DALLAS, Texas (SMU) -- Cross Country and Track and Field Head Coach A'Havahla Haynes announced today that Nic Jacobsen has joined her staff as an assistant coach.
Jacobsen joins the Mustangs after two years assisting cross country and distance programs at Tennessee. Last season, Jacobsen helped the Lady Vols achieve a sixth-place team finish at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships – their first appearance at the championships since 2006 and highest finish since 1989. Both the men's and women's teams won the NCAA South Regional titles for the first time since 2002 in the 2023 Cross Country season.
 Prior to Tennessee, he assisted with coaching and recruiting at Notre Dame where he helped bring in six student-athletes who broke 9:00 over 3,200-meters, which was the top-ranked men's cross country recruiting class in the nation.
"Nicolas has been an integral part of changing the trajectory of programs with his time at Notre Dame and Tennessee," Haynes said. "I look forward to Nicolas's energy, knowledge and winning mindset infusing this program as we enter the ACC."
Jacobsen said he is excited to work with a staff who feels like family at SMU, while developing nationally competitive distance runners with the transition to the ACC.
"Coach Haynes's vision for the program is what excited me most about coming to SMU," Jacobsen said. "With her leadership, I believe SMU can be one of the very best places in the US for distance runners to live and train. The campus, the city, and the university offer an incredible opportunity for our student-athletes."
Jacobsen was the cross country and track coach at Saint Andrew's School in Boca Raton, Florida prior to his time at Notre Dame. He coached Saint Andrew's athletes to three FHSAA state championships during the 2020-21 school year.
Jacobsen competed for New York University's varsity track and cross country teams where he studied Psychology, Leadership, and Politics in Sport.
"I cannot thank Coach Haynes and the entire SMU staff enough for welcoming me here and giving me an opportunity to contribute to the program," Jacobsen said. "I look forward to calling SMU home. Pony up!"
