IU-Columbus soccer coach Kevin Nolan, center, talks during a preseason press conference at the school in August. At left is Nathan Davis, a freshman from Jennings County, and at right is assistant coach Kevin Jones.
The Republic file photo
IU Columbus athletics will enter the new year with a pair of new head coaches after recently filling the women’s soccer and men’s and women’s track and field positions.
Kevin Nolan, who led the Crimson Pride’s first men’s team this fall, has been named Director of Soccer and is adding women’s head coaching duties. Lifelong Columbus resident Danielle Phillips has been selected to lead the men’s and women’s track and field programs.
“I think it’s going to be a challenge,” Nolan said. “There’s a lot of positions like this at the lower collegiate levels. I’m going to rely a lot on our women’s assistant coach, Chelsea Price. Then, I’m going to have to rely on my assistants on the men’s side so I’m not spread too thin.”
Price was an assistant for the women this fall under Jason Gough. Gough resigned after leading IUC to a 2-12 record, and Price has served as interim head coach.
“Chelsea did a good job while she was interim to grab a couple of recruits,” Nolan said. “I’ll have a slew of guys committing here in the near future. The plan is to have a reserve team if possible on the men’s side, and if we could get up to that on the women’s side, that would be good, as well.”
Nolan led the Crimson Pride men’s team to a 8-9-1 record and a berth in the River States Conference Tournament in its first season.
Fortunately for Nolan, most of IUC’s games are women’s-men’s doubleheaders played on the same night at the same place.
“We’ll train on the same days,” Nolan said. “All the conference games are usually together. The out-of-conference schedule might be a little tricky.
“It’s going to be a busy year, but I’m excited and ready for it,” he added. “I’m appreciative of Zach and (chancellor) Dr. (Reinhold) Hill seeing what I did with the men’s program and giving me the opportunity to do the same with the women’s. I think with my experience and knowledge, I can make the women’s program into a competitor like I have with the men.”
Danielle Phillips
Meanwhile, Phillips is a 1995 Columbus North graduate who earned a bachelor’s in exercise science and master’s in applied sports science from Indiana University. She returned to Columbus in 2000 and had coached track and field, gymnastics and baseball and had been a Sports Performance coach with gymnasts and figure skaters.
Phillips played soccer and threw the shot and discus for the track team at North. She coached shot, discus, hammer and javelin at Franklin College for two years and has a USA Level 1 track and field certification and Level 2 certification for throws.
“I’m excited to give student-athletes and opportunity to continue what they enjoy at the next level and see them excel,” Phillips said. “If we didn’t offer this program, there would be so many student-athletes that wouldn’t be able to go to the next level and progress.”
Track and field isn’t set to debut at IUC until 2025. But Phillips already has begun recruiting.
“I have some prospects,” Phillips said. “I have two or three that are pretty solid, I believe, and then there are some freshmen and sophomores, that I’m watching, as well.”
