Lindenwood University Athletics

David Nicholson is entering his fourth season as the director of Lindenwood cross country/track & field in 2021-22.

The 2020-21 season saw both the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field programs soar to new heights, with numerous student-athletes collecting All-American, All-Region, and All-Conference accolades under Nicholson’s direction. Najwa Chouati and Louis Moreau earned All-GLVC honors for cross country, and nine student-athletes earned All-GLVC recognition for track & field. Four men’s track & field athletes collected All-American honors, eight men earned All-Region accolades, and nine Lions tallied All-GLVC awards. Armani Modeste was touted as the GLVC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Lindenwood track & field athlete in program history to do so. Over the course of the season, Nicholson coached five student-athletes to six total GLVC weekly awards. Under Nicholson’s tutelage, four Lions earned NCAA Championship qualifiers for the indoor and outdoor seasons. At the GLVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, both the men’s and women’s teams finished in fifth place. In the classroom, the women's cross country team collected GLVC Team Academic All-Conference honors, and the cross country and track & field men's and women's teams combined for 54 Academic All-GLVC selections.

In 2020, Nicholson coached Samuel Yaro to a 2020 GLVC Indoor Track & Field Male Athlete of the Year title. Under Nicholson's direction, Yaro set a new Lindenwood record, with a 400 Meter time of 47.36. Ben Stasney also excelled under Nicholson during the season, as he captured a GLVC Indoor Runner of the Week honor. Both the men's and women's programs finished seventh at the GLVC Indoor Championships, however, the NCAA Division II Championships and the outdoor season were canceled due to COVID-19.

The Lindenwood men's and women's track and field programs had impressive seasons under first-year head coach Nicholson in 2019. During the indoor campaign, the women's program finished in 19th place at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field National Championships, the second highest all-time finish for the Lions at the event. At the Indoor National Championships, the men's team had its best finish at the NCAA level, landing in 30th place. Just a few months later, the women's program finished in 13th place at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships, the best finish in the program's NCAA era.

Prior to Lindenwood, Nicholson served as head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track teams at Barton College. In 2016-17, Nicholson helped both indoor track teams record their best conference finish in program history, as the men finished third and the women finished fourth. In his first season, Nicholson guided 13 Barton men and 11 BC women to All-Conference honors, and 12 men and five women to All-Region recognition. The men's outdoor track team matched its best league finish in the modern era of third. Under Nicholson's direction, Barton produced both the men's and women's Field MVP at the 2017 Conference Carolinas Indoor Championships, its first NCAA Division II National Championship participant, and its first men's track All-American.