Davis Nguy enters his first season with the Illinois State track & field program as an assistant coach, helping with the jump event groups.

Nguy previously spent a year coaching at the University of Minnesota, coaching men's and women's sprints, jumps, pole vault, and combined events, helping the Golden Gophers to historic conference and national success. The women's team finished seventh at the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships and tied for 17th at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, while the men's and women's squads both finished among the top 20 teams at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, placing 18th and 20th in their respective events. The men's squad scored 81 points to finish second at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, while qualifying for 21 events at the NCAA West Regional, advancing 10 entries to the NCAA Championships, and earning five All-American honors.

Nguy guided student-athletes to two Big Ten championships in the men's 4x100m relay and long jump, a silver medal in the men's 200m, a bronze medal in the men's 100m at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, and a school record in the men's 100m. The Gopher men were ranked first in the 200m USTFCCCA event squad rankings and eighth in the 100m rankings for the 2026 outdoor season. Additionally, he assisted in coaching women's pole vault, where a student-athlete finished sixth at the Big Ten Indoor Championships and seventh at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, ranking second all-time in program history.

The Bloomington, Illinois, native began his collegiate coaching career at Saint Louis University for two years. He assisted with multi-events, pole vault, high jump, and hurdles groups, where his athletes broke four school records in pole vault and the indoor heptathlon. Student-athletes set over 100 personal-best totals under Nguy’s guidance.

Prior to coaching, Nguy competed in track & field at Illinois Wesleyan University. He was an eight-time All-Conference honoree in the heptathlon and decathlon events. During his senior season in 2023, he won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) title in the heptathlon at the CCIW Indoor Championships. He was a three-year captain for the program.

While competing at Illinois Wesleyan, Nguy was inducted into the Order of Titans, which recognizes selected student-athletes based on academic achievements, athletic contributions, and general citizenship. He was the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Vice President, serving as a member within the committee for four years. Plus, he gained experience coaching his high school team at Normal Community High School and with the Central Illinois Track Club.

Nguy graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design along with two minors in coaching in sports management. He obtained his master’s in organizational leadership development while coaching at Saint Louis University. He has earned a USTFCCCA Technical Certification, USTFCCCA Combined Event Specialist Certification, and a USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Coach Certification.