Alex Nichols, who led the Colorado College men's cross country team to a conference title and the women's team to a second-place finish as interim head coach this past season, has been named the permanent head coach for both programs according to Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine.
 
Nichols took over as the interim coach for CC's cross country and track and field teams following Ted Castaneda's retirement on Dec. 15, 2020, after serving as Castaneda's assistant coach since 2012.
 
"We are thrilled to move Alex in to the permanent seat," Irvine said. "He is a proven leader, a graduate of the college and has been instrumental in the recent success of the team. In addition, restructuring to allow Alex to focus solely on cross country and distance coaching places us in an excellent position to aspire at the national level. I look forward to seeing the cross country programs continue to grow and develop under his leadership."

Nichols guided the men's team to its second consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country title in February, and was named the league's Coach of the Year. He helped Josh Fry earn SCAC Runner of the Year honors after capturing the individual title.
 
The women's team, meanwhile, finished second and placed six runners on the all-conference team. Emily Dwyer led five Tigers in the 4^th-8^th positions at the SCAC Meet, while Alexia Preston earned the prestigious Elite 19 Award from the SCAC.
 
During his tenure as assistant coach, the women's team won four SCAC titles and the men three, while neither team finished lower than second at the conference championship meet.
 
"I am truly honored to be taking over the Colorado College men's and women's cross country program from the legendary Hall of Fame coach Ted Castaneda," Nichols said. "This is a tremendous opportunity for me to guide a program on the rise. As a former CC Tiger myself, I understand just how special this team is to the student-athletes. I am looking forward to leading this program to an even higher level of success in the years to come."
 
Nichols earned All-America honors as a senior at Colorado College with a 14^th-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship. He earlier won the SCAC individual crown in '07, leading a 1-2-3 finish for CC with Kiran Moorty and Julian Boggs at the league meet. He was a three-time all-Region award winner in cross country, and set the still-standing school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase at 9:14.35.
 
Nichols is the first former individual cross country champion to be named the SCAC Men's Coach of the Year.
 
As the interim track and field coach during the spring of 2021, Nichols led the men's team to six individual conference titles, including a pair by Fry, who became the first Tiger in program history to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championships in two separate events in the same season, the 800- and 1500-meter races. Colorado College plans to hire a head track and field coach in the coming weeks.
 
In addition to coaching, Nichols has been running trail and ultramarathon races professionally since 2010. He was ranked among the top ten ultra-marathoner runners in 2015, 2016, and 2017. In 2015, he was the USATF Ultra Marathon Runner of the Year and has represented Team USA at three World Championships (2013, 2015, 2019). Other highlights include two wins at the Pikes Peak Marathon, a course record at the Mont Blanc 80 kilometer, a win at the 2016 Run Rabbit Run 100 mile, and runner-up finishes at the 2017 Western States 100 Mile, 2018 Hong Kong 100 kilometer, and 2020 Bandera 100 kilometer. 
 
After receiving his bachelor's degree from CC in English with a minor in Asian Studies, Nichols earned a master's degree in Sport Coaching from the University of Denver's graduate school of professional psychology in 2020. He also holds a USATF Level 2: Endurance coaching certification.