Mount St. Mary's University Men's Cross Country

Nickas, Associate Head Coach for cross country, track and field will begin his fourth season with the program. In his first three years coaching with the program, Nickas has advanced four athletes to NCAA Championship qualification. In the spring of 2016 one of his athletes earned All-America honors in the javelin by placing 9th at the NCAA Championship Final. Regionally, Nickas has had five athletes earn All-East honors. Two of his athletes won individual IC4A/ECAC championships and one a Penn Relays Championship in the spring of 2016. At the conference level, he has coached four NEC Champions, 13 All-NEC honorees, and three NEC Rookies of the Year. Nickas, responsible for over-seeing the programs multi-event athletes, throwers, and vertical jumpers, has seen five school records and one NEC record fall under his watch. As an athlete, Nickas was named All-East in the decathlon and was a Northeast Conference Champion. Prior to coaching, he worked as a certified personal trainer and strength coach who focused on sport specific development for high school, collegiate and professional athletes. He also worked in Mount St. Marys Learning Services department where he helped improve the academic standing of student-athletes. Nickas graduated from the Mount in 2012 with a degree in political science and minor in philosophy. He resides in Emmitsburg with his lovely dog Stone.

Jay Phillips, a 2005 Mount St. Mary's University graduate, returned to his alma mater in 2015 as the Head Coach, and in 2019 was made the Director of Cross Country, Track & Field. Since his return the Mount has consistently fought for Conference titles in Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor.  Over the program's first three seasons as Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) members, top three finishes at both the Indoor and Outdoor Championship have been routine. The program had 5 NCAA First Round qualifiers, numerous MAAC Most Valuable Performers and Most Valuable Rookies, and broken several MAAC championship records. Prior to this past season, the men took 3rd in the 2022 Indoor IC4A Championship, the first top-3 team finish in decades. During the 2022 Spring Season, the men’s track & field team took 2nd place in the NEC with dominating performances in several events.  Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the women and men took 2nd and 3rd respectively in Cross Country and Outdoor.  During the 2019-2020 season, both the men’s and women’s team took 2nd in the Indoor NEC.  The women took home the Northeast Conference title in the 2019 Indoor Track & Field Championships, while the men took home the Cross Country Championship in 2018 as well.  Both titles were the first for the Mount in over two decades, and his staff earned Coach of the Year honors in both seasons.  In the spring of 2018, the men’s team also won their first NEC Outdoor Track & Field title in 21 years, again earning Coach Staff of the Year honors in the process.  Phillips' athletes have broken over 20 school records and conference championship records. He has coached 6 NCAA qualifiers, 55 Conference Champions, 99 All-Conference honorees, 9 Conference Rookie of the Meet and 5 Conference Most Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet winners in the Sprints, Hurdles, and Horizontal Jumps. After completing his four-year career as a standout sprinter, Phillips immediately made the jump into the coaching ranks at the Mount.  He worked his way from Assistant Coach to Associate Head Coach from 2005-14.  He served the 2014-15 seasons as the Head Cross Country, Track and Field Coach for Division II Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. During his time as an assistant at the Mount, Phillips started the “Faith and Athletics” program in 2010, which was designed to provide student-athletes the opportunity to meaningfully integrate their life as an athlete with their spiritual life. Phillips served as a regular adjunct professor in the theology and sports management departments from 2008-14, and then again from 2015-2021. Phillips was awarded the University’s most prestigious academic award, the Flanagan Memorial Prize, given to the graduate who best represents the mission of Mount St. Mary’s University in scholarship, conduct, and leadership.  Phillips also earned the Sheridan Award in 2005, given to the graduating student-athlete who excels in both athletics and academics. Phillips earned his bachelor’s degree in theology from Mount St. Mary’s in 2005 before going on to add a master’s in theology in 2008 from the Mount as well. Phillips resides in Emmitsburg with his wife Dale, daughters Adelaide and Mary Grace, and son Isaiah.