Nick Polk enters his third year as the Elon University head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach after being named to the position on August 13, 2014.
During year two under Polk's watch in 2015, Elon again had an individual win the CAA Men's Cross Country Championship with Nick Ciolkowski earning medalist honors. He also saw Coralea Geraniotis honored as the league's Rookie of the Year on the women's side and led the Phoenix female harriers to their highest finish ever at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships at seventh overall.
During the track and field season, Polk had four harriers receive All-CAA honors as the Phoenix defended its league championship by scoring 193 points, the most ever by the program at a championship meet. He also helped Kimberly Johansen and Tereza Novotna to their second straight trip to the NCAA East Preliminaries in the 1,500-meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, respectively.
Under Polk's watch, the Phoenix men's and women's programs achieved new heights during its first season in the Colonial Athletic Association. The maroon and gold women finished second overall at the league cross country championships while the men had its highest Division I finish at a conference meet with a third place standing.
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.
On the women's side, Polk aided the Phoenix to its highest finish ever at the NCAA Southeast Regionals with a eighth-place standing. Tereza Novotna became the first Elon female to receive All-Region accolades at that meet. The Phoenix also had four members received All-CAA honors in cross country with Novotna, Jenny Gallagher, Elyse Bierut and Kimberly Johansen.
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 currently holds the GVSU school records in the 1,500 and 10,000 meters.
Polk is a USA Track & Field Level II Certified coach. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Grand Valley in 2008.
Polk married the former Tauri Rothermel in June 2016 and they currently reside in Mebane.
