Tulane University has named Amanda Caldwell as the new head coach for its women-only swimming and diving program. Caldwell replaces Leah Stancil, who resigned from Tulane two weeks ago, the day before practices were slated to start. Stancil has accepted an assistant coaching position at LSU.
The move leaves Georgia Southern, another Division I program, in a similar lurch: Caldwell is leaving Georgia Southern less than a month into the 2022 semester, with classes having started on August 10.
Caldwell is coming to Tulane after spending four years as the head women’s coach at Georgia Southern. During her tenure at Georgia Southern, Caldwell helped the Eagles secure as high as a 4th place finish (2019) at the CCSA Championships, and this past spring coached Georgia Southern’s first conference champion, Annamaria Hornyak (200 IM).
Prior to Georgia Southern, Caldwell served as an assistant coach at Rice. During her six-year stint, the Owls won three Conference USA titles and the 2014 CSCAA (Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of America) Invitational Championships. Individually, the Owls claimed 28 C-USA event titles during Caldwell’s time on campus.
The Ohio-native began her coaching career with four years as a volunteer assistant at Georgia Tech, while simultaneously club coaching at Dynamo Swim Club. Caldwell was a four-year letterwinner at Youngstown State, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. She went on to earn her master’s degree from James Madison University in 2008.
Caldwell was also the recipient of the 2018 Jean Freeman Scholarship. The award is given annually by the CSCAA to six collegiate assistant coaches “whose exceptional contributions have brought recognition to their college or university”. The scholarship provides recipients convention/coach academy registration, transportation and lodging to the annual CSCAA Convention and Clinic.
“Tulane Athletics is extremely happy that Amanda and her family are joining ours,” said athletic director Troy Dannen. “She not only brings a proven track record of success, the core values she helps instill in student athletes are also a good fit for our culture. We look forward to the energy and vision she will bring to Uptown.”
Caldwell added, “I can’t thank Troy, Deputy ADs Dr. Charvi Greer and Jana Woodson and Associate AD Amanda Robinson enough for giving me this fantastic opportunity. The school, its resources and its community is everything a coach could ask for to earn success and provide the best experience for the student athletes. Go Wave!”
Congratulations, Amanda!! Smart, knowledgeable, passionate, engaged, caring, committed—you’re all the qualities that make a great coach!!
It’s great to see more females getting HC jobs!
But she already had a head coach position before?
Way to go, Amanda! Congratulations!
Coach Caldwell is an amazing coach, but even better for the student athletes and the community as a whole. Incredible person and family. Let’s hope they get the pool situation fixed. Incredible loss to the Georgia Southern community.