June 4, 2004

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Catherine DiGiacinto, formerly an assistant women's basketball coach at Holy Cross, was named an assistant at Northwestern today by new Wildcat coach Beth Combs.

"I am so pleased to have Catherine join our staff," said Combs. "She played in the Big Ten as well as overseas, but most importantly she has been part of a very successful program at Holy Cross. She loves the game and will be a part of this program's rebuilding."

DiGiacinto spent five seasons with the Crusaders as an assistant coach. The Troy, Mich. native was the recruiting coordinator at Holy Cross and oversaw academic programming for the team. On the floor, she worked with the post players in addition to practice and game preparation.

"As a recruiting coordinator and a former Big Ten player, 'Cat' has established great relationships and contacts in the Chicago area as well as the Midwest," said Combs. "Her recruiting knowledge of the area will be invaluable."

Prior to coaching at Holy Cross, DiGiacinto played a year abroad for the Horsholm basketball team in Denmark.

DiGiacinto was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Michigan. A captain her senior year, she scored 624 career points (15.5 ppg), which ranks her No. 32 on the Wolverines' all-time scoring list. As a member of Maize and Blue, DiGiacinto earned team Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1996 and 1997. In 1996 she toured Europe as a member of the Big Ten Conference All-Star team.

DiGiacinto graduated from Michigan in 1998 with a bachelor of arts degree in sports management and communications.