University of Richmond Athletics
Cross Country
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- knieuwen@richmond.edu
Nieuwendam joined the Spiders coaching staff in September 2022 as an assistant focusing on the sprints, hurdles, jumps and multis. Since that time she has shaped and molded those areas of the program to help the Spiders place second at the 2024 Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, the 2024 Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, and the 2024 ECAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
In 2024 Nieuwendam coached Alicia Dawson to the NCAA Championships East Preliminary Round in the long jump and the triple jump. Dawson's qualifying marks for the long jump (6.16m/20'2.5") and the triple jump (12.68m/41'7.25") came at the ECAC Outdoor Championships as she claimed gold medals in both. Her qualifying mark in the triple jump of 12.68m shattered Richmond's fourteen-year program record. For her long jump and triple jump wins, Dawson was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the 2024 ECAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships and helped the Spiders to a runner-up team finish. She ended the regular season nationally ranked No. 35 in the triple jump and No. 42 in the long jump. Dawson jumped over 40 feet in the triple jump in 12 out of 13 meets during the indoor and outdoor seasons and over 41 feet on four occasions.Â
Dawson opened the 2024 indoor track & field season by winning the long jump at the Liberty Kickoff (5.80m/19'0.5"). At the ECAC Indoor Track & Field Championships at Boston University, she earned All-East honors in the long and triple jumps after winning the long jump (6.13m/20"1.5") and claiming silver in the triple jump (12.45m/40'10.25"). She also earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors in the long and triple jumps placing in the runner-up position in both events while also placing eighth in the 60m dash final.Â
Molly Wise, the 2024 Spider Outdoor Field Rookie of the Year, set her personal best to win the 2024 Atlantic 10 Conference Outdoor Championship in the long jump with a jump of 6.12m (20'1"). She also earned All-East honors with a second-place finish (5.9mM/19'7") in the ECAC Outdoor Championships behind teammate Alicia Dawson. Wise kicked off her rookie outdoor season placing second to Dawson in the long jump at the Fred Hardy Invitational and followed that with a fifth-place finish in the NC State Raleigh Relays jumping 5.94m (19'6"). She broke the 6.00m mark at the Virginia High Performance meet placing second with a jump of 6.00m (19'8.25").
Nieuwendam also guided rookie Gabby Cummings to All-East honors at the ECAC Outdoor Championships as Cummings helped the Spiders win the 4x400m Relay in 3:43.02. Cummings also earned All-Atlantic 10 honors by helping the Spiders win the 4x400m relay title (3:43.76) at the 2024 A-10 Outdoor Championships. She also placed ninth in the 100m and 200m races as well as fourth as a member of the 4x100m relay. Cummings set a personal best in the 200m at the Virginia Challenge of 24.75 and followed that with a 56.88 in the 400m. At the Colonial Relays, Cummings ran a personal best of 56.74 in the 400m.
Prior to Richmond, in one season at Upper Iowa, Nieuwendam coached seven student-athletes to program records and five student-athletes to the indoor and outdoor Northern Sun Conference finals in the 400m, 4x100m, triple jump and decathlon. Along with an immediate impact on performance, Nieuwendam's recruiting was distinguished as she received commitments from several top-tier athletes.
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Prior to Upper Iowa, she served as a graduate assistant at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla. where she worked directly with the women's sprints, hurdles, jumps, and relays. She also served as the recruiting coordinator for men's and women's cross country, as well as women's sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws and combined events.
Nieuwendam was a volunteer coach with the Texas Tech University track and field team for three years from 2017-20. During her time in Lubbock, she directly assisted coaching the NCAA outdoor track and field national champion in the 100m, 200m, and indoor 200m, seventh-place finisher in the 200m, the third place 4x100m relay team and the runner-up finisher in the 400m hurdles. Additionally, she assisted the sprint and hurdles staff as the team won the school's first-ever NCAA Men's Track & Field national championship. During her stretch the Red Raiders won team titles at the 2018 Big 12 Men's Indoor and Outdoor Championships and the 2019 Big 12 Men's Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Additionally, she played a role in the recruiting and meet day operations.
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After completing her undergraduate degree at Central Florida, Nieuwendam joined the UCF staff in 2016-17 as an assistant coach helping with the women's sprints, hurdles, and relays. She led the team to the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship Women's Indoor Track & Field team title. Along with her coaching duties, she was instrumental in recruiting and home event logistics.
Nieuwendam's accomplished athletics career includes participation in two Olympic Games. She competed in the 200M at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games while representing Suriname, a country on the northeastern coast of South America. In addition to her Olympic experience, Nieuwendam also represented Suriname in several international events including the World Championships, Pan American Games, Carifta Games and World Junior Championships.
As an undergraduate student Nieuwendam ran for Penn State in 2012 as a freshman and claimed a pair of medals at both the Big 10 Indoor and Outdoor Championships. On the outdoor track, she earned a bronze in the 200m and a silver as part of the 4x400m relay team. During the indoor championship, she earned silver medals in the 400m race and the 4x400m relay.
She closed out her collegiate career at Central Florida claiming three more medals during the American Athletic Conference's Indoor and Outdoor Championships. She claimed a gold medal in both the indoor 4x400m relay and the outdoor 4x100m relay and a silver medal in the outdoor 4x400m relay.Â
She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Central Florida and went on to earn a pair of Master's degrees in business administration and sport business management from UCF and an additional Master's degree from Texas Tech University in interdisciplinary studies.
The accomplished sprinter also coached at a pair of high schools in Florida before moving to the collegiate level at UCF.
Nieuwendam holds two USATFÂ coaching certifications including a Level 1 and Level 2 for coaching sprints, hurdles and relays.
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INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AS AN ATHLETE
Representing Suriname
- 2006 Carifta Games (100m & 200m)
- 2007 World Championship (200m)
- 2007 South American Athletics Championship (100m & 200m)
- 2007 Pan American Games (100m & 200m)
- 2007 Inter Guyanese Games (gold medal 100m & gold medal 200m & gold medal 4x100m relay & 4x400m relay)
- 2008 Olympic Games – Beijing, China (200m)
- 2008 World Junior Championship (100m & 200m)
- 2008 Inter Guyanese Games (100m & 200m & 4x100m relay)
- 2008 Carifta Games (100m & 200m)
- 2010 World Junior Championships (100m)
- 2012 Olympic Games – London, England (200m)
