University of Georgia Athletics
UGA Equestrian Alumni Making Tracks
March 30, 2006 | Equestrian
March 30, 2006
ATHENS, Ga. --- On March 2, Delaware State University announced Leigh Nichol, a member of the 2003 and 2004 Georgia equestrian national championship teams, as its choice for inaugural head coach of its new varsity equestrian program.
Nichol will face all of the challenges inherent in establishing a varsity program, from hiring assitant coaches and establishing her first recruiting class to promoting the Hornet equestrian team throughout the state and region. This made her involvement with the Georgia equestrian program during its transition from a club team to a varsity team a key consideration in the hiring process.
"I am so excited to see former Bulldogs out coaching," Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig said. "I think Leigh will do a fantastic job. She is dedicated and hardworking and we hope to see her in competition next season."
Nichol is a native of Camden, Del. and competed in the English discipline during her Bulldog career. She graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture Communications in 2004, to which she added a Master of Mass Communications Degree in Public Relations in 2005.
"I'm very excited because this is a program naturally tailored to the area and surrounding communities, which are so abundant in agriculture and equine," Nichol told Delaware State. "We are initiating something that is not only compatible with the local area, but is something brand new for the university, state and region, as we are combining athletic excellence with `horse sense'."
Delaware State anticipates that the team will begin limited competition in the fall of 2006 followed by a full NCAA competition slate in the fall of 2007. It will be the first NCAA-sanctioned varsity equestrian team in Delaware, the Mid-Atlantic Region and among Historically Black Universities and Colleges.
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