WILSON, N.C. – Barton College has officially named
Colleen Cassada its first-ever field hockey coach, school officials announced today.
Cassada comes to Barton after serving as Head Field Hockey Coach at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C., since the program's inception in 2019. The program began intercollegiate pay in 2021.
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I am honored and excited to accept the position of Head Field Hockey Coach at Barton College," said Cassada. "
I want to extend my deepest gratitude to both (Barton) President Dr. Seary and Vice President of Athletics Ken Tyler for offering me the opportunity to join the Barton community. It is truly an honor to be entrusted with such a responsibility and I look forward to being a part of the positive impact this college has on its students and the broader community."
Barton will begin NCAA Division II play in the Fall of 2025 as an Associate Member of the South Atlantic Conference.
Cassada is also Program Coach for the United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA) NEXUS Program and served as Head Coach and Site Director of USFHA Futures. In addition, Cassada was Head Coach for Cary Academy (2009-13), owner of the Carolina Fury Club Field Hockey Team (2007-13) and spent one season as an Assistant at Chapel Hill High School (2006-07).
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We're thrilled to welcome Colleen (Cassada) to our team as the inaugural field hockey coach," said Barton VP and Director of Athletics
Ken Tyler. "
We had a strong pool of finalists and feel confident that Colleen's experience and character are what we need to successfully launch our program. She was a great player at Maryland and has a long history of leadership within the United States Field Hockey Coaches Association.'
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In addition, she was part of a new program at Meredith College and has remained close to the game as an umpire and club coach. We look forward to Colleen hitting the recruiting trail and building the first-ever field hockey team at Barton College."
Cassada was a member of United States Field Hockey Junior Olympics Team in 1997 and competed on several Junior National Teams. A four-year letter winner at the University of Maryland (2001-04), Cassada was an NCAA Division I First-Team All-American and led the Terrapins to three Final Four Appearances (2001, 2003 and 2004) and the ACC Championship in 2001. Cassada was ACC Rookie of the Year in 2001 as well.
Cassada holds two degrees from the University of Maryland: Criminal Justice (2005) and Family Studies (2006).
