Dickson takes over as Lobos’ leader
Brings winning record from SFA
Nicole Dickson, a 2008 Eastern New Mexico graduate who has coached Stephen F. Austin to five consecutive winning seasons, has been named the head softball coach at the University of New Mexico.
“I am excited to have Nicole join the Lobo Family,” UNM athletic director Eddie Nuñez said in a news release. “She has been highly successful at multiple levels and she has a history of building programs. Her vision for what Lobo Softball can be, and how to build it, is what we need to bring our program to a championship level.”
Coach Paula Congleton’s contract was not renewed after the Highland High School and UNM graduate failed to post a winning record in her five seasons leading the program. The Lobos went 26-27 overall this season, the team’s best during Congleton’s tenure, but were 6-18 and last in Mountain West Conference play.
The Lobos haven’t had a winning season since 2015 and have had only two winning records since 2001.
Dickson was 138-123 in six seasons at SFA, her only losing season her first (17-33) in 2017. Since, the Ladyjacks have gone 121-90. Dickson’s best season was the abbreviated (due to COVID-19) 2020 campaign when SFA went 19-4. She was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year after the 2021 season, in which the Ladyjacks were 35-12 and 25-2 in league play.
The Ladyjacks went 31-25 and 18-6 this season.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to join UNM athletics,” Dickson said in the UNM news release. “... The goal is to compete for championships and represent the campus and community positively on and off the field.”
Dickson came to SFA from Tyler (Texas) Junior College, where she coached three seasons after a year at Paris (Texas) JC.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education at ENMU and earned a master’s in sports management and kinesiology from HardinSimmons in 2009.
Dickson, a Texas native, played two seasons (200708) of softball at ENMU after transferring from Howard (Texas) College. As a junior, she went 16-9 as a pitcher with a 3.87 earned run average. She was 6-5 as a senior with a 3.46 ERA.