Clarksville, TN – After spending the last seven seasons at California State East Bay, Tony Nicolosi has been named the Austin Peay State University (APSU) cross country and distance coach, head track and field coach Valerie Brown announced, Tuesday.
“We are thrilled Coach Tony Nicolosi is joining our coaching staff,” said Brown. “He is a great person who will fit well into our culture here at APSU. He brings a wealth of experience as both a head coach as well as an assistant at multiple stops. He has a proven track record of success specifically while at Cal State East Bay.
In 2019, Nicolosi led the CSUEB women’s cross country team to its best season in program history, qualifying for its first NCAA Championships and placing ninth in the event. During the 2019 season, sophomore Angie Ronquillo received All-America honors after placing 30th in the championship meet and recording the fastest 6K in program history at 20:53.9 – a seven-second improvement from her own previous school record.
“I could not be more excited about this opportunity to work for Coach Brown and the Austin Peay program!” said Nicolosi. “Seeing the type of program she has built, I know that I can contribute to the culture and standard of success she has established as we move into the ASUN Conference.
“There is great potential to elevate our cross country, and distance program in track, to the top level of the conference and I believe we will establish a championship-level experience for all our student-athletes. It is a true honor to get to this type of opportunity, and I can’t wait to begin working with the entire staff and our student-athletes as we embark on this journey together.”
Nicolosi led the Pioneers men’s cross country team to a fourth-place finish in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in 2017 – the best finish in program history. In that same season, Pedro Cru became the first CSUEB male runner to earn All-CCAA honors, while Chris Lessard became the first Pioneers’ student-athlete to receive All-Region honors after finishing 21st at the NCAA West Regionals.
In 2016, Nicolosi led the men’s and women’s cross country programs to their then-highest finishes at the CCAA Championships, placing fifth and seventh, respectively. The men’s fifth-place finish marked the first time the program had placed above last since joining Division II.
During his first season in Hayward, California, Nicolosi led the women’s cross country team to a ninth-place finish in the CCAA Championships and 24th in the NCAA West Regionals.
Nicolosi spent three years as an assistant coach at Western State Colorado University before his time at Cal State East Bay, where he oversaw training, recruiting, fundraising, and meet operations for the Mountaineers.
Nicolosi led the men’s cross country team to a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship in 2013 and posted top-five finishes in the NCAA Championships in both 2013 and 2014. The Mountaineers women’s cross country team posted second-place finishes at the NCAA South-Central Regionals in 2013 and 2014.
Nicolosi spent one season at Nova Southeastern as a graduate assistant where he managed the training, practice, and race strategy for both cross country programs. That year, the men’s team captured its first Sunshine State Conference title and NCAA South Region Championship in program history, while the women also captured their first-ever SSC Championship.
Before his year at Nova Southeastern, Nicolosi spent five years as the cross country and track and field coach at Seminole High School in Seminole, Florida.
Nicolosi earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management with a minor in economics from Tampa University in 2010. During his collegiate career, Nicolosi was the first Spartans distance runner to earn First Team All-SSC honors all fours of his career.
