Nic Fortenberry - Assistant Coach - Sprints/Hurdles - Track & Field Coaches

Nic Fortenberry

Title:
Assistant Coach - Sprints/Hurdles
Email:
nfortenberry@ku.edu
Phone:
840-5447

Bio

Nic Fortenberry was named an assistant coach for track and field at Kansas in October 2022. He works primarily with sprints and hurdles.

The Kansas sprints and hurdles teams have prospered under Fortenberry, but a handful of individuals have stood out including Yoveinny Mota, Gabrielle Gibson, Sidney Smith, and Aleksandra Wolczak. Mota qualified to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics for Venezuela and set the school record in the 100-meter hurdles in her only season with Fortenberry. Gibson, a 60-meter hurdler, and Aleksandra Wolczak, a 400-meter hurdler, also both set school records under Fortenberry.

Sidney Smith has grown immensely with the guidance of Fortenberry. Having entered college with no previous hurdle experience, Smith made the finals of the Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 400-meter hurdles and qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships during her freshman season. She then finished fourth at the US Junior Championships in the 400-meter hurdles. Smith is entering her junior year and looking to build upon an already impressive resume.

Fortenberry arrived in Lawrence from Christian Brothers University, where he served as the director of both men’s and women’s track & field and cross country from July of 2016 until his Kansas hiring in October 2022. While with the Buccaneers, Fortenberry helped his athletes rack up a plethora of achievements including: three Division II National Qualifiers, a three-time Division II All-American in the long jump, a top 25 NCAA Division II final ranking in and a six-time Division II All-American in hurdles and sprints.

Prior to joining Christian Brothers, Fortenberry spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis, acting as the sprints/hurdles coach.

Under Fortenberry the Tigers sprints/hurdles team had eight NCAA Division I National Qualifiers, 18 NCAA Division I Regional Qualifiers and 21 individual conference championships. Additionally, Memphis won the 2007 Conference USA (CUSA) Men’s Outdoor Championship, were 2013 CUSA Men’s Indoor Runner-Up, and were the 2014 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Men’s Outdoor Runner-Up.

In his time at Memphis, his athletes set 22 school records. In addition, the Tigers track programs received USTFCCA All-Academic Team recognition.

Prior to Memphis, Fortenberry spent 10 years as an assistant and head track and field and cross country coach at Memphis-area high schools, Houston High School and Kirby High School. He was part of three cross country and one track and field state championship teams.

Fortenberry graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education and a Construction minor. He and his wife Christina have two children: a son, Gabriel, and a daughter, Jada.