Linh Nguyen was appointed head coach of the Emory University cross country and track field teams in June of 2019. 

Nguyen has led the Eagles to a NCAA National Championship Meet appearance in each of his four seasons at the helm, including a 17th place finish in 2019, the highest since 2009. He helped train Jack Whetstone to an All-America performance after he finished 14th in the NCAA National Championships. On top of the All-America award, the men's cross country team has also racked up 27 All-South Region honors, and six All-UAA awards.

Nguyen enjoyed considerable success in his first campaign in directing the Eagles' cross country programs. He was named the DIII South/Southeast Region Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year after overseeing the team to its first region title since the 2015 season. The No. 1 finish at Regionals enabled Emory to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships where it posted a 17th-place finish, the program's best effort since 2008.  One of the highlights of the national meet saw junior Jack Whetstone become Emory's first All-American since 2008 following his 14th-place finish.  Nguyen spurred the men's team to a total of three first-place performances.  In addition to the NCAA Regional crown, the Eagles took home team titles at the Berry Invitational, where four Emory runners placed within the top-10, and at the Jacksonville State University Strut's Opener, where nine of the first 20 participants to cross represented Emory. At the South/Southeast Regional Championship, all seven competitors raced their way to all-region kudos, including Whetstone who crossed the finish line first out of 239 entries. Whetstone would be tabbed as the USTFCCCA DIII South/Southeast Regional Male Athlete of the Year in cross country.  The Emory women's team registered four top-five finishes including a runner-up berth out of 33 squads at the NCAA South/Southeast Region Championships, allowing it to land an automatic bid to nationals.  All five of the women's scorers captured all-region honors including junior Susie Martin who ranked fifth out of 239 runners.  

Nguyen joined the Emory program after serving as the Director of Cross Country/Track and Field at the University of Toledo since 2013.  During his time at UT, he coached four Rockets to All-America honors, six to Mid-America Conference championships, four cross country runners to all-region recognition and 40 to all-conference acclaim. He guided the women’s cross country program to the 2014 MAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Championships after registering a third-place finish at the Great Lakes Region Championships.  The Toledo women finished runner-up at the conference meet in 2013 and 2017.  In track, he coached Megan Wright to a MAC-record time in the mile and Janelle Noe to the league record in the 1,500 meters.  Nguyen’s athletes distinguished themselves in academics throughout his tenure, most recently when two members earned President's List honors with perfect 4.0 GPAs this past spring while 22 others earned a spot on the Dean's List by garnering at least a 3.50 GPA.  

“We are excited to have Linh join our department and lead the cross country and track and field programs,” stated Emory Athletics Director Dr. Michael Vienna upon the announcement of Nguyen's hiring.  “His wide range of experience as a Division III athlete and successful runs as a head coach at both UNC Greensboro and the University of Toledo make him and excellent choice. In addition to his proven ability as a coach, he is dedicated in seeing that his student-athletes maintain excellence in the class room and that they maximize their academic opportunities.”

Prior to coming to Toledo, Nguyen coached for 12 seasons at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, seven as the head coach of the cross country and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams.  The Spartans became a perennial contender in the Southern Conference under Nguyen, culminating in one of the best years in program history in 2011-12. Nguyen was named the conference Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading both the men’s and women’s teams to titles. Paul Chelimo earned All-America honors under Nguyen’s guidance, the first runner in school history to earn that distinction.  During the 2012 outdoor track season, Nguyen coached Chelimo to a national runner-up finish in the 5,000-meter run, while Paul Katam finished first in the 10,000-meter run at the NCAA Regional Meet. Nguyen mentored Chelimo and Katam to NCAA runner-up finishes in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs at the NCAA meets, respectively, as the men’s team finished 15th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

“I'd like to thank Dr. Vienna, the search committee and everybody involved at Emory University for this opportunity,” Nguyen said.  “Emory is clearly a special place and I am beyond excited to have this chance to guide the cross country and track and field programs. Emory is an elite institution and can challenge for titles nationally, and I'm excited to get back to my roots in Division III. I can't wait to meet the team and start working towards the goal of taking the program to the next level.”

Nguyen began his coaching career in 2000 as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, Lynchburg College, before accepting an assistant position at UNCG in 2002. He spent four years as an assistant before taking over head coaching duties for the Spartans at the start of the 2006 outdoor track and field season.

As a student-athlete at Lynchburg College, Nguyen earned eight all-conference selections and helped lead the cross country team to an Old Dominion Athletic Conference title in 1999.  He graduated from Lynchburg in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine, and earned his master’s degree in exercise physiology from UNC-Greensboro in 2007.

Nguyen is a USATF level II Certified Endurance Coach and a Level II Certified Sprint/Hurdle/Relay Coach.

NOTE:  Linh Nguyen (pronounced – Ling  Win)