Lindenwood Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Brad Wachler has announced the addition of David Nicholson as the new head coach for the track and field programs.

"We are very excited for David Nicholson to lead our track and field teams," Wachler said. "He has been a very successful coach for years and coached his athletes at a high level. We look forward to seeing what David can do here at Lindenwood."

"I am very grateful to VP Wachler for this opportunity to join the Lions," Nicholson said. "I thank everyone involved during the process at Lindenwood for making me feel at home. I am looking forward to building a culture of hard work, integrity and confident student-athletes. To be a part of an institution with such a rich history and tradition of winning is truly an honor."

Nicholson comes to Lindenwood from Barton College in Wilson, N.C. where he has been the head coach for the past two seasons. With Barton, he coached NCAA DII All-American long jumper Lawrence Russell, Jr., who placed fifth nationally during indoor and third in outdoor. Russell was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Field Athlete of the Year last season. Nicholson also led Barton cross country to its highest finish in the Conference Carolinas meet.

In two year years at the helm, Nicholson has had five All-Region honorees in cross country, 18 in indoor season and 23 in outdoor season.

Prior to Barton, Nicholson, was a highly successful assistant coach at American International College in Springfield, Mass., where he had been an assistant coach and then associate head coach since 2014.

While at AIC, Nicholson was honored as NCAA Division II East Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2015-16 indoor season by the USTFCCCA.
He also was recognized by the USTFCCCA after helping the Yellow Jackets to their second straight Northeast-10 Conference title while coaching the team's sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. Three of the athletes he directed claimed league titles and two advanced to the NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships.

In his two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, Nicholson guided five athletes to NCAA Division II All-America honors and four to Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year awards.
AIC reached the NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championships in both of his seasons after winning East Region titles, and the men's track teams won three combined indoor and outdoor conference crowns. The Yellow Jackets' distance medley team won an NCAA national title at the 2016 Indoor National Championships,

Nicholson was a 2006 All-American in the 400-meters while competing for Eastern Connecticut State University, where he was twice named the school's Male Athlete of the Year.

After earning his bachelor's degree in sport management from Eastern Connecticut, Nicholson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at NCAA Division I program Wagner College while also obtaining a master's degree in international business administration.

He stepped outside of collegiate coaching for three years while serving as a sports performance specialist with Integrated Athletic Performance, during which time he had the opportunity to be involved with both the 2010 and 2011 NFL Combines.

He returned to the college ranks in 2012, accepting an assistant coaching position at Queens (N.Y.) College. He spent two seasons with Queens, helping the Knights to an East Coast Conference title in men's outdoor track in 2013, before joining the staff at AIC.

Nicholson achieved USATF Level 1 certification in 2010 and Level 2 certification in 2015.