Florida Gulf Coast University Women's Cheerleading

Caragan Phillips was named the head coach for the FGCU cheerleading program in 2022 after being an assistant coach for three years. She was also a four-year member of the squad and was captain during her junior and senior seasons 2017-2019. Being a part of the coaching staff was always a dream and now it is a reality.   Originally from Springfield, Illinois, she has been surrounded by cheerleading and coaching her entire life. Her mother, Dawn, was a cheerleading coach and was the first to bring a Springfield city team to state. Her father, Patrick, has been a high school educator and soccer coach for over 30 years. He was honored as the soccer coach of the year for Illinois in 2019. Her younger brother, Kelby, is currently a soccer player at SIUE. Her family has helped shaped her into who she is.   Caragan was a two-time bronze medalist in the Junior Olympics for tumbling, an amateur dancer for the Springfield Ballet Company reprising roles such as Clara in the Nutcracker, featured in commercials and a featured film, and finally found her way into cheerleading her senior year of high school at Springfield High. At Universal Cheerleading Association camp, she was awarded best jumps, all-American, and was asked to try out for Universal Cheerleading Association staff after her senior season. She was fortunate to be selected to the Midwest UCA staff.   Making the FGCU cheerleading team is one of her favorite memories from college. Not only did she get to participate in the sport she loved for the university she loved, but she made lifelong relationships. FGCU and FGCU cheer led her to meet very special people. She met her boyfriend freshman year in college algebra, Coach Emily and Coach Joyce as they were her coaches, and all the teammates she got to cheer with or coach.   She graduated with her Master’s in Public Administration in the spring of 2021 from FGCU and is currently a management analyst at Lee County Tax Collector. Besides coaching she enjoys volunteering, hanging out with family and friends, photography, and snuggles with her rescue pitties--Mia and Monroe. Helping the kids achieve their goals at cheer and outside of cheer is what truly motivates her, and she hopes she can make even half the impact on them as they do on her.