FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gregory Spicka, Director of Athletic Communications (610) 500-3632; gdspicka@widener.edu
 
CHESTER, Pa. – Widener University Athletics has announced the addition of Katy Higinbothom its staff as the Head Coach of the Women's Lacrosse program, bringing more than three years of experience as a NCAA Division III head coaching to the Pride.
 
Higinbothom joins Widener following a three-year stint at King's College, where she served as the head women's lacrosse coach since 2023. During her tenure, Higinbothom has overseen all aspects of the program, including recruiting, student-athlete development and retention, academic monitoring, practice and game preparation, scheduling, travel, budgeting, NCAA compliance, and day-to-day program operations.
 
During her time at King's, Higinbothom developed and managed a recruiting pipeline of more than 150 student-athletes annually while maintaining personalized communication with 60-70 high-interest prospects and their families throughout the recruiting and enrollment process. She also coordinated more than 25 personalized campus visits and prospect experiences annually while working with Admission and other campus partners to support recruitment and enrollment.
 
Higinbothom has maintained an 80 percent student-athlete retention rate through intentional mentorship, relationship building, accountability, academic support, and individualized student-athlete development. She also monitored student-athlete academic progress and NCAA eligibility while partnering with campus academic support resources to promote academic success, persistence, and degree completion.
 
In addition to her coaching and recruiting responsibilities, Higinbothom managed a $25,000 annual program budget and led fundraising and community engagement initiatives, generating more than $10,000 in fundraising in one semester through strategic outreach and relationship development. She also supervised and mentored assistant coaching staff in practice planning, recruiting, athlete development, game preparation, and day-to-day program operations.
 
Higinbothom brings extensive experience in game preparation and opponent evaluation, designing practice plans, positional training and non-traditional season training while utilizing HUDL and the IWLCA Film Exchange for film review, opponent scouting, and game strategy.
 
Prior to King's, Higinbothom served as an Assistant Sports Information Director at Hood College from 2021-22. She supported communications and operations across multiple NCAA Division III athletic programs while serving as a liaison among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and campus stakeholders. She also mentored student-athletes through academic and co-curricular responsibilities while supporting accountability, eligibility, and adherence to college and NCAA policies.
 
Higinbothom began her colligate athletics career at Salisbury University, serving as a Graduate Assistant Sports Information Director from 2019-21. She was the primary contact for multiple NCAA Division III programs, including women's lacrosse, and promoted Salisbury University Athletics through social media, graphics, video, and other digital communications. She also supported communications and media efforts for Salisbury's four-time national championship women's lacrosse program.
 
A former student-athlete at King's College, Higinbothom earned a bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the college before earning a Master of Arts degree in English from Salisbury University.