Angie (Zavaglia) Prescott

Assistant Coach 2007 - Present

Gymkana Member 2001 - 2006

Vice President 2005 - 2006

Design Chair 2001 - 2006

Best Trouper Award 2006

Angie (Zavaglia) Prescott was raised in Hopewell, NJ and began her gymnastics training at the age of 8. She arrived at the University of Maryland in 2001 with aspirations of competing in gymnastics and studying architecture. Ironically, neither ended up being what she pursued. Instead, she fell in love with Gymkana after 3 practices and eventually shifted into studying kinesiology.

As a performer, Angie performed in vaulting, balancing (mixed doubles, quads), chairs, uneven bars, ladders, tumbling, DMT, trampoline, teeterboard and pyramids. Her favorite acts to perform were chairs, balancing and DMT.

Having an artistic and architecture background, Angie was appointed as a chairperson for the troupe’s design committee in her first semester. She maintained that role through all 5 years of her membership. She was also elected the troupe’s vice president in 2005-2006, Gymkana’s 60th anniversary year. Her 2004-2005 chairs act was that season’s best act award winner and she was awarded the best trouper award in 2006. 

Angie became a volunteer coach after graduation during the 2006-2007 season.

“I attended 2-3 practices a week and many shows in an effort to help where I could. I wanted to be an official coach and my goal was to prove that I had what it took to help the team in that role.”

- Angie Prescott

She did just that, becoming an assistant coach the following year. As a coach, she has specialized coaching chairs, silks, unevens, balancing, vault, DMT, and tumbling. She has also served as the team’s trainer in a limited capacity, to help troupers with their injuries. She earned her doctorate of physical therapy in 2009. Describing her experience as a coach,

“I loved Gymkana as a member. It was my favorite thing about college and the first place I truly felt inspired and accepted all at the same time. I wanted to be a force for future members, hopefully showing them what they were capable of and inspiring them to challenge themselves in and out of the gym. I also recall feeling somewhat stifled as a female athlete without a female coach to work with and I thought that I could change that.”

In a sense, Angie has been a trailblazer for the program, particularly for women, with distinctions such as being the first female chairs act coordinator, first female to perform the pyramid pole, and longest serving female coach in the program's history. 

Currently, she is a full time physical therapist and business owner at ACRO Physical Therapy & Fitness. She continues to enjoy training and performing circus semi-professionally & raising her son Kyler with her husband Ben Prescott. Angie and Ben also have the distinction of being the first married couple to serve on the coaching staff together.