Dan Nagle became the 21st head coach in Nichols College women’s basketball history on September 10th, 2021.
The 2024-25 season, Nagle's fourth at the helm, saw the Bison with their winningest campaign in 16 years, amassing an overall record of 13-12 and a 6-12 mark in conference play. The season opened with a 100-95 victory at home over Lasell University, spearheading a four-game winning streak and an eventual 7-0 record against non-conference opponents. From a player standpoint, two members of the program hit major career milestones, with graduate student Abrianna Vazquez surpassing 2,000-career points scored, becoming the first player in both program and conference history to do so. Classmate Summer Klein also joined her on the podium, reaching her own 1,000-career point milestone in the team's final home game against Wentworth, a 93-51 win. Following the year, Vazquez was named to the All-Conference of New England Second Team, while the team finished ranked third in steals per game (20.1), forced turnovers per game (33.8) and turnover margin (14.04) across NCAA Division III.
Program records continued to fall during the 2023-24 season, including new records in points per game (84.6), steals per game (22.4) and overall forced turnovers (38.1), with all three records additionally ranking as the top marks in all of NCAA Division III women's hoops, and in turn were the best in the Commonwealth Coast Conference alongside their plus-20 turnover margin. The program broke a variety of single-game records, specifically single-game points (114), field goals made (41), three-point field goals made (20), forced turnovers (64) and steals (36). The Bison finished the season with a 12-14 overall record (7-9 CCC), which was the program's winningest season since the 2008-09 campaign. Senior guard Abrianna Vazquez, alongside graduate guard Kiera Fernandes garnered All-Conference recognition from the CCC. Both players were also the subject of major career milestones, with Vazquez becoming the program's all-time leader in career points (1,757), and Fernandes with fellow graduate Leadra Ortiz becoming the 14th and 15th players respectively to join the 1,000-Point Club.
The Bison broke multiple records under Nagle during the 2022-23 campaign, including points per game (77.1), steals per game (16.8), three-pointers made per game (9.2) forced turnovers per game (31.4), and turnover margin (13.2). The Bison also ranked in the top 10 in the country in all of those categories. Nagle coached First Team All-CCC selection Abrianna Vazquez, as well as Third Team All-CCC member Kiera Fernandes. Vazquez led the conference in scoring, while also breaking numerous program records, including the all-time mark for points scored in a game with 45 in a win over Salve Regina (1/18).
During his first season in Dudley in 2021-22, the Bison posted their highest overall (10) and Commonwealth Coast Conference (five) win total since the 2013-14 campaign. Nagle’s squad set single-season program records for scoring average (70.2 ppg), three-pointers (218), and steals (415), and scoring a single-game record 102 points in a win over Fitchburg State. Nationally, the Bison closed the season No. 4 in the NCAA in steals, No. 5 in both steals/game (15.4/game) and forced turnovers/game (27.2), and No. 7 in turnover margin (8.3).
Nagle comes to Nichols following a two-year stint as the head girls’ varsity coach at King Philip Regional High School (2019-21). He helped the Warriors qualify for the MIAA Tournament following a 12-8 season in 2019-20, setting program records for steals, turnovers forced, three-pointers made, and single-game points (84). Nagle also had the girls involved in tri-town’s youth programs.
Prior to his stint at KP, Nagle spent three years as the head women’s basketball coach at Fitchburg State (2016-19), where he inherited a winless team and brought them to consecutive nine-win seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18. He recruited and coached a pair of Massachusetts Small College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Rookie of the Year award winners in Kyra Rose (2017) and Mikaela Mitchell (2018), and spearheaded the program’s involvement in the Special Olympics.
Nagle broke into the coaching profession as the girls’ varsity head coach at Worcester Academy (2014-16), where he amassed a two-year coaching record of 34-17 and helped the Hilltoppers to a pair of NEPSAC Class A Tournaments.
A 2009 graduate of Emmanuel (MA) College with a Bachelor of Arts in History, Nagle was a member of the Saints men’s hoops program in 2005-06 and a member of the Dean’s List all four years. He later received his Sport Leadership Masters in 2011 from Northeastern University.
Career record at Nichols
|
W |
L |
| 2021-22 |
10 |
17 |
| 2022-23 |
7 |
19 |
| 2023-24 |
12 |
14 |
| 2024-25 |
13 |
12 |
| Total |
42 |
62 |
