La Crosse, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Intercollegiate Athletics Department has named Nickolas Davis as its women's track & field head coach and associate lecturer in the Exercise Sport Science Department.  Davis is in his fourth season as assistant men's and women's track & field coach (vertical and horizontal jumps) and instructor in the physical education department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

"I'm incredibly honored to be named the next UW-La Crosse Women's Track & Field Head Coach," said Davis.  "UWL is steeped in a history of excellence across all sports and, in particular, track & field.  Joining this tradition is a very humbling experience for me.  UWL women's track & field has been built on the hard work and dedication of so many talented coaches and athletes before me and it is my aim to build on that tradition."

MIT earned the 2015 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Women's Program of the Year Award.  The women's squad placed fourth at the 2015 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Indoor Championships and fifth in 2016 and 2017.  MIT was fifth at the 2015 outdoor national championships.  The Engineers captured three (2015, 2016, 2017) New England Division III Women's Indoor Championships and four (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) outdoor crowns.

The MIT men's track & field squad has won three (2014, 2015, 2016) New England Division III Indoor Championships and four (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) outdoor titles.

Named the 2015 USTFCCCA New England Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016, Davis has coached five USTFCCCA All-Americas at MIT, four College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-Americans®, seven NCAA Division III Indoor qualifiers and 11 NCAA Division III Outdoor qualifiers.  Two of his student-athletes have earned USTFCCCA Regional Field Athletes of the Year and two New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Field Athlete and Rookie of the Year honors.  MIT has had eight New England Division III individual champions and nine NEWMAC champions under Davis.

He has served as a physical education instructor at MIT, teaching activity courses for the general student body while developing curriculum for the Fitness and Stress Management course.  Davis served as a Mentor in the MIT Department of Athletics, Physical Education & Recreation (DAPER) Staff Mentoring Program.

Prior to arriving at MIT, Davis was the assistant men's and women's track & field and cross country coach at Marquette University (Wis.) from 2009-13.  He coached a 2010 NCAA Division I Indoor Championship Provisional Qualifier while at Marquette (Wis.) as well as five preliminary round qualifiers for the NCAA I Outdoor Championships.  The Golden Eagles set 10 school records under Davis while recording 40 top-10 indoor and 34 top-10 outdoor performances on the school's all-time list. He was an associate lecturer in the College of Health Sciences at Marquette (Wis.).

"I've learned that, in the sport of track & field, it takes more than knowledge of physiology, biomechanics, and motor learning to be successful," said Davis.  "To achieve excellence, coaches need to connect with athletes, understand their motivations and fears, and ultimately help them to remove those obstacles so they can attain peak performance.  Growth begins when the athlete develops a passion for and ownership of their process."

A native of Racine, Wisconsin, Davis earned his bachelor's (2004) and master's (2007) degrees in kinesiology from UW-Milwaukee.  A 10-time Horizon League individual champion in the high jump and javelin at UW-Milwaukee, Davis was named the 2004 Horizon League Athlete of the Year.  He was a four-time NCAA Division I Midwest Regional Qualifier in the high jump and javelin for the Panthers while setting the school record in the high jump (indoor and outdoor) and javelin.

Davis was inducted into the UW-Milwaukee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. He was an associate lecturer in the UW-Milwaukee Department of Human Movement Sciences from 2008-11. 

A member of the USTFCCCA, Davis has published five original research papers.

"This is where it (Wisconsin) all started," said Davis. "It's where I grew up, where I competed in high school and college, and where I first found my passion for coaching.  It's exciting to be back.  My wife and I are Wisconsin natives (and avid Packers fans) and lifelong track people.  In all likelihood, our paths first crossed when we were in high school at the state track meet at UWL.  We've experienced a lot since then.  Now we're married, have two kids, and on our way back to La Crosse. Things have come full circle and it feels special."