Allison Nichols

Head Coach

Allison Nichols was introduced as the sixth head women's basketball coach in program history on May 23, 2021.

Nichols came to Lynchburg from Old Dominion Athletic Conference rival Roanoke College, where she served as the Maroons’ associate head coach since 2017 and helped steer the Maroons to an ODAC runner-up finish in 2021. Lynchburg defeated Roanoke in the title game.

In her first season at the helm of the Hornets, Nichols' team posted a 16-11 record, reachined the ODAC tournament semifinals with a first-round upset win over Roanoke, and saw three players earn all-conference accolades.

A graduate of another ODAC school, Bridgewater College, Nichols brings a wealth of coaching experience at numerous levels of college basketball with her to Lynchburg. Prior to her stop at Roanoke, Nichols spent six seasons as the head coach at Randolph College in Lynchburg from 2010-16. She coached a pair of All-ODAC players for the WildCats and led the program to its two highest win totals in program history.

The Lynchburg native and Brookville High School graduate was the director of basketball operations at NCAA Division I East Carolina University from 2008-10 and an assistant at Division II Augusta State University from 2006-08.

As an advocate for women in sports, Nichols helped organize the ODAC’s first women in athletics symposium while at Roanoke in 2018 and served as a volunteer administrator for the NCAA Division III women’s basketball championship and senior all-star game when Salem hosted the championship in 2019.

Nichols holds a degree in physical education and health science from Bridgewater and a master's in kinesiology and health science from Augusta State.