WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Mike Nelson has stepped down to accept the same position at Dartmouth College.
Nelson ends a five-year Monmouth coaching tenure that featured multiple conference championship team titles, NCAA national qualifiers and student-athlete academic excellence awards. With Nelson’s departure, Damon Godfrey has been elevated to Acting Head Cross Country and Distance Coach.
“I want to thank Coach Nelson for his dedication and service to our student-athletes in our track and field and cross country programs,” Monmouth Director of Athletics Jennifer Sansevero said. “Mike has been an exemplary leader in our department, and has raised the profile of a program that has a rich history of tradition and success. We wish him the best in the next step of his coaching career.”
This last academic year, both the men’s and women’s team earned USTFCCCA All-Academic status for holding cumulative grade-point averages over the 3.0 mark on a 4.0 scale. Meanwhile, the men’s team posted third-place finishes at both the indoor and outdoor conference championship meets. On the women’s side, hurdler Yasmeen Tinsley was a national quarterfinalist in 2024.
Prior to overseeing the Hawks’ transition into the Coastal Athletic Association, Nelson continued the programs’ remarkable run of conference titles that began piling up during predecessor Joe Compagni’s reign.
In 2022, Nelson guided Monmouth’s men’s and women’s teams to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team titles both indoors and outdoors. The Hawks secured seven total conference crowns under Nelson’s watch, starting with the 2020 MAAC Men’s Indoor championship. When competition re-started following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hawks captured the men’s and women’s titles at the 2021 MAAC Outdoor Championships.
“I want to thank all the student-athletes, fellow coaches, administrators and alums for making my time at Monmouth so special,” Nelson said. “Monmouth gave me a chance to lead the program five years ago, and I will be forever grateful. The Jersey Shore will always hold a special place in mine and my family’s hearts. I look forward to seeing the success of the Hawk programs as they continue to soar in the CAA.”
Consistently one of the most-accomplished programs in the region, Monmouth has captured 65 conference championship titles since 1995.
“Our track and field coaching staff has demonstrated an ability to lead our student-athletes in a positive way and will continue to pursue competitive excellence as we work to identify the next steps in leadership for the program,” Sansevero added.
Monmouth’s cross country programs will open the 2024 season on Friday, August 30 at the Temple Owl Invitational in Ambler, Pa.
