Kacy Catanzaro — Biography
Kacy Catanzaro was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Belleville, attending Belleville High School. Her heritage is Italian. From 2009 to 2012, she pursued early childhood education at Towson University in Maryland, supported by an athletic scholarship.
Before college, Catanzaro was a Junior Olympic gymnast, beginning her training at age 6. By 2007, she had reached Level 10, competing in the New Jersey State Championships where she secured fifth place in the Senior-A division. The following year, she placed third at the same state competition and advanced to the 2008 Junior Olympic National Championships, finishing 23rd overall but achieving a sixth-place finish on the balance beam.
In NCAA gymnastics, Catanzaro represented Towson University in Division I. Her collegiate debut was in the 2009 season. She contributed to the Towson Tigers' Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships victories in both 2009 and 2010. During her senior year in 2012, she was honored as the Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year, and also named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Gymnast of the Year, holding the top ranking in that conference for the year.
Catanzaro began working at Alpha Warrior, an obstacle-course gym in San Antonio, Texas, in February 2013. She spent two years training for American Ninja Warrior with her then-boyfriend and fellow competitor, Brent Steffensen. Although she didn't complete the qualifying course in Venice, California, she was invited as a wildcard to the 2013 finals, falling early on the Giant cycle/ring. In 2014, Catanzaro made history by becoming the first woman to successfully complete an American Ninja Warrior qualifying course (season 6), scaling the warped wall on her second attempt with a time of 5:26.18 at the Dallas qualifiers. This also marked the first time a woman had conquered the warped wall in competition. Later that year, at the Dallas finals, she became the first woman to finish a city finals course, qualifying for the national finals in Las Vegas with a time of 8 minutes, 59 seconds. This accomplishment, which took five years to be matched by another woman, drew significant praise, with host Akbar Gbaja-Biamila remarking on his awe of her performance. Her short stature presented challenges, requiring her to make a significant leap between boards where others could simply step. Her run went viral, viewed over 100 million times, and she gained the social media moniker #MightyKacy. In the Las Vegas National Finals, she was eliminated on Stage 1 at the Jumping Spider, her reach being insufficient to hold the position.
In the 2015 Houston Qualifying round (season 7),
Before college, Catanzaro was a Junior Olympic gymnast, beginning her training at age 6. By 2007, she had reached Level 10, competing in the New Jersey State Championships where she secured fifth place in the Senior-A division. The following year, she placed third at the same state competition and advanced to the 2008 Junior Olympic National Championships, finishing 23rd overall but achieving a sixth-place finish on the balance beam.
In NCAA gymnastics, Catanzaro represented Towson University in Division I. Her collegiate debut was in the 2009 season. She contributed to the Towson Tigers' Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships victories in both 2009 and 2010. During her senior year in 2012, she was honored as the Southeast Regional Gymnast of the Year, and also named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Gymnast of the Year, holding the top ranking in that conference for the year.
Catanzaro began working at Alpha Warrior, an obstacle-course gym in San Antonio, Texas, in February 2013. She spent two years training for American Ninja Warrior with her then-boyfriend and fellow competitor, Brent Steffensen. Although she didn't complete the qualifying course in Venice, California, she was invited as a wildcard to the 2013 finals, falling early on the Giant cycle/ring. In 2014, Catanzaro made history by becoming the first woman to successfully complete an American Ninja Warrior qualifying course (season 6), scaling the warped wall on her second attempt with a time of 5:26.18 at the Dallas qualifiers. This also marked the first time a woman had conquered the warped wall in competition. Later that year, at the Dallas finals, she became the first woman to finish a city finals course, qualifying for the national finals in Las Vegas with a time of 8 minutes, 59 seconds. This accomplishment, which took five years to be matched by another woman, drew significant praise, with host Akbar Gbaja-Biamila remarking on his awe of her performance. Her short stature presented challenges, requiring her to make a significant leap between boards where others could simply step. Her run went viral, viewed over 100 million times, and she gained the social media moniker #MightyKacy. In the Las Vegas National Finals, she was eliminated on Stage 1 at the Jumping Spider, her reach being insufficient to hold the position.
In the 2015 Houston Qualifying round (season 7),
