Harkey Joins Iowa Athletics Strategic Communications Staff

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Keelyn Harkey has been named an associate director of athletics strategic communications within the University of Iowa Athletics Department.  

Harkey, who will begin his position on Aug. 24, will serve as the sport contact for women’s basketball, while supervising the coverage of the women’s soccer, women’s golf and rowing programs.

Harkey comes to Iowa City from the University of Richmond, where he served as an assistant director since 2023.  He was the communications contact for a Spiders’ women’s basketball program that advanced to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2024-26, highlighted by the first NCAA Tournament victory in school history in 2025. 

He also led the national and conference award campaigns for Maggie Doogan, who won back-to-back Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors in 2025 and 2026.

In 2026, Harkey was named a recipient of the College Sports Communicators 30 Under 30 Award, recognizing emerging leaders in athletic communications and creative services.

Along with his women’s basketball coverage, Harkey was the primary contact for the women’s soccer and men’s and women’s tennis programs.  He coordinated public relations efforts for multiple Atlantic 10 Conference championship teams and NCAA postseason appearances. He was the contact for Richmond men’s tennis during its 2026 Atlantic 10 Championship season and NCAA Tournament appearance.

Before making the move to Virginia, Harkey spent a year-and-a-half as an athletics communications graduate assistant at Valdosta State University. He aided in the communications efforts for the football program’s NCAA Division II National Championship runner-up season in 2021, the women’s basketball team’s Elite Eight appearance in 2022 and the softball program’s 2022 NCAA South Region Championship.

Harkey began his athletics communications career at Oklahoma, serving as an intern in 2021. During his time with the Sooners, he worked with the men’s and women’s basketball programs, the 2021 National Championship softball team and the track and field programs.

The Atoka, Oklahoma, native earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in sports management from Oklahoma in 2021 and a master’s degree in communications from Valdosta State in 2023.