Nik Colpitts is in his second season as graduate assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Wingate University in 2018. In 2017, Colpitts was involved in every aspect of the WU program as the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold-clad Bulldogs won the first South Atlantic Conference tournament title in program history. Wingate earned its crown with a victory over Queens University of Charlotte on April 29, 2017.
Wingate (13-4 overall) advanced to the NCAA play-offs for the first time since 2001. The Bulldogs were ranked number nine nationally in the final regular season poll. Eleven student-athletes made the All-SAC team. Two student-athletes were recognized by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association as 2017 NCAA Division II USILA/Nike All-America team members.
Colpitts is a native of Brooklyn Park, Minn. and a previous men’s lacrosse student-athlete at Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) power University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., where one of his coaches was Joe Turner. Colpitts graduated from St. Thomas in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science.
Colpitts was a four-year letter winner for the University of St. Thomas Tommies from 2010-14 at the midfield and attack positions. During his time as a collegiate student-athlete, Colpitts was a two-time MCLA Division II National Champion (2012, 2013) and a recipient of the Adam Gott Club Lacrosse Player Scholarship in 2013-14.
Along with being a student-athlete for St. Thomas, Colpitts started his coaching career as the varsity offensive coordinator for Champlin Park High School in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Colpitts was an integral part of a tremendously successful stretch for the Rebels from 2012-15. He helped lead the program to back-to-back undefeated seasons (2014, 2015) and was named the Section 7 Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015. The team averaged at least 10 goals per game in all his seasons as the offensive coordinator, while the Rebels maintained a 30+ regular-season game win streak from 2013-15.
Prior to arriving at Wingate, Colpitts remained at his alma mater to serve as the offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator for St. Thomas during the 2015 and 2016 campaigns. In 2016, the Tommies claimed their fifth MCLA Division II National Championship crown (the most in the MCLA’s Division II) after earning an appearance in the MCLA Final Four the previous season. He oversaw the growth and development of eight All-Americans, 12 All-Conference recipients, one MCLA Division II Player of the Year and two UMLC Offensive Players of the Year.
St. Thomas also were back-to-back Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) champions in each of Colpitts’ two seasons with the team, while compiling a stellar 32-3 overall record during his time with the staff. Colpitts led an offense that averaged 16.11 goals per game, ranking the Tommies second out of 122 total teams in MCLA Division II.
