Kurt Hettinger

Kurt Hettinger enters the 2026 season in his 18th year as an assistant coach for Auburn gymnastics, where he serves as recruiting coordinator, bars coach, and assists with vault and floor. A key figure in the program’s rise on the national stage, Hettinger has earned multiple honors for his contributions, including NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015 and NCAA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2019. Under his guidance, Auburn’s bars unit has consistently ranked among the nation’s top 25, highlighted by a program-record 49.600 in 2019 and a No. 5 national finish on bars in 2022. He has coached numerous All-Americans and All-SEC honorees, including Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee, who earned perfect 10.0 scores and an SEC title on bars in 2022. In addition to his event coaching success, Hettinger has played a vital role in recruiting top-tier talent to Auburn. His student-athletes have achieved NCAA Championship appearances, conference honors, and record-breaking performances across multiple seasons. Prior to Auburn, Hettinger spent five years as an assistant coach at Kent State, helping lead the Golden Flashes to conference championships and NCAA Regional appearances. A former four-year letterwinner at the University of Illinois, he competed on a team that finished third at the 1998 NCAA Championships. Hettinger holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Illinois and a master’s degree in education from Kent State. He and his wife, Katherine, have three children.