DAVIS, Calif. – Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame student-athlete Tanya Ho will continue to lead the program where she was a three-time NCAA performer as UC Davis Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca announced her hiring on Monday.  

In her first season at the helm, Ho led the Aggies to their first conference championship since 2015. For her effort, Ho earned MPSF Head Coach of the Year honors.

"I am delighted to have Tanya Ho continue to spearhead our gymnastics program at UC Davis," DeLuca said. "Her exceptional leadership and expertise have already propelled our team to success this year, culminating in a MPSF Conference championship in her very first season. With her vision and guidance, we are confident that the program will continue to flourish and reach new levels of excellence in the future. Tanya's unwavering commitment to the development of our student-athletes both on and off the mat has made her an important asset to our community, and we are excited to witness the ongoing success of the Aggies under her guidance."

The hall of famer took over the head coaching duties when she was named the Interim Head Coach in October.

Ho guided the Aggies to the MPSF title as the No. 2 championship seed with a team national qualifying score of 195.965. UC Davis broke 196 in five meets, including the 196.200 en route to the team title. The Aggies totaled three of the MPSF's top-nine all-time scores in the final month of the regular season, including the No. 2 all-time ranking of 196.750. The last eight meets of the season all went for at least 195.250.

In the final regular season meet at No. 7 California, the UCD vault (49.225) and beam (49.275) squads both equaled the third-best total in MPSF history. The bars team recorded an all-time top-10 MPSF total of 49.200 (Feb. 12). In consecutive weeks in February, the Aggie floor squad tied their school record and tallied the No. 2 all-time MPSF total of 49.525, a score not reached in the conference in two decades.

Ho, who earned her third Coach of the Year honor in the MPSF (2019-UAA Head Coach, 2016-Sacramento State Assistant), is the only individual across all sports in MPSF history to be named an Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year in the conference.

Before coming back to Davis, Ho previously served as the head coach for Alaska Anchorage from 2018-20. She made an immediate impact on the program, first mentoring the MPSF Freshman of the Year (Isabelle Fox) in her initial season, then garnering the conference's Coach of the Year award in 2019.

In Ho's second year, UAA posted four of the top 10 team scores in program history, with a 194.200 at the MPSF championships, representing just one of 17 school records set that year. In 2020, the Seawolves hit a 193.525 – No. 7 in the record book – before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season.

Before her arrival in Alaska, Ho served five years at Sacramento State under head coaches Kim Hughes and Randy Solorio. During her run, the Hornets won two MPSF team titles and produced 11 individual NCAA regional qualifiers. For her part, Ho was named the MPSF Assistant Coach of the Year in 2016.

A 2010 UC Davis graduate in exercise biology, Ho won 13 All-MPSF awards and nine conference weekly honors. She was the first Aggie gymnast to make three straight trips to the NCAA postseason, the second to make the region meet in back-to-back years as an all-arounder, and the fourth to crack the 39-point barrier in the all-around. Ho entered the CAAHOF in 2016.

What They Are Saying About Coach Tanya Ho

Joanne Bowers
Head Gymnastics Coach – San José State University

"Tanya Ho is a great hire! She has a proven track record of success as a head coach and cares deeply for her athletes. She is very respected in the WCGA and our conference. I'm happy for Tanya and for the UC Davis program." 

Ryan Swartwood
Director of Athletics – University of Alaska Anchorage

"Tanya Ho is an excellent choice to lead UC Davis Gymnastics! She is dedicated to the student-athlete experience and her leadership style will engage the community. Tanya brings experience from several institutions and her attention to detail will put her team in a position to continue to compete for championships."

Marie-Sophie Boggasch
Head Gymnastics Coach – University of Alaska Anchorage

"Working under Tanya Ho as graduate assistant coach, I've seen first-hand that Tanya's priorities are to ensure each student-athlete graduates, flourishes and remains an honorable citizen, and that's exactly what a gymnastics program needs. I enjoy looking back to my time on Tanya's staff, as she's the one who prepared me for my current position. She gave me a lot of autonomy, which is how I found my style, while still providing important feedback. Her talent to do both of these things simultaneously will allow UC Davis to shine in the upcoming seasons." 

Kim Hughes
Former Head Gymnastics Coach – Sacramento State University

"I'm excited and proud of Tanya on being named the head coach at UC Davis. She is a great student of gymnastics and has proven the ability to prepare a team to compete at the highest level no matter where she has worked in the past. It was a pleasure to have her on our staff at Sacramento State and I have enjoyed watching her succeed as her career has progressed."

Sophia Hyderally
Assistant Gymnastics Coach – Temple University

"Tanya was my head coach for three seasons when I was an athlete at the University of Alaska. In those three years, Tanya elevated the competitive standard of the team, and she pushed the program to new heights. Her dedication and drive to push her athletes to be the best version of themselves is inspiring. I am excited to watch UC Davis Gymnastics flourish under her leadership, and I wish her all the best!"

Isabelle Fox
Graduate Assistant Gymnastics Coach – Illinois State University
"T-Ho has been such an impactful coach in my career. Not only did she make me a better gymnast and athlete, but she instilled the values of hard work, integrity, and inclusivity. She believed in me and constantly encouraged me to be the best version of myself in and out of the gym. I respect her so much and everything she did for UAA and now at UC Davis. She truly is one of a kind and I'm so grateful I was able to experience her as my coach and role model."