On Friday morning, Penn State announced its sixth head coaching change made during the 2025-26 school year.
Tony Beck will take over coaching Penn State men’s gymnastics after long-time head coach Randy Jepson did not have his “contract renewed.” He is the fourth of the six coaching changes to have similar language — however the only one of the four that had a quote from the non-renewed coach included in the press release.
Of course, the most notable coaching change was when Pat Kraft fired James Franklin after going 0-3 in Big Ten play to start the 2025 season. Penn State women’s basketball coach Carolyn Kieger got the “change in leadership” treatment after an 11-18 season. Penn State field hockey head coach Lisa Bervinchak Love did not have her contract renewed after the 2025 season as well. Bervinchak Love had been at Penn State for more than 30 years and had been an assistant under legendary field hockey coach Charlene Morrett-Curtiss.
The other two coaching changes in the 2025-26 school year came from Penn State men’s soccer coach Jeff Cook, who took an opportunity with an MLS club. Meanwhile, Penn State men’s volleyball coach Mark Pavlik announced his retirement ahead of the 2026 season, where he took Penn State to the NCAA Tournament.
A year in which Pat Kraft made a public omission that he wanted to become the first athletic director at Penn State to win four national titles in the same school year has turned into a year of change. It’s also a part of Kraft leaving his imprint on the athletic department in more ways than one (or $700 million).
With the hiring of Beck, the majority of teams have a coach hired during the Kraft tenure. His predecessor Sandy Barbour has five hires still around. And Tim Curley, Penn State’s athletic director for much of the first part of the early 2000s, has five hires left as well. Here is who hired each coach.
| Sport | Coach | Who Hired | First School Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| WBB | Tanisha Wright | Kraft | 2026-27 |
| MGym | Tony Beck | Kraft | 2026-27 |
| MVB | ??? | Kraft | 2026-27 |
| Field Hockey | Hannah Prince | Kraft | 2026-27 |
| Football | Matt Campbell | Kraft | 2026-27 |
| MSOC | Rob Dow | Kraft | 2026-27 |
| MGolf | Mark Leon | Kraft | 2025-26 |
| Swim | Hollie Bonewit-Cron | Kraft | 2025-26 |
| WLAX | Kayla Treanor | Kraft | 2025-26 |
| MTen | Bruce Lipka | Kraft | 2024-25 |
| Fencing | Matteo Zennaro | Kraft | 2024-25 |
| MBB | Mike Rhoades | Kraft | 2023-24 |
| WGolf | Kristen Simpson | Kraft | 2023-24 |
| Baseball | Mike Gambino | Kraft | 2023-24 |
| WVB | Katie Schumacher-Cawley | Barbour | 2022-23 |
| Softball | Clarisa Crowell | Barbour | 2020-21 |
| WTen | Alexandra McIntyre | Barbour | 2019-20 |
| WGym | Sarah Brown | Barbour | 2017-18 |
| WHKY | Jeff Kampersal | Barbour | 2017-18 |
| MHKY | Guy Gadowsky | Curley | 2011-12 |
| MLAX | Jeff Tambroni | Curley | 2010-11 |
| Wrestling | Cael Sanderson | Curley | 2009-10 |
| WSOC | Eric Dambach | Curley | 2007-08 |
| XC/TF | John Gondak | Curley | 2006-07 |
Last updated: May 15, 2026
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