Nicoson Steps Down as UIndy Golf Head Coach – UIndy Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis announced this week the departure of men’s and women’s golf head coach Brent Nicoson, effective immediately. The longtime head man and UIndy alum accepted the women’s golf coach position at Division I Grand Canyon.

“I am so thankful for my time at University of Indianapolis,” shared Nicoson. “With my family history and it being my alma mater, it is obviously a special place to me and it will continue to be.”

Nicoson departs UIndy as one of the most decorated coaches in school history. As the coach of both the Greyhound men’s and women’s golf programs, Nicoson won a combined 15 GLVC Coach of the Year honors, 16 conference titles, 10 regional crowns and three national championships. He recently guided the women’s team to a dramatic win at the 2024 NCAA DII Championships, earning the program’s third national title in the last nine years.

“We wish Brent the very best as he enters the next chapter of his career,” said UIndy Interim Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. D. Scott Gines. “He has enjoyed unprecedented coaching success as a Greyhound. Brent and his family will always occupy a very special place in UIndy history – a legacy that grew during Brent’s tenure.”

UIndy’s 2015 women’s squad became the first non-Florida-based school to capture the DII crown, while the 2018 team earned a dominating 38-stroke win at Nationals, tying the tournament record for lowest team score (+5). Led by Division II Player of the Year Pilar Echeverria and DII individual national champion Katharina Keilich, all five members of the latter Greyhound lineup were named All-Americans, while Nicoson was voted the 2018 WGCA DII National Coach of the Year by his peers.

“My goal as the coach at UIndy was to simply add to its storied athletic history in a positive way,” Nicoson reflected. “Winning three national championships with the women’s team is obviously what gets talked about most, but I’m more proud of the type of players we had in both programs and how they competed at a high level, were great students, and represented the university in an exceptional way.”

Also the UIndy men’s golf coach starting in 2006-07, Nicoson guided the Greyhound men to 17 NCAA Regional appearances, six conference titles, two regional championships and seven top-15 finishes at the NCAA DII Championships. The Greyhounds advanced to the national semifinal in 2021, led by the program’s first individual national champion, Keegan Bronnenberg. Additionally, Nicoson guided UIndy to both conference and regional crowns in 2018 before advancing to match play at Nationals for the first time since the format was adopted in 2011.

All told, Nicoson tutored a combined 20 GLVC Players of the Year, 14 GLVC Freshmen of the Year and 42 All-Americans as the coach of both UIndy squads.

“We accomplished a lot of great things in both programs,” Nicoson concluded, “and that is because of the special players who played for me over the years. It’s a tribute to them, I was just fortunate enough to be along for the ride and have a front row seat to watch their success.

“Thank you, UIndy, for allowing me to be the leader of Greyhound golf for the last 18 years. I am thankful for all of the relationships built with my colleagues, competitors, and especially our players and their families. GO HOUNDS!”

A former UIndy student-athlete himself, Nicoson was a three-year varsity golfer at Indianapolis, playing from 1992-94 under UIndy coaching legend Ken Partridge. Nicoson was the team captain of the 1994 squad. The Hounds won GLVC titles in 1992 and 1993, the last of six straight league crowns.

Nicoson’s grandfather, the late Angus Nicoson, was the athletic director and basketball coach at UIndy for 30 years. The 4,000-capacity gym on campus was renamed “Nicoson Hall” in his honor. Dan Nicoson, Brent’s father, is a former football student-athlete and assistant coach at Indiana Central.

A national search for Nicoson’s replacement is underway.