North Oconee gymnastics’ Hillary Sanders chosen national coach of the year

When Hillary Sanders mentions she coaches high school gymnastics, she’s sometimes greeted with surprise.

“You know, probably seven times out of 10 it’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know we had a gymnastics team at the high school,’” Sanders said.

In fact, North Oconee’s gymnastics team has won six consecutive state championships, winning its most recent A-4A title in April. The National Federation of State High School Associations has named Sanders the 2024-25 National Coach of the Year for gymnastics, and she’s glad for the spotlight it shines on the team and the dedication of her gymnasts.

“It means a lot, and it means a lot more so for the girls to get the recognition, any kind of notoriety you can bring to the program,” Sanders said. “And what my athletes do on a daily basis is awesome because it’s all (because of) them, that I’m even on the radar for anything.”

Sanders, originally from Harris County, actually doesn’t have a gymnastics background. She was a cheerleader in middle and high school and danced all her life, minoring in dance when she attended the University of Georgia, also teaching dance at a studio.

In 2014, when North Oconee began its gymnastics program, Sanders took on the challenge of coaching the team. She had always been a fan of the sport, and leaned on her athletes and other gymnastics coaches to help her learn. Club gymnastics is prevalent, but gymnastics at the high school level has seen growth in Georgia.

The program started quite small, but hit a turning point in 2017 when Savannah Schoenherr, who in 2024 helped LSU win its first national championship, joined the team. Schoenherr swept the individual events in 2018, the first year North Oconee qualified for state as a team, with the Titans placing second.

The next year, the Titans brought home the first of six consecutive state championships (skipping over 2020, which was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic). The program has grown beyond what Sanders thought would be possible.

“Just getting to be somebody for these girls that can be a positive influence on them, can be there for them,” Sanders said of her favorite part of coaching. “… I loved my coaches in high school, and they’re still a part of my life, and there’s still people that I can lean on for advice. And so I would love to give back and do that for the girls, but also just getting to have a front-row seat to watch them do what they do is amazing.”

Sanders is mom to three boys, Cooper, 11, Bennett, 7, and Jackson, 6. They’re knee-deep in football, baseball and basketball, but also have an appreciation for gymnastics and will fight over who gets to tag along with mom’s season tickets to watch the Georgia GymDogs.

“I always say, you know, God gave me boys because I’ve got a lot of girls in my life, but getting to be a part of their lives and kind of to get my girl-mom fix by being there with (my team) is so fun,” Sanders said.

North Oconee began practice this past week, with its first meet coming up in February.