10-10-2024 4:18am

TU NINJA WARRIOR

Kacy Catanzaro - Towson Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024

Buy Tickets for 2024 Towson Athletics Hall of Fame Induction

TOWSON, Md. – The competitive spirit that lifted Kacy Catanzaro to championship performances as a Towson University gymnast still motivates her as she continues to perform at a high level professionally with recognizable world class athleticism.

The former Tiger gymnast will be inducted into Towson's Athletic Hall of Fame on October 18th. Joining her in the Class of 2024 are Jerrelle Benimon (basketball), Mike Garner (track), Spiro Morekas (broadcaster), Frank Olszewski (soccer coach), Bobby Poist (football) and Brian Yaniger (golf coach). The 2012-13 men's basketball team will be honored as a Team of Distinction. The banquet will be held on campus in the University Union. Tickets are available by visiting https://towsonuniversity.regfox.com/towson-athletics-tiger-honors-hall-of-fame-induction-2024.

On selecting Towson, Kacy, a native of New Jersey who also was heavily recruited by New Hampshire and Rutgers, recalls, "I wanted to be close enough to home so I could go home if I wanted to but not too close that I could use that as a crutch. On our visit to Towson's campus I remember driving by Stephens Hall and seeing a lot of students on the front lawn studying, relaxing and just having fun. To me it was like a scene in a movie. I thought this is where I want to be. And of course, Coach (Dick) Filbert was the one that sealed it."

Kacy began her gymnastics career at age six, developing the necessary skills at Rettig's Gymnastics Club, rising to Level 10. By the time she joined the Tigers she was well-prepared to compete on the collegiate stage. Her senior year proved to be exceptional when she was honored as the 2012 ECAC Gymnast of the Year after grabbing the vault and bars titles. She was the NCAA Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year. A four-time All-ECAC selection, she finished her career with 1,414 points. In 2012 she was the only Towson gymnast to earn ECAC first team honors in four events (vault, bars, floor and all-around). Her six meet titles on the balance beam were a school record. She was named Towson's Female Athlete of the Year and the Strength/Conditioning Athlete of the Year in 2012.

Following graduation, the Early Childhood Education major was considering a teaching position. But while recovering from ankle surgery that had been postponed until she finished her senior year, immobilized in a cast, she took to watching television and her favorite show, American Ninja Warrior.

"I was having an almost mid-life crisis," Kacy says. "I'd done gymnastics for literally 18 years of my life. Now what am I going to do I asked myself. You can't recreationally do gymnastics. So, I'm watching American Ninja Warrior and they're continually talking about no woman has ever completed the course or done this or done that."

After making several inquiries, Kacy hooked up with an obstacle course company in Texas relating to ninja warrior training. She packed up and moved to San Antonio. "I knew that if I tried this and it didn't pan out, I could always come back and get into teaching."

The rigorous training paid off. In 2014 Kacy made obstacle course history by becoming the first woman to scale the Warped Wall on NBC's "American Ninja Warrior." She vaulted into instant celebrity status. Kacy has been twice-named to Sports Illustrated's Fitted 50 list which identifies the world's fittest athletes, joining such female notables as Alpin skier Lindsey Vonn, volleyballer Kerri Walsh Jennings, tennis player Serena Williams, Olympians Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles.

That recognition caught the attention of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). After five seasons with American Ninja Warrior she signed a contract with WWE in 2018. She is currently featured on Monday Night Raw.

"I know I can't do this forever," says Kacy who currently resides in Florida. "I've always been passionate about teaching and coaching. When this career is over I'd like to start my own business that incorporates those two areas."