Release courtesy of Ursinus Athletic Communications

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Ursinus Director of Athletics Erin Stroble announced Tuesday the hiring of Derek Nelson the new head Ursinus Men's and Women's Track & Field Head Coach.
 
Nelson comes to Ursinus after a very successful stint as Associate Head Coach at Emory University during which the Eagles finished in 11th place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and in the top 20 at the NCAA Indoor Championships this past season.  
 
"We are excited to welcome Derek to Collegeville to lead our track & field programs," Stroble said. "Derek's passion for Track & Field and the holistic development of student-athletes makes him an excellent leader for our UC Track & Field programs and he impressed our search committee. We look forward to watching him continue to help his student-athletes reach their full potential."
 
Nelson initially joined the Emory track and field program as assistant coach in the fall of 2018 and was elevated to Associate Head Coach in the summer of 2023. During his two seasons on staff, he has seen his athletes garner one national championship, five individual All-America honors, two relay All-America honors, one UAA Most Outstanding Performer award and 11 UAA event titles. He was named the USTFCCCA South/Southeast Women's Regional Coach of the Year in the spring of 2019 during his interim run as head coach.
 
Nelson served two years as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Illinois, where he worked with the program's sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. He helped mentor five All-America performers, 12 NCAA Regional qualifiers, three Big Ten champions and a dozen All-Big Ten honorees.
 
Prior to his stint at Illinois, Nelson spent two campaigns on the coaching staff at North Central College, where he oversaw the instruction of sprinters, hurdlers, javelin and multis across the men's and women's programs.  In 2016 he played a key role in guiding four individual athletes and two relays to the NCAA D-III Championships.  From that group came the national champ in the women's indoor 60-meter hurdles, the runner-up in the 100 hurdles and a total of five All-America awards.  
He replaces Carl Blickle, who spent the past 11 seasons as the head coach of both the Ursinus Track & Field and Cross Country Programs.
 
"I would like to thank Erin Stroble and the rest of the Ursinus College search committee for welcoming me into the UC community, Nelson said. "Ursinus stood out to me as a place that is committed to offering an exceptional student-athlete experience and I am elated to help build upon that culture. I will do everything I can to help Ursinus College Track and Field student-athletes be the best that they can be in competition, thrive in the classroom, and serve as leaders in our community. Go Bears"
 
A native of Davis, California, Nelson transferred from Ripon College to North Central College where he graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in sports management. In his two years at NCC, he served as the track and field team captain, competed in seven NCAA Championship meets and earned 3 All-America awards.  While at Ripon, he played football and competed in track and field, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 400 hurdles. He obtained his master's degree in higher education administration from North Central in 2016.