UMW Athletics Archives

Taghon Becomes Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach

April 19, 2020 by jlaiacon

Maddie Taghon

Maddie Taghon has been promoted to the position of head women’s lacrosse coach at the University of Mary Washington, as announced by Director of Athletics Patrick Catullo. Taghon will assume her new role effective immediately.

“Maddie has been a perfect fit for our women’s lacrosse program and is a rising star in the coaching profession,” noted Catullo. “She is a proven teacher of the game and has demonstrated her commitment to providing a great student-athlete experience. We look forward to her placing her own stamp on the program and continuing the team’s hard-won tradition of excellence.”

“I am thankful and honored to be named head women’s lacrosse coach at the University of Mary Washington, and I would like to thank Dr. Juliette Landphair and Athletic Director Patrick Catullo for this amazing opportunity,” said Taghon. “I am so excited to inherit a program that has such a long-standing tradition of success, and above all I am very grateful to continue working with this incredible group of young women. I look forward to continuing to lead this program to success both on and off the field. Go Eagles!”

Taghon served for two seasons as assistant coach at UMW in 2019 and 2020. In her first season with the Eagles, she helped lead them to a 16-5 overall record and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and this spring, the team posted a 5-2 record and was ranked 14^th in the nation in the final IWLCA national Division III poll.

Prior to UMW, Taghon worked for three years at Shenandoah University, helping lead the team from a 5-12 record in 2016 to 12-7 in 2018. She also coached the team to two semifinal ODAC tournament appearances and mentored the 2018 ODAC ROY and VA State ROY.

Taghon, a four-year member and three-year starter at Presbyterian (S.C.) College and team captain of the Blue Hose during her senior campaign, also worked for a year at Ampleforth College in England. In this role, she coordinated games, practices and travel itineraries for varsity, junior varsity, U15, U14 and elementary school teams at Ampleforth.

In addition, she taught lacrosse-based physical education lessons in both the elementary school as well as served as a teaching assistant in both the primary and senior schools.

UMW Celebrates Division III Week, April 13-19

April 18, 2020 by Mary Beth Mathews

UMW Women’s Basketball participates in a read-aloud with local students.

Dear UMW Colleagues,

Last week marked the NCAA’s Division III week, April 13-19, our student-athletes are not able to practice or compete. So rather than focus on what the student-athletes and their coaches accomplish on the field or court, I will take this opportunity to recognize their incredible devotion to a key part of our ASPIRE values—engagement through service.

As you may know, our student-athletes receive no athletic scholarships whatsoever. They chose the DIII model because it combines a love of the game with the chance to concentrate on academic achievement as well. Here at UMW, our varsity athletics teams pride themselves on not just their GPAs and win/loss records, but also how much and how often they can find opportunities to volunteer for a myriad of causes and groups in the Fredericksburg area. The Eagles have been working hard all year in a friendly competition to amass the most volunteer hours, and even though their Spring seasons and service events were abruptly ended, they managed to make substantial contributions.

UMW student-athletes participate in a clean-up of the Rappahannock River.

For example, the men’s soccer team led all others in total service hours with 320.5. Off the pitch, they helped set up and break down equipment for the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s gymnastics event, served community dinners at the Fredericksburg Baptist Church, and assisted an elderly Fredericksburg resident with her move. The next closest team was men’s and women’s swimming, at 256 hours, followed by women’s basketball with 233. These teams participated in COAR Into the Streets and community dinners. But total service hours for a team is only one way the student-athletes compete. The women’s basketball team holds the record for most hours per individual student-athlete with an average of 15.52 hours. And the entire Athletics Department participated in a Capital Athletic Conference food drive during the Fall semester, collecting a whopping 6395 pounds of food to donate to the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank. That total beat the nearest CAC competitor—CNU—by almost two tons.

All teams provided volunteers for special events like blood drives, reading clinics with grade school children, cleaning up the Rappahannock River, present wrapping for COAR, and assisting with Special Olympics events. These activities build camaraderie, but they also allow the volunteers a chance to learn about the needs of the local community and take an active role in helping others.

While we’re all anxious to get back to our usual routines, I hope you’ll join me in thanking the student-athletes and their coaches for their dedication to making our world just a little bit better.

Best wishes,

Mary Beth Mathews

UMW Faculty Athletics Representative, Professor of Religious Studies

Longtime Administrator and Coach Dana Hall to Retire at End of Spring Semester

April 8, 2020 by jlaiacon

Dana Hall, UMW’s Senior Woman Administrator and Senior Associate Athletic Director

After 34 years of faithful service to the University of Mary Washington, Dana Hall, the Senior Woman Administrator and Senior Associate Athletic Director, has announced her retirement, effective at the end of the Spring 2020 semester.

“During her long and renowned career as both a coach and administrator, Dana has had a positive and lasting impact on countless student-athletes, coaches, staff and the University at large that, will be felt for years to come,” said Director of Athletics Patrick Catullo. “She will be remembered for her contributions to the success of our athletic department and small college athletics.”

“I am incredibly grateful to Dr Edward Hegmann, Jr, for giving me the opportunity to work at Mary Washington for the past 34 years,” said Hall. “My career as an assistant coach, head coach, faculty and administrator game me the opportunity to works with hundreds of young men and women in the classroom and competitive arena. I will always cherish the relationships and friendships formed during my career at Mary Washington.”

Hall was promoted to the full-time administrative role of Senior Associate Director of Athletics in 2013, where among her accomplishments were the introduction of the sport management minor, which now thrives, as well as her success as the director of the men’s and women’s golf programs for the past two years. Prior to the full-time move into administration, Hall coached the field hockey and women’s lacrosse teams simultaneously for 21 years, and women’s lacrosse for 23 seasons.

Hall was an assistant athletic director in addition to her coaching duties from 1998–2013 where she was in charge of student-athlete educational and community engagement programs, SAAC, and other duties as assigned by the Athletic Director.

Hall has designed and implemented numerous new programs for the athletic department in 2014; including a student-athlete leadership academy, assistant coach monthly professional development seminars, and monthly head coach round table discussions on hot topics in coaching.

Since taking over the field hockey and lacrosse programs at UMW in the fall of 1990, Hall’s teams received bids to 18 NCAA Championship Tournaments (10 in lacrosse and 8 in Field Hockey) and advanced to three Final Four Championships (1993 Field Hockey, 2001 Women’s Lacrosse & 2002 Women’s Lacrosse). Hall has collected over the years numerous coaching honors; the most prestigious being named the 2001 NCAA Division III National Women’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year by 360Lacrosse.com, and the National Coach of the Year in field hockey in 1993 by the NFHCA. With a career lacrosse coaching record of 260-149 and a career field hockey coaching record of 276-126-3, Hall won 536 games as a collegiate coach, with a career winning percentage of .663 over a 23-year coaching career at Mary Washington. In addition, Hall coached field hockey and women’s lacrosse at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA.

Professionally, Hall has served on countless NCAA Regional and National selection and All-American selection committees for both field hockey and women’s lacrosse. She has also served the University of Mary Washington over her tenure as a member of the university budget committee, the Presidential Academic Task Force committee, and numerous selection committees for new positions.

A multi-sport athlete at Frostburg State University, Hall earned all-state honors in field hockey and lacrosse, as well as playing basketball and track & field for the Bobcats. An associate professor of health and physical education, Hall is a mother of two daughters and a grandmother of six. She resides in Spotsylvania, Va.

UMW Names Catullo Director of Athletics

February 6, 2020 by Guest Author

Patrick Catullo, who has served as University of Mary Washington interim director of athletics since summer 2018, has been named the University’s new director of athletics.

After a comprehensive, months-long national search, the University of Mary Washington has named Patrick Catullo ’95 its new director of athletics.

One of the most successful coaches in UMW history, Catullo took on the role of interim director during the summer of 2018. Since then, he has proven himself as a leader and collaborator committed to the educational experience of student-athletes. He also has gained significant experience at the department’s helm, supervising a large staff, managing a complex budget and building partnerships across the Mary Washington campus and in the Fredericksburg region.

Catullo’s dedication to UMW’s mission and values resonates in the relationships he has built with students, colleagues, families, alumni and community members, and in his long history at UMW. Read more.

Limited Tickets Remain for 2020 UMW Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet on Feb. 8

January 6, 2020 by jlaiacon

The University of Mary Washington Athletic Hall of Fame will induct its 24th class on Saturday, February 8, 2020 in the University Center Ballroom. Social hour begins at 6 p.m., with the program beginning at 7 p.m. Your ticket includes dinner and the induction ceremony; a cash bar also will be available.

The UMW Athletic Department is proud to announce this year’s induction class. Inductees include basketball standouts Justin Baker ’07 and Patricia Long ‘84, baseball All-American Eric Fitzgerald ’08, tennis All-American Kevin Loden ’03, legendary field hockey and lacrosse coach Dana Hall, and the 2002 final four women’s lacrosse team.

Join us as we celebrate these UMW standouts!

Tickets can be purchased at the link below.

https://www.alumni.umw.edu/s/1588/rd17/interior.aspx?sid=1588&gid=1&pgid=2470&cid=5420&ecid=5420&crid=0&calpgid=385&calcid=1108

UMW Men’s Soccer Hosts NCAA Division III Tournament This Weekend

November 14, 2019 by jlaiacon

The University of Mary Washington men’s soccer team will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament this weekend at the Battleground Athletic Complex. The Eagles will host Keystone College on Saturday at 11:00 AM, and Rowan University will face Salve Regina University at 1:30 PM. Saturday’s winners will meet on Sunday in the second round at 1 PM.

Tickets for the games cost $6 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, and $2 for children age six and under. ALL UMW FACULTY, STAFF, AND STUDENTS WILL BE ADMITTED FREE WITH THEIR VALID UMW I.D.

The Eagles enter play in the NCAA Tournament for the 13^th time in program history, after claiming their 11^th Capital Athletic Conference tournament, including their third straight. UMW has been ranked as high as 11^th in the nation this season.

For more information, please contact Clint Often at coften@umw.edu, or 654-1743.

UMW Swimmer, Assistant Coach Win Big at Parapan American Games

September 17, 2019 by jlaiacon

Zach Shattuck, UMW assistant swim coach, at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. Photo by Mark Reis.

Joey Peppersack ’21 and Zach Shattuck brought some shiny new souvenirs back to Mary Washington after competing in the Parapan American Games in August.

Peppersack won a silver medal for the men’s 100-meter backstroke, while teammate Zach Shattuck, assistant coach of UMW’s men’s swimming, earned a silver and three bronze medals for the men’s 100-meter breaststroke, 50-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley and the men’s relay. UMW swim coach Justin Anderson ’10 served as head coach, leading Team USA to 62 swimming medals at the 2019 games in Lima, Peru. With 33 countries competing, the Parapan American Games is one of the largest events in U.S. Paralympic swimming, held every four years, one year prior to the Paralympic Games.

Joey Peppersack ’21 at the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games. Photo by Mark Reis.

Mary Washington Names New Baseball Coach

August 27, 2019 by jlaiacon

The University of Mary Washington announced the hire of Kelly Swiney as the new baseball coach. He is only the third man to lead the program in its three-decade history. He previously spent two seasons at Westminster College, and spent nine years at his alma mater, Allegheny College, before that. Read more.

SlideFXBG Returns This Saturday

August 22, 2019 by jlaiacon

Grab your swimsuit and sunscreen because SlideFXBG returns this Saturday, Aug. 31 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m! The three-lane, 1,000-foot slip-and-slide moves from Hanover to William St. this year, and will start from just below the intersection on College Ave. and runs to the intersection of Sunken Road.

SlideFXBG is open to young and old, but sliders must be at least 40 inches tall and must use an inflatable tube. Tickets, which cost $27, are available at slidefxbg.com in two-hour blocks that begin at 11 a.m. No one will be able to enter the line for the slide after 6:45 p.m.

Volunteers from University of Mary Washington athletic teams will be on hand to assist with set up, quality control, breakdown and cleanup. Fredericksburg’s Economic Development Authority will make a donation to UMW Athletics for their work.

Wolfe Named UMW Men’s Golf Coach

June 27, 2019 by jlaiacon

Dan Wolfe, a 1984 Mary Washington alumnus and a visiting instructor in the College of Business, was recently named UMW men’s golf coach.

Dan Wolfe, a 1984 Mary Washington alumnus and visiting instructor in the College of Business, was recently named UMW’s new men’s golf coach. He most recently served as the executive vice president of Worldwide Creative at NBC Universal. Wolfe has been the recipient of the University’s 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award, and he was the 2007 Distinguished Graduate-in-Residence and serves on the College of Business Advisory Board. Read more.

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