PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania's head coach for gymnastics, Kirsten Becker, has announced the promotion of Johanny Sotillo-Alston to assistant coach.
 
Sotillo-Alston returns to University City after spending the 2026 season with the Quakers as a volunteer assistant coach.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Joso on staff in a larger capacity this year," said Becker. "She made such a heavy impact on our team last season, whether that was with her technical background, organizational experience or her positive coaching style. She brings so much to a team, and I am excited to see what's in store for us this season with her on board!"
 
"I'm incredibly excited and honored to officially be joining Penn Gymnastics and continuing to be part of a program that is truly on the rise," said Sotillo-Alston. "Penn has such an incredible combination of academic excellence and athletic richness, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute and be surrounded by people who are committed to achieving greatness in both areas. Go Penn Fight!"
 
Sotillo-Alston came to the University of Pennsylvania after serving as an Assistant Coach with the Air Force Academy Women's Gymnastics team. During her time in Colorado Springs, she developed student-athletes across all events while assisting with recruiting logistics and day-to-day program operations.
 
Prior to that, Sotillo-Alston served as a competitive gymnastics coach at both nationally and locally recognized club training centers including Atlantic Coast Gymnastics (2018-2021), 5280 Gymnastics Club (2022) and Willmoor Gymnastics (2022-2024).
 
Sotillo-Alston's coaching career began in 2016 as the co-program director for the Iowa Gymnastics Academy. There, she instructed and developed level three to ten gymnasts, helping to guide teams and individuals to Junior Olympic state, region, and national titles.
 
A former NACGC Scholastic All-American and Academic All-Big Ten Honoree, Sotillo-Alston graduated from the University of Iowa in 2016 with dual bachelor's degrees in Recreation and Sports Management with C.A. in Fitness Management and Sports Studies.
 
Originally from Valencia, Venezuela, Sotillo-Alston was a 10x member of the Venezuelan National Team, competing twice at the Pan American Games (2007, 2011) and the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) Artistic Gymnastics World Championships (2010, 2011).