Nick Polk is in his fifth season with Lipscomb after being hired as the Director of Cross Country and Track and Field in June 2019.

During the past five years at Lipscomb, Polk has produced three of Lipscomb's first four Division I All-Americans in any sport - Shane Streich (800 meters in 2021), Jonathan Schwind (800 meters in 2022), and Lydia Miller (XC in 2023). In addition, Polk has coached two Lipscomb athletes to sub 4:00 miles (Shane Streich 3:58.03 and Wesley Meyer 3:59.69).

Polk has also produced four consecutive NCAA DI Cross Country Championship Individual Qualifiers (Brent Leber 2019, Courtney Brenner 2021, Grant O'Callaghan 2021, Lydia Miller 2022) before coaching the women's cross country team to their first team appearance at the national meet in 2023. The squad earned 11th place out of 31 teams with 353 points behind Lydia Miller's program-record-setting 38th place finish from a time of 20:06.3 to claim the highest finish by any Lipscomb runner at the meet in program history and the second-best finish by a women's runner from the Atlantic Sun in conference history.

Polk was named the ASUN Cross Country Coach of the Year for both Men's and Women's Cross Country in 2019 when Lipscomb won the men's and women's ASUN cross country titles and Brent Leber became the first athlete in program history to earn a spot in the NCAA national championship race.

He then earned the ASUN Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year title once more in the 2022 season, following an impressive year for the squad wherein Lydia Miller traveled to the 2022 NCAA Division I WXC National Championships and earned the then-highest finish by a Lipscomb runner at the meet in program history as she finished 96th with a time of 20:36.8.

Following the squad's dominant performance at the 2023 ASUN Cross Country Championships, Polk then earned his third ASUN Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year title. Kiara Carter and Harley Kletz earned a sweep of the Women's ASUN Championship titles for the Bisons as they claimed the 2023 ASUN WXC Runner of the Year and 2023 ASUN WXC Freshman of the Year titles respectively. Between cross country and indoor track and field, Lipscomb earned 52 ASUN postseason honors.

Polk came to Lipscomb after a two-year stint as the Sports Science and Medicine Manager at USA Track and Field. In his role at USA Track and Field, Polk had oversight of the USATF Talent Protection Program, managed Sports Performance Workshops in conjunction with top track and field sports scientists, administered USATF High Performance Programs, and coordinated IAAF Diamond League Medical Services across 13 countries.

Prior to his time at USA Track and Field, Polk spent seven years on collegiate cross country and track and field staffs across the country.

During his three seasons at the helm of Elon's cross country program, Polk guided the Phoenix to 12 all-conference accolades, three consecutive men’s Colonial Athletic Association individual champions, and the program’s first ever All-American in Luis Vargas.

In 2014, Polk also guided Luis Vargas to the finest season of any Elon cross country runner in program history. Vargas became the program's first-ever All-American after finishing in the top-25 at the NCAA Championships. Prior to the NCAA Championship meet, Vargas was undefeated in his six races and earned the CAA Men's Cross Country Championship, the league's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, and the NCAA Southeast Region Athlete of the Year.

A three-time All-American runner and national champion at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., Polk spent three seasons (2011-13) as the assistant cross country and track and field coach at GVSU. During his tenure at Grand Valley, Polk helped 43 runners earn All-American accolades and set numerous NCAA and school records.

Polk guided the GVSU women’s cross country team to back-to-back national championships at the Division II level in 2012 and 2013, in addition to leading the Lakers women’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams to national titles in 2012. Polk helped Rachel Patterson set the NCAA meet record in the 5,000-meter event with a time of 16:07.28, in addition to guiding the distance medley relay team to an NCAA record time of 11:23.35. Polk also helped Betsy Graney record a time of 9:53.85 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase – an NCAA Division II record.

Prior to returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach, Polk ran professionally at ZAP Fitness from 2009 to 2010 in addition to serving as a graduate assistant for the John Carroll University track and field team in 2011. Polk also worked in various capacities for Nike and USA Track & Field.

As an athlete at GVSU, Polk was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American, the lead off leg for the National Championships Distance Medley Relay team in 2008, and held GVSU school records in the 1,500 and 10,000 meters.

The Indianapolis native holds USATF Level I, II, and III coaching certifications, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Grand Valley State University in 2008.

Polk and his wife Tauri have two daughters, Mairin and Gabrielle.

Name	Title	Email Address	Phone
Nick Polk	Director of Cross Country and Track & Field	nick.polk@lipscomb.edu	(615)-966-7152
Brodey Hasty	Assistant Coach - Distance	bvhasty@lipscomb.edu
Mackenzie Barnett	Assistant Coach- Distance	mackenzie.barnett@lipscomb.edu
Jenna Anderson	Athletic Trainer	jstegmaier@lipscomb.edu	(615) 966-7043

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at Belmont Opener on Sep 1, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at John McNichols Invitational on Sep 19, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at Loyola Lakefront Invitational on Sep 25, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct 9, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at Pre National Invitational on Oct 16, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at ASUN Championships on Oct 30, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at NCAA South Regional on Nov 13, 2026

Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at NCAA Championships on Nov 21, 2026

Results

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at NCAA South Regional on November 14, 2025 , , 7th/28

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at ASUN Championship on October 31, 2025 , , 1st/12

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Nuttycombe Invitational on October 17, 2025 , , 29th/30

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Angel Mounds Invitational on October 17, 2025 , , 9th/19

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Gans Creek Classic on September 26, 2025 , , 22nd/31

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Michael Pretorius Invitational on September 20, 2025 , , 1st/8

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Southern Showcase on September 12, 2025 , , 10th/43

Completed Event: Women's Cross Country at Belmont Opener on August 29, 2025 , , 3rd/7

2026 Women's Cross Country Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff

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