finished the season 3-5 in dual meets. Shelby MacDonald led the way, receiving MAC Specialist of the Week honors for the first time in her career on January 28. She went on to claim the bars in five of six MAC competitions, as well as in six of 10 total meets.
WMU had a pair earn all-conference regular season honors, as Jessi Buis and MacDonald picked up second team selections. Both advanced as individual qualifiers to the NCAA Regional Championships at LSU. Buis competed on vault, where she scored a 9.825 and tied for 13th. MacDonald qualified on the bars and tied for 21st with a 9.775.
In the spring of 2014, the NCAA honored WMU gymnastics for scoring a 1,000 APR. Four Bronco gymnasts were recognized as Academic All-MAC as the squad recorded the fourth-highest GPA in the nation with a 3.6567.
Prior to taking the head position at Western Michigan, Jernigan was the associate head coach at North Carolina. In 18 years with the Tar Heels, Jernigan developed several talented student-athletes including two-time NCAA champion and national record holder Courtney Bumpers, who earned All-America on beam in 2003 and on floor in 2004 and 2005. In all, Jernigan coached all five of UNC's East Atlantic Gymnastics League championship teams (2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011) and 24 EAGL individual champions. She has coached seven individual NCAA Championship finalists, including Morgan Evans, UNC's first NCAA regional all-around champion in 2011, and coached the Tar Heels to 11 consecutive team appearances at the NCAA Regional Championships (2002-12).
Jernigan boasts the honor of having coached the only three UNC gymnasts to ever earn perfect scores of 10.00 - Bumpers and Anna Wilson on floor in 2003 and Brooke Wilson on beam in 2001.
During her time at UNC, Jernigan helped raise the awareness of Tar Heels gymnastics. Within a few months the UNC gymnastics Facebook page became one of the top four most popular collegiate gymnastics fan pages in the nation behind only UCLA, Alabama and Utah. As a result, UNC's home meet attendance doubled in 2011 (No. 16) and doubled again in 2012 (No. 11).
The 1992 Campbell University graduate has extensive coaching experience outside the collegiate level as well, serving as head coach of the Level 10/Elite Girls Team with Gymcarolina Gymnastics from 1992-98. She has also been a national judge for the National Association of Women's Gymnastics Judges since 1994.
Jernigan served as a rules interpreter for women's gymnastics at the NCAA during 2012-13. She was named the NCAA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2004 as well as the EAGL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011.
