Kari Louthan will begin her 11th season with Southern Utah University when the Thunderbirds take to the competition floor in 2017. In her ten years with Southern Utah, Louthan has proven to be one of the top assistant coaches in the nation.
Louthan was instrumental in helping Elise Wheeler to three All-American citations, including a sixth-place finish on the balance beam at the 2009 NCAA National Championships. Under her tutelage, Louthan has coached an award winning beam team with three Western Athletic Conference beam champions and six first-team all-conference athletes. The school record books have also been rewritten under Louthan as her charges have set both the individual school record of 9.950 (Elise Wheeler, 2007) and the team record of 49.400 (2007). Southern Utah's beam squad average has also continued to rise with the team averaging a program-best 48.704 in 2010.
A 2005 graduate of BYU with a degree in exercise science, Louthan spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant with the Cougar program following a successful career as a Cougar gymnast.
While assisting at BYU, Louthan helped the Cougars to a pair of regional appearances and an 11th place finish at the NCAA National Championships in 2005. BYU was ranked throughout the season with a season-high ranking of No. 7. Her duties included choreographing floor and aerobic routines and as a coach and competitor she helped implement programs for beam which improved the team’s beam RQS from 48.56 in 2003 to 48.94 in 2004 and 48.81 in 2005. Louthan also aided in the design and cutting of the Cougars’ floor music as well as helping with website maintenance and video uploads.
Louthan competed for BYU for four years, typically on all four events. The Cougars were ranked as high as No. 6 nationally during her senior season and were the No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA North Central Regional. Louthan earned a spot at the 2004 NCAA National Championships by finishing first on bars and third in the all-around at the regional meet, where she earned all-American status on floor. Louthan also earned academic all-American recognition in 2002, 03, and 04.
Louthan posted BYU’s first 10.0 score on the balance beam in 2003. She was the second gymnast in BYU history to receive a perfect score. Louthan’ 10.0 remains the school’s highest beam mark and is only the fourth perfect score in BYU history in any event. She also holds BYU’s second-best mark on floor with a score of 9.975, and on bars at 9.95. She was ranked second in the Nation on beam all season with an RQS of 9.765 in 2004.
Louthan has also coached in the club ranks, at All-American and Air Time Gymnastics where she worked with level 5 thru 10 gymnasts, coaching and spotting beam, floor, and bars.
In addition to her work with gymnastics, Louthan has worked as an aerobic and dance instructor at BYU and created/owned a private business, The Chocolate Font, the first chocolate-fountain fondue rental service in Provo, Utah. Louthan is married to David Louthan and has a son, Cruise.
