FLORENCE, Ala. (August 23, 2024) – University of North Alabama Volleyball Head Coach Tristan Johnson has announced a new addition to the coaching staff Friday afternoon, as Nicole Knight joins his staff for the 2024 season.
Knight will serve as a cognitive performance coach for the upcoming season. Knight brings over four years of experience in cognitive performance and will aid in focusing on coaching and education in specific cognitive, mental, behavioral, psychosocial, perceptual, learning and adaptive thinking strategies.
The role also reunites Knight with Coach Johnson, who coached Knight as a player on the Arkansas State volleyball team from 2014-16.
"I'm so excited for Nicole to be joining our staff," said Johnson. "Adding a Cognitive Performance Coach will be a tremendous asset for our program and student athletes. The mental health of our players is of the utmost importance to me and our department. Nicole's experience as a Division I volleyball player will provide a great connection between herself and the players. As we look to continue pushing toward a championship, having a coach on our staff to help us with the mental aspect of the game will be extremely beneficial for our student athletes."
Knight's previous experience in cognitive performance includes two stints with the armed forces, including a role she presently serves today. She currently works as a cognitive performance specialist for the U.S. Air Force, working with combat system officers at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla.
She also served a two-year stint from 2020-22 as a Master Resilience Trainer and Performance Expert for the U.S. Army, where she helped implement mental skills training programs for soldiers in preparation in high-pressure situations.
Prior to her work with the armed forces, she was a mental performance coach for the Center for Performance Excellence in Denver from 2020-22. She also served as a team manager for the University of Denver's volleyball team, where her role focused on collaboration with the coaching staff on growth mindset, confidence and mental performance skills.
Knight obtained her Master's degree in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver in 2020. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Arkansas State in 2018.
"I am honored to work with Tristan and his entire team this season," said Knight. "My goal is to provide mental performance training to help the team perform mentally at their best. I hope to be a great asset to this program and am excited to see what we can achieve."
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