On Wednesday, September 14, former head coach Kim Landrus announced the addition of Kristina Comforte to the Fighting Illini coaching staff. During the 2017 season, Comforte served as the team's main coach on the vault and floor as well as the team's primary choreographer.

In her first year with the Orange and Blue, Comforte helped guide the Illini floor team to the program's second-highest team floor score in program history with a 49.450 at the B1G Five Meet. The Illini posted an RQS of 49.230 going into the NCAA Champaign Regional. Four Illini recorded career-best numbers on floor last season with Lizzy LeDuc leading the way with seven individual floor titles during the 2017 campaign. 

On the vault apparatus, the Illini posted a season average of 49.777, an improvement from 2016. Illinois earned four individual event titles on vault last season and the Orange and Blue hit a season-high 49.000 at the Big Ten Championships, where the team placed second. 

A five-time All-American gymnast at UCLA, Comforte joins the Fighting Illini coaching staff after two years as the head coach at TAG USA Gymnastics. While at the helm of TAG USA, Comforte choreographed beam and floor routines, formulated daily and weekly training programs and provided guidance to athletes in all areas of their development.

Prior to TAG USA, the Hinsdale, Ill., native served as an administrative assistant at CAA Sports. Comforte had numerous duties at CAA Sports that included: creating and managing promotional materials, jumpstarting a social media presence for the basketball department and contributing to the recruiting effort of new clients.

Comforte earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from UCLA in 2010 after competing on a full athletic scholarship for the women’s gymnastics team. While at UCLA, Comforte earned All-America honors on vault (2), bars, beam and in the All-Around. She was an All Pac-10 Academic selection and winner of the UCLA Team Leadership and Heart of a Champion Awards in multiple years.

After retiring from gymnastics in 2009, Comforte served as an assistant coach and broadcaster for UCLA gymnastics, contributing to the team successes that earned UCLA the 2010 National Championship title.