The Official Site of the Houghton University Highlanders

After accumulating 371 career victories and a host of accolades over 22 seasons as the Highlanders' head coach, Nancy Cole took a three-year hiatus from college athletics.  In 2022 she returned to the sideline to assist Interim Head Coach Judy Fox.

Coach Cole guided her squads to successful seasons of play, beginning with her debut in 1996.  Her run included two regional titles, two NAIA National Tournament appearances (1998 and 2000), and two appearances at the NCCAA National Tournament (2014 and 2015).

Cole’s 1998 team finished 27-9 after capturing the Northeast Atlantic Conference crown and winning the Northeast Region title to reach the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history. Cole led her team back to nationals in 2000 after upsetting the top seeds in both the conference and regional tournaments. That team finished 26-16 and put Cole over the 100 career win plateau during the season.

Despite losing six seniors the previous year, Cole’s 2002 team earned a trip to the NAIA Region IX finals and finished with a 21-16 record. For that effort Cole was named American Mideast Conference North Division Coach of the Year.

Cole reached a milestone with her 300th coaching victory in 2013 and the squad finished with a mark of 20-11.

In 2014, she guided her squad to a 17-17 mark and the program's first-ever Empire 8 Tournament. The team also advanced to the NCCAA National Tournament. Her 2015 team finished 20-11 for the program's eighth 20-win season during her tenure.

Cole battled health issues in 2017 and stepped away from the program for the fall season before returning to lead the team prior to the 2018 campaign.

After graduating from Houghton Academy where she played volleyball, Cole decided to attend Houghton College where she was a three-year member of the varsity team, twice being named as an NCCAA Academic All-American and also being honored with a first-team all-conference selection after her senior year. After graduating in 1990, Cole spent time helping with nearby Fillmore Central School’s team before coming back to Houghton as an assistant coach for two years. She says she learned a lot from the two Houghton coaches she assisted, Glen Conley and former Executive Director of Athletics Skip Lord, and was ready when the opportunity to become Houghton’s head coach came in 1996.

Coach Cole hopes to impact her players not only athletically, but also personally and spiritually. “I really enjoy working alongside these young women who are not only serious about volleyball but also serious about their faith and how to live it out day by day.”

The Highlanders Under Cole