Nicole Tyson became the first Oklahoma City University alumna to take over the women’s wrestling program as head coach. Tyson, nee’ Woody, took four Women’s College Wrestling Association all-American nods and an individual national title from 2007-11.
Tyson has made a name for herself since becoming the first girl ever to be a high school state finalist for Gambrills Arundel (Md.) in Maryland. She has experienced success as an Oklahoma City wrestler, then as an assistant coach.
During her coaching career, Tyson has contributed to three national championships and three NWCA National Duals titles while guiding 10 individual national champs and 55 all-Americans. Most recently, she spent the past two seasons at Campbellsville (Ky.). Tyson has made coaching stops at Missouri Baptist as a graduate assistant and King (Tenn.) as a full-time assistant. She helped King win two national titles and two NWCA National Duals championships. Tyson contributed to Campbellsville winning its first WCWA national title as well as taking fourth in the 2019 NAIA Invitational and sixth in the WCWA Championships this past season.
During her time at Missouri Baptist, she coached six all-Americans while the Spartans placed as high as seventh at the WCWA championship. At King University, she coached four individual WCWA national champions, two runners-up and 14 all-Americans. She mentored 14 WCWA all-Americans, three WCWA champions, seven NAIA all-Americans and an NAIA individual champ at Campbellsville.
During her OCU wrestling career, she was also a three-time WCWA national finalist while winning the 97-pound (44-kilogram) championship in 2011. She posted a 96-32 record with 16 pins and 21 technical falls. OCU went 51-0-1 during its last 52 duals during her career. Tyson led the Stars to three WCWA national championships and four NWCA National Duals titles.
Tyson was her team’s Jim Wade Award winner, Dean's List recipient and earned the outstanding senior art award in photography at OCU upon graduation. She graduated with a bachelor of arts from Petree College of Arts and Science at Oklahoma City in 2011.
Tyson has extensive experience competing on the international stage. She collected a 2006 junior world championship and a 2008 junior Pan Am championship. In 2011, Tyson was a member of the Senior Pan Am Team, and a Senior National finalist while qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Trials. She placed fourth at the 2015 Senior National Championships and fourth at the 2016 Olympic Trials.
