WKU Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Brent Chumbley has announced the hiring of Lionel Nau (pronounced "no") as the Hilltoppers' jumps coach, the program announced in early December 2019.
In Nau's first indoor season at WKU, the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers returned several veterans to the jumping squad. At the Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Nau oversaw multiple point-earning jumps including a seventh-place finish from Annastacia Forrester and sixth-place finish by Sheldon Noble. Katie Isenbarger finished fifth in high jump and also earned points for the Lady Topper squad. WKU's 2020 outdoor season was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Nau arrived on The Hill after spending the prior three years as the Director of Track and Field at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn. While at Tusculum, Nau helped grow the cross country program while getting the track and field program off the ground in its inaugural season. In that first season, he saw six student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Division II Championships with three more qualifying in the program's second year.
In 2019, Nau guided Nicole McMillen to First Team All-America honors in the steeplechase after she earned the South Athletic Conference indoor mile title. In 2018, the sprints, hurdles, relays and jumps instructor saw Widchard Guervil earn NCAA All-American status indoors in the 60-meter dash and outdoors in the 100 meter.
Prior to his time in Greeneville, Nau was an assistant track & field coach at Queens University of Charlotte. While in Charlotte, he guided the sprinters, long jumps and hurdlers and helped more than triple the size of the team from 20 to 70 student-athletes.
In his first season at Queens, Nau and the Royals achieved the first team conference championship in program history with the women taking the crown in 2014. That same season, Zack Lewis earned the men's 400-meter conference title. The following season, Nau helped the Royals to team championships on both the men's and women's sides and saw Lewis repeat at the 400-meter champion. The 2016 campaign featured both Queens squads repeating as conference champions while Asia Hart and Nikia Squire earned individual titles.
From 2012-13, Nau was an assistant track & field and cross country coach at Paine College in Augusta, Ga. While at Paine, Nau mentored Baiesha Johnson to All-American status in the long and high jump.
Across his eight years of collegiate coaching, Nau has been a part of five collective team conference championships while guiding 21 individuals to conference championships in the sprints, hurdles and jumps disciplines.
Nau earned his Bachelors of Science in business administration from South Carolina State University in December 2003. He went on to earn his Masters of business administration from Webster University in May 2010. During his collegiate days, Nau helped SCSU to an indoor conference championship as the team captain in 2002.
An accomplished athlete himself, Nau was a member of the Haitian Olympic Team Relay Pool for the 2008 Beijing Games as a 4x400 relay member. He competed on the EAP and EAA European Circuit. Nau ran the 400 at both the Indoor and Outdoor French Nationals from 1996-99.
Additionally, Nau is a native of Strasbourg, France who is fluent in French, English, and Kreyol in addition to being well-spoken in German and Spanish.
He holds certification as an USTFCCCA Sprints/Hurdles/Relays Specialist and an USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Coach Certification (2016). In addition, he holds a USATF Level 1 Track and Field Certification (2010).
Last updated October 2020
