A native of Richmond, Va., Caitlin “Cay” Manuel moved back to the East Coast in October of 2020 to join the Seahawk athletic staff as an Assistant Sports Performance Coach.
“I'm very excited to bring aboard our first female strength coach,” said Brad Moore, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach. “She's highly motivated and is someone who truly wants the best for our athletes, both on the field and in their daily lives. She'll be great for helping to continue to push our department in the right direction.”
Before moving to North Carolina, Manuel worked five years for the University of Arizona’s CATS Strength and Conditioning Program as an Assistant Performance Enhancement Coach. She worked with the women’s basketball, women’s golf (2018 National Champions) and track and field teams. Manuel also worked previously with the cross country and men’s golf teams.
Manuel began her career in Blacksburg, Va., as a graduate assistant coach for the Virginia Tech Olympic Strength and Conditioning Program from 2013-15.
A softball standout, Manuel played two seasons at Roanoke College before closing out her career at Wingate. In 2012, she starred for the Roanoke softball team that placed fourth in the NCAA Division III World Series.
Manuel earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health & Science Exercise Science from Roanoke College in 2013 and completed her Master of Science Degree in Educational Psychology at Virginia Tech in 2015.
Manuel holds the National Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association’s CSCS certification and Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) certification. She is also certified in 3D Maps, FDM, CPDS and Eleiko.
