Athletic Director of the Year Award Given to Assumption College

Worcester, MA- Rita Castagna, Assumption College's Athletic Director, was recently recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics as one of the 1999-2000 NACDA/Continental Airlines Regional Athletic Directors of the Year. Assumption College competes in the Northeast 10 Conference and is a NCAA Division II school.

Winners must have been nominated by a NACDA-member athletic director, institutional president, or conference commissioner, and they must have been an athletic director for at least five years, as well as met other leadership qualifications. Twenty-five recipients were chosen from four regions and six divisions, plus one international winner.

Rita Castagna has devoted close to three decades to Assumption College. In 1972, she joined the staff as the women's basketball coach. Her duties were later expanded to include coordinator of women's sports, director of recreational activities, and assistant director of intramurals. Castagna also coached women's volleyball, field hockey, and softball in her early years with Assumption. She held the position of acting director of athletics in 1987. She has served on many NCAA committees, including the Council, Division II Eligibility Committee, Championship Committee, Division II Championship Committee, and chair of the Women's Basketball Rules Committee. Castagna currently serves on the NACWAA Board of Directors.

Rita Castagna has been enshrined in the Bridgewater State College Athletic Hall of Fame. She received the Paul N. Johnson Award for her contribution to Worcester basketball, and she was named the Assumption College Honorary Alumnus of the Year. Last year, she was named the NACWAA District Administrator of the Year. She earned her bachelor's degree from Bridgewater State College and her masters degree from the University of Connecticut. Before joining Assumption, Castagna was a physical education teacher, basketball coach, and director of athletics for Marian High School.