Crossing the three-year anniversary of her appointment as leader of the Catawba College athletic department, Caddigan has led Catawba’s steady rise as one of the most successful in the South Atlantic Conference and southeast region.
“This is a recognition of the outstanding leadership Vice President Caddigan has demonstrated during her tenure at Catawba,” said Nelson. “It also recognizes the significance of our athletics programs for the education of our students and the culture of our college.”
During the 2023-24 academic year, Catawba ranked 32nd nationally in the Learfield Cup, an indicator of a department’s success in the NCAA Tournament across all sports. The ranking marked the highest in department history and third among institutions in the region. In 2018, Catawba ranked 244th in the Learfield Cup standings.
Further, Catawba ranked third in the 2023-24 SAC Echols’ Cup, which also measures on-field successes across the league’s 24 sports, the department’s highest ranking in 17 years.
“I am truly honored, excited, and deeply grateful for the trust President Nelson has placed in me,” Caddigan said. “Catawba is a special place, and I feel incredibly fortunate to work alongside such wonderful colleagues. I will continue to be committed to working relentlessly to serve our student-athletes and staff to continue our goal of becoming a premier athletic department while upholding the values of Catawba Culture.”
In three years with Caddigan as Director of Athletics, Catawba athletic teams have earned six SAC team titles and two regional championships, as both 2022-23 women’s basketball and 2024 baseball reached the national semifinals. Under Caddigan’s leadership, seven Catawba head coaches have earned SAC Coach of the Year.
Caddigan has spearheaded numerous facility upgrade projects on campus since her arrival to campus, including renovations to Goodman Arena, Johnson Pool, Johnson Tennis Center, the Shuford Stadium track, swimming and men’s volleyball locker rooms, phase two of Newman Park, and updated branding across campus. Caddigan has also led the hiring of nine head coaches.
Catawba student-athletes’ success on the field has mirrored their excellence in the classroom, as Catawba Athletics posted a 3.33 department-wide grade point average for the 2024 fall semester.
