CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's gymnastics head coach Josh Nilson announced on Sunday the hiring of Rachel Inniss as an assistant coach. Inniss reunites with Nilson after coaching together at Temple and makes the move to Illinois after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State.
"Rachel brings an exceptional attention to detail, and she understands both my coaching philosophy and the vision I have for this program," Nilson said. "Her background as an SEC gymnast and a professional dancer with Disney is incredibly impressive. I have known Rachel for quite some time, and I had the privilege of working alongside her at Temple, where we turned the program into a championship team in our very first season together. I am thrilled to reunite with her and proud of the staff we have assembled. With Aja Sims-Fletcher and Rachel Inniss by my side, I truly believe we have found the perfect formula for success."
"I am excited to join the University of Illinois as an assistant coach," Inniss said. "Having previously worked under Josh, I admire his leadership and vision. Continuing my journey in the Big Ten, I see tremendous potential in this program. With the support of a dedicated staff, I believe we can create an environment that fosters both individual excellence and team success. This community is a great place to raise a family while pursuing our passion for gymnastics, and I look forward to helping each student-athlete reach their full potential."
Inniss helped the Nittany Lions to an 11-7 record and a perfect 5-0 home mark during the 2025 season. Penn State posted a ranked victory over No. 22 Ohio State and later advanced to NCAA Regionals under Inniss' guidance.
Joining the Nittany Lions in 2020, Inniss made an immediate impact with the Penn State floor team by helping the program rank third in the Northeast region on floor with a national qualifying score of 49.088. After the Nittany Lions improved to second in the region on floor in 2022, Inniss coached Penn State's floor group to the third-best NCAA Regional score on the event in program history with a 49.350. One season later, Inniss was part of the 2024 WCGA Northeast Region Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year, leading the Nittany Lions to shares of nine floor titles across the 15-meet season.
Prior to her five-year tenure in University Park, Pennsylvania, Inniss spent two seasons at Temple, serving as an assistant coach on Nilson's staff. Inniss helped lead the Owls to back-to-back ECAC championships in 2019 and 2020 while working primarily with the beam and floor teams. She was named the 2019 ECAC Assistant Coach of the Year following Temple's run to its first-ever ECAC Championship title.
As a student-athlete at Auburn (2008-11), Inniss won the NCAA Regional floor title and qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2010. She then served as a student assistant coach at her alma mater in 2012 before returning as a volunteer assistant coach from 2016-18, when she worked with the beam and floor units, choreographed routines, and assisted in operational duties. Between her stints with the Tigers, Inniss was a professional dancer at Walt Disney World for four years.
Inniss graduated from Auburn in 2012 with a degree in public administration. A native of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Inniss has a daughter named Charlotte.
