CHESTERTOWN — Washington College has tapped a former Centennial Conference star runner to head its cross country and track and field programs, which will compete on the varsity level beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
The hiring of Mary Nolte ’13, an NCAA Division III qualifier in both sports while attending Dickinson College, was announced in a news release.
In a written statement, Nolte, who attended Atholton High School in Howard County, said: “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be part of this new beginning for cross country and track & field at WAC. There seems to be a lot of excitement already from the campus community, and I see so much potential to build something really special here! I’m excited to be back home in Maryland and back in the Centennial Conference, and I look forward to getting started soon!”
Nolte comes to Washington College from Williams College, where she served as recruiting coordinator and assistant coach for men’s and women’s cross country and track and field since 2021.
During Nolte’s three years at Williams, the Ephs swept the NESCAC and Mideast Region team titles in cross country (2021, 2022 and 2023) and earned three NCAA team podium finishes (cross country 2021, track and field 2022, and cross country 2023). They also collected numerous individual accolades, including national titles, DIII national records and 38 first-team All-Americans.
In 2023, Nolte was named the NCAA Mideast Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Mary to our department. Her vision on how to restart our cross country and track and field teams is inspiring ” Washington Athletic Director Thad Moore said in the news release. “As a former Division III athlete herself and current assistant coach, her passion for the full Division III experience really stood out to us. We are looking forward to working together with Mary to both build our rosters and our new facilities.”
Prior to joining the Williams coaching staff, Nolte spent several years in the Centennial Conference. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and education from Dickinson College in 2013, a master’s degree in kinesiology from McDaniel College in 2021, and completed coaching stints at both schools.
As a graduate assistant at McDaniel (2019-2020), Nolte coached the long sprints, mid-distance and relay events, and served on the athletic department’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. She remains connected to the graduate program as an adjunct instructor in sports psychology.
At alma mater Dickinson, Nolte served as an assistant coach (2014-2017), assistant director of admissions (2017-2019) and the admissions/athletics liaison (2020-2021). She worked with 20 NCAA qualifiers, nine All-Americans, 35 individual Centennial Conference champions and four conference champion relay teams. Both the men’s and women’s teams consistently finished top-three in the conference in both cross country and track and field, and finished as high as 11th (women) and 12th (men) at the NCAA cross country national championships.
While working in admissions, Nolte facilitated athletic recruitment for 18 varsity teams, oversaw Dickinson’s student volunteer ambassador program and served on the Resiliency Working Group Committee, which was created to support students’ mental and emotional well-being during their transition to college.
As a student-athlete, Nolte was a four-year varsity member and two-year captain of Dickinson’s cross country and track and field teams. She was a first-team All-Centennial Conference and All-Mideast Region performer, and an NCAA national qualifier in both cross country and track and field (1500 meters).
She earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honors in 2012 and 2013; was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, widely regarded as the nation’s most prestigious honor society; and received the Lloyd W. Hughes Scholar-Athlete Award as the senior female athlete with the highest grade point average.
In addition to her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Nolte holds USTFCCCA Track & Field Technical and Return on Inclusion Inclusive Leadership certificates and is a graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy.