Nick Whitrow was named as the first head coach on Dec. 12, 2019 when the College announced the addition of the sport to the intercollegiate lineup. He previously served as head coach at Charlotte Catholic High School.
A USA Rugby level 300 coach, Whitrow has been in coaching since 1998, most recently at Charlotte Catholic, where he serves as head coach and as a learning support specialist. He was the assistant coach for the Clemson men's team from 2013-16 and still serves as an adjunct instructor in the Athletic Leadership Department. From 2016-18, he also helped reestablish the Clemson women's program, finishing ninth nationally in Division 2 before returning them to Division 1 Rugby and competing in two Collegiate Rugby Championships. Over the last several years, Whitrow has been heavily involved in youth rugby in the Carolinas region, acting as head coach for the South Carolina Select side in 2016 and the North Carolina All-Stars in 2019, winning the bowl and South Championship, respectively, with those teams. He has created an academy for the elite youth rugby players in Carolinas region, taking a team to the high school bracket of the Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) where the team went finished ninth at 2-3. He also worked with the High School All-American Boys team from 2010-12.
"After having conducted extensive analysis and an extended search, we are excited to announce the addition of Men's Rugby as a program and of Nick Whitrow as our Head Coach," Miss said at his hiring. "Ideally suited to mentor, teach, form, develop, and, thus, coach our students, Coach Whitrow's persistent pursuit of our head coaching opportunity and his passion for the sport of rugby inspired confidence that he not only will establish and, in time, grow our program into one of perennial regional and national prominence but, more importantly, that he will attract students who will enhance the culture of the Belmont Abbey College community as a whole."
Nick and his wife, Jodi, have two children -- Lily (8) and Ashton (6). They live in the Charlotte area.
