PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers head gymnastics coach
Anastasia Candia announced the addition of former letterwinner
Anna Pagliaro to the coaching staff.
A four-year letterwinner for the Scarlet Knights, Pagliaro competed on vault, beam and floor during her career. The Freehold, New Jersey native served as a captain during the 2025 season, the program's 50th anniversary.
Pagliaro tied her career-high of 9.875 on the beam at the Big Four meet as a senior. She won the beam also tying her career high at the home opener, a performance that helped the beam team score a 49.2000 for the eighth highest score in program history.
"We are thrilled to welcome Anna, a New Jersey native, back after graduating this May from the historic Team 50," said Candia. "Anna's leadership as team captain and contribution to every beam and vault lineup during her senior season helped lead the team to its best Big Ten Championships score and berth to the NCAA Regionals after 11 years. Anna is grounded, calm and has an ability to relate to our student-athletes, which will help lead Team 51 to more success. Anna rounds out our all-alumni coaching staff, a major strength for our program heading into the 2025-2026 season."
"I'm so excited to be back at Rutgers in a new role, with a program that meant so much to me during my time as a student-athlete," said Pagliaro. "This really feels like a full-circle moment and I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from the people who made my experience and journey so meaningful and enjoyable. I'm ready to help push this program forward and support a team that continues to grow in such a fun environment."
Pagliaro was awarded the 2025 Comeback Award by the coaching staff for her ability to overcome adversity and persevere with determination, passion, and mental fortitude. The 2025 season was a historic one for the Scarlet Knights who posted record-setting campaign as the program earned its first NCAA Championships appearance since 2014. Rutgers clinched the NCAA berth with a 196.225 at the Big Ten Championships, the team's best performance at the conference meet since joining the league in 2015.
Pagliaro is joining a coaching staff that was celebrated for its accomplishments in 2025, led by Candia who was the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Region 3 Head Coach of the Year. The staff was recognized as the WCGA Region 3 Assistant Coaches of the Year.
Pagliaro earned her bachelor's of science degree in Psychology from Rutgers University. She was a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2023-25) and three-time Academic All-Big Ten (2023-25) selection.
