With the 2023 season, Becky Beaulieu enters her 18th season as head coach of the UW-Stout gymnastics team.
Since coming to Stout, Beaulieu (pronounced bowl-ee-oh) has coached 15 gymnasts to All-American honors - Effie Ferguson; Brittany DeZiel; Katherine Prouty; Rhian Paulson; Ashley Timm; Randi Schorzman; Kenzie Hyde; Belle Ihde; Brooke Terry; Sierra Beaver; Shaquilla Payne; Britney Wolfe; 2022 NCGA vault champion Mikala Bugge; 2019 NCGA vault champion Shadae Boone; two-time West Region gymnast of the year and 2010 NCGA uneven bars champion Meghan Hargens; 2015 floor national champion Kaylee Jondahl; and four-time national champion Naomi DeLara.
The 2022 season was highlighted by a national championship crown by Mikala Bugge, who in her sixth and final year of competition, won the NCGA vault title. Freshman Effie Ferguson finished second nationally and second in the WIAC on the balance beam. Kiara earned All-WIAC honors with a second place finish in the all-around. Brown and freshman Isabela Krulich also advanced to the national meet.
The 2021 season was the Blue Devils' shortest season in school history, with only four meets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Blue Devils got a lot out of the season, posting a 3-1 dual record with a team that was also one of the youngest teams during Beaulieu's tenure. The team had five freshmen and four sophomores.
The 2020 Blue Devils had four gymnasts selected as All-America in a season that saw the NCGA Championship cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shadae Boone, Brooke Terry and Britney Wolfe repeated as All-American, while Belle Ihde closed out her career with her first All-America honors. The quartet was joined for All-Region honors by Mallary Dick and Carlie Beatty. Boone, Terry, Wolfe, Ihde, Dick and Beatty earned all-WIAC honors. As a team, the Blue Devils scored a couple of the best scores in school history, scoring a 189.725 (fourth all-time) in a dual meet with Division II Lindenhurst and a 189.300 (sixth all-time) at the John Zuerlein Invitational.
The 2019 Blue Devils exploded to the top of the Division III gymnastics world, spending all of the season ranked nationally within the top three and finished less than one point out of the national title, finishing second, the program's best-ever national finish.
At the 2019 NCGA Championship in Oshkosh, Shadae Boone was the final performer of the day on the vault and won the event with a school record mark of 9.825. Stout captured a school-best seven All-America performances. Sierra Beaver and Mikala Bugge both earned two All-America titles and Boone, Brooke Terry and Britney Wolfe earned one.
The 2019 Blue Devils dominated the WIAC Championship, a meet they hosted taking first place in all four individual events and capturing the all-around title, the first time a school has won all five titles since 1988. The Blue Devils broke school team records throughout the season, winning the conference title with a score of 190.225 and topped that at the national meet with a 190.275. Beaulieu was selected as the WIAC Coach of the Year and the NCGA West Region Coach of the Year.
The Blue Devils young 2018 team qualified three gymnasts - Brooke Terry, Sierra Beaver and Shaquilla Payne - to the NCGA Championship, with all three bringing home an All-America medal. Terry was fourth in the all-around, Beaver fifth on the uneven bars, and the freshman Payne, the WIAC vault champion, a fifth place finish on the vault. Terry advanced to the NCAA Division I Regional in the all-around, which was held at the University of Minnesota, and Beaver was a all-around alternate.
The Blue Devils hosted the 2017 NCGA Championship and the team was not content with hosting the event, but the goal was to qualify as a team. And the goal was achieved as the Blue Devils competed their entire team and finished fifth, the program's best national finish in more than 30 years. Kaylee Jondahl earned All-America honors, placing fourth in the all-around competition. In individual events, Jondahl earned All-America honors with a third place finish on the vault and a 10th place finish on the floor. Freshman Mikala Bugge earned All-America honors with a 12th place finish on the vault. Kelly Huseman and Mackenzie Nicholson also advanced to the national meet. The 2017 Blue Devils finished third at the WIAC Championship, matching the program's best finish.
The 2016 Blue Devils qualified three to the NCGA Championship, with Kaylee Jondahl earning All-America honors in the all-around with a sixth place finish. Joining Jondahl at the national meet were Randi Schorzman and Kelly Huseman.
The 2015 Blue Devils qualified as a team to the NCGA Championship after matching a program-best third place finish at the WIAC/NCGA West Regional meet. As a team, Stout placed sixth at the national meet, with Kaylee Jondahl taking the national floor exercise title, as well as earning All-America honors in the all-around and on the vault. Freshman Kenzie Hyde also earned All-America honors in the all-around. Jondahl captured the WIAC title on the floor exercise, setting a school record. Beaulieu was selected as the WIAC coach of the year for the second time.
Katherine Prouty earned four All-American titles in 2014, as Stout qualified three gymnasts to the NCGA Championship. Prouty finished second in the all-around and was fourth on the vault, uneven bars and balance beam. Prouty also claimed the WIAC vault title. Kasondra Tulloch broke the school uneven bar record and the Blue Devils set a team score record (188.65).
The 2013 Blue Devils qualified five individuals to the NCGA Championship, with DeZiel earning three All-America honors - all-around, floor exercise and vault - and Randi Schorzman earning her first All-America laurel, coming on the balance beam. As a team, Stout broke event records on the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise and set a new team mark, in addition to averaging a the best team score in school history (183.30), never scoring less than 180 team points during a single meet.
The 2012 Blue Devil gymnastics team qualified seven individuals to the NCGA Championships, the most individuals Stout has qualified to the national meet as DeZiel earned All-America honors in the all-around and Prouty in the all-around and on the vault. At the WIAC Championships, Prouty became Stout's first vault champion since 1984.
The 2011 team finished third at the WIAC Championships, Stout's best-ever finish and earned Beaulieu WIAC coach of the year honors. The 2011 team posted the best average team score in school history (180.62) and five of the top six team records in school history, including the best single meet score with a 184.150.
Under Beaulieu's direction, UW-Stout gymnasts have earned 42 All-American awards and Beaulieu has coached national champions on the balance beam in 2008, the floor exercise in 2009, the uneven bars in 2010 the vault in 2011, floor exercise in 2011 and the floor exercise in 2015. A UW-Stout gymnast qualified and competed at the NCAA Division I regionals in 2009 at the University of Iowa, in 2010 at the University of Utah and in 2018 at the University of Minnesota.
Beaulieu, competing as Becky McDonnell at UW-La Crosse from 1997-2001, was seven-time National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) All-America. Beaulieu won the national title on the floor exercise in 1998 and 1999. Her winning score of 9.80 on the floor exercise in 1999 set a then school record. She is one of four gymnasts in NCGA history to capture back-to-back crowns on the floor exercise. Beaulieu also claimed NCGA All-America accolades on the floor exercise with a second-place finish in 2001 when the event was hosted by UW-Stout. She earned three career All-America honors on the vault, finishing second in 2001, third in 1998 and sixth in 1999. Beaulieu was also seventh in the all-around in 2001. She was a 2001 NCGA Academic All-America selection.
Named to the WIAC All-Time Gymnastics Team in 2012 and the UW-La Crosse Wall of Fame in 2016, Beaulieu won three (1998, 1999, 2001) floor exercise titles at the conference championships. She earned nine career All-WIAC honors and was a three-time WIAC Athlete of the Week selection.
Beaulieu served as a graduate assistant at La Crosse from 2001-03, as the Eagles won two more National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) crowns during that time.
Beaulieu coached Level 4-10 gymnasts at the Maui (Hawaii) Gymnastics Academy (MGA) from 2004-05. While at MGA, Beaulieu coached four athletes to the Level 9-10 USAG Regional Meet and one athlete to a fifth-place finish in the all-around at the Level 10 Junior Olympic Nationals. That gymnast, Naomi DeLara, is now competing for the Blue Devils.
"I hope to motivate the women to expect more from themselves," said Beaulieu. "It is my end goal for each student-athlete to reach her potential as a collegiate gymnast and student. By doing so, the level of excellence displayed by the team should improve. I aspire for the Blue Devil gymnastics team to be able to compete with the top teams in the region."
A Shoreview, Minn., native, Beaulieu earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and minor in business administration from La Crosse, graduating in 2001. In 2002, she obtained a master's degree in education and school psychology from La Crosse.
After working as a school psychologist in the Anoka-Hennepin (Minn.) School District, Beaulieu worked as a school psychologist at the Maui (Hawai'i) District Office for one year.
Beaulieu was the the chair of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for Divisions I, II, and III from 2009-13.
Beaulieu is also an instructor in the Kinesiology, Health, Food and Nutrition Sciences department.
Beaulieu resides in Hudson, Wis., with her husband, Jeremy, and their sons, Tyler and Ben.
(updated June 2022)
