South Dakota State director of athletics Justin Sell, along with SDSU interim head equestrian coach Joe Humphrey announce the addition of Leigh Nichol as the new assistant equestrian coach.

"We're excited to welcome Leigh to the Jackrabbit family," Sell said. "A coach of her caliber and with her experience adds greatly to our strong program, and moves us even closer to reaching our goal of being a nationally recognized program."

A Camden, Del., native, Nichol spent the last two years riding, competing and showing horses throughout Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Pennsylvania, all while working as the head of marketing and public relations at Winbak Farm, but she also brings a wealth of coaching knowledge.

The first-ever head equestrian coach in Delaware State history, Nichol spent a year building the Hornets equestrian program from the ground up from recruiting athletes to hiring and managing a staff to fundraising, marketing and community relations.

Nichol graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., in 2004 with a degree in agriculture communications, but not before she made her mark on the Bulldogs equestrian program. As a competitor, Nichol competed in both IHSA and NCAA Varsity Equestrian events, and competed on Georgia's inaugural Varsity Equestrian team and on the UGA team that won national championships in 2003 and 2004.

"I'm thrilled to join the Jackrabbit equestrian team and SDSU athletic family," Nichol said about joining the Jackrabbits. "I think our stellar horses; talented team members and supportive staff will make this a great experience. I've known coach Humphrey for almost seven years, and I'm certain that together with everyone involved, we can make this a very successful endeavor."

Nichol begins her duties at South Dakota State on Oct. 4.