Chris Nelson begins his second season as the head coach of the Bethel College Lady Wildcats. In The 2006-2007 season, Coach Nelson led the Lady Wildcats to a 17-13 finish in their first season back in the TranSouth Athletic Conference. Coach Nelson is a 2004 graduate of Bethel College with a degree in History.

A native of West Tennessee, Coach Nelson began his coaching career in Yorkville, TN. At Yorkville School, a school in the Gibson County Special School District, he coached the boys’ junior high team for one season. Coach Nelson then moved on to serve as an assistant coach for the Pioneers of Gibson County High School under the direction of Head Coach Scott Bowlin from 2001-2002. From Gibson County High School, Coach Nelson spent the next five seasons as an assistant for the Bethel College Lady Wildcats mentored by Larry Eddings. As an assistant coach for the Lady Wildcats, Coach Nelson helped them reach new heights as a basketball program. With record breaking seasons in 2005 and 2006 and two consecutive trips to the NAIA DII National tournament from the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Coach Nelson has seen the Bethel College Lady Wildcats evolve.

In the 2006-2007 season, Bethel moved from Division II to Division I in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and went from the KIAC to arguably the toughest conference in the nation, the TranSouth Athletic Conference. With an 9-1 start to the season, Coach Nelson led the Lady Wildcats into the new conference with confidence. The Lady Wildcats picked up two conference wins to start TranSouth play. Coach Nelson led the Lady Wildcats into the second round of the TranSouth Conference tournament and to a 17-13 (7-11) finish for the season.

Coach Chris Nelson is a resident of McKenzie, TN.

Coach Holly Knott begins her fourth season as Assistant Coach for the Bethel College Lady Wildcats. Coach Knott is 26 years old and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education in May of 2003 from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN. In August of 2007, Coach Knott received her Master of Arts in Education degree from Bethel College.

Coach Knott is a 1999 graduate of Gibson County High School where she was a four-year starter for the Lady Pioneers. During her senior year at Gibson County High School, the 23-10 Lady Pioneers made the regional finals and moved on to the West Sectionals at Oman Arena in Jackson, TN.

Coach Knott was a member of the Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions Basketball team for three seasons. While at Freed-Hardeman University, Coach Knott was named an NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete.

In the classroom at FHU, Coach Knott remained on the Dean’s List. She received the Health and Physical Education Department’s Outstanding HPE Graduate Award for the 2002-2003 academic year. Coach Knott graduated from Freed-Hardeman University Cum Laude in May of 2003.

Before joining the Bethel College family, Coach Knott worked at the Northwest Gibson County YMCA. She began her stint with the YMCA in 2001 as a Summer Fun Camp Counselor. Then in 2002, the new facility opened in Trenton and she joined the staff as a Fitness Leader. In the summer of 2003, Coach Knott was the Head Lifeguard at the Northwest Gibson County YMCA. From Lifeguard, Coach Knott became the Front Desk Supervisor at the YMCA. Coach Knott then moved on to the Program Director’s position in February of 2004.

Coach Knott joined the Bethel Lady Wildcats’ staff on May 4, 2004. During the 2004-2005 season, she helped the Lady Wildcats to a record-breaking 28-6 season, the 2005 KIAC Championship, and an appearance in the 2005 NAIA DII National Championships in Sioux City, IA.

In Coach Knott’s second season with the Lady Wildcats, she helped the team finish second in the KIAC tournament. The Lady Wildcats received an at-large bid to the 2006 NAIA DII National Tournament in Sioux City, IA. The Lady Wildcats lost in the first round of the tournament ending the 2005-06 season at 26-6.

In the 2006-07 season, the Lady Wildcats moved back to NAIA DI and to the TranSouth Athletic Conference. In this, the third season for Coach Knott, she aided Lady Wildcats to a 17-13 finish. The season ended in the quarter-finals of the TranSouth Conference Tournament with a 59-65 loss to Trevecca Nazarene University (Tenn.).

Coach Knott is married to Justin Knott and they reside in Trenton, TN.

Martina Mihailovic is entering her third year as an assistant coach with the Lady Wildcats.

In the season 2006-07, Lady Wildcats moved up to NAIA Division I and became a member of a TranSouth Athletic Conference. Coach Martina helped guide the Lady Wildcats to a 17-13 record. Lady Wildcats finished their season with a loss to Trevecca Nazarene University in a second round of the TranSouth Athletic Conference Tournament.

In the season 2005-06, Coach Martina helped the Lady Wildcats to a record of 27-6 and the second consecutive appereance in NAIA division II National Tournament held in Sioux City, IA.The team finished the season with a 14-1 conference record.

In her first two years as an assistant coach for Lady Wildcats, the team had a combined 3.4 GPA as she was monitoring players’ academic progress.Coach Martina was instrumental in the recruitment of three current international student-athletes; Jelena Budimir, Nina Djokovic, and Milica Ivanovic.She has been essential in the development of individual players’ skills through individual workout seasons.

Prior to Bethel College, Coach Martina spent one season as an assistant coach at Park University in Kansas City, MO. While at PU, Mihailovic’s duties included recruiting, tape exchange, and working with the guard positions on offense.

Coach Martina arrived at Park University after a two-season run at Rockhurst University from 2001-2003. She led the team in scoring (10.5 ppg) and assists (3.7) her junior and senior years as the Lady Hawks’ starting point guard under Coach Rebecca Morrissey. Mihailovic was named to the All-Heartland Conference Second Team in her senior season.

Prior to her two seasons at Rockhurst, Coach Martina played one year at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. Mihailovic began her collegiate career at Cloud County Community College, where, in her freshman year, she was named “Freshman of the Year” in the Kansas Jayhawk West Conference. She averaged (10 ppg) and (3.1 apg) in that season. In her second season at CCCC, Coach Martina was sidelined due to an ACL injury and received a medical red-shirt for the season. Cloud County went on the win the NJCAA National Championship that year, 2000-2001.

A native of Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, Coach Martina was a member of the Yugoslavian National Youth Team in 1997. She averaged (19.2 ppg), (4.9 apg), and 3 steals per game. She was voted MVP of the state that year.

Coach Martina Mihailovic received a B.S. degree in marketing from Rockhurst University in 2004. She earned her Master of Arts in Education degree from Bethel College in May of 2007.

Coach Martina’s responsibilities while on the Lady Wildcat coaching staff will be International and Junior College recruiting, tape exchange, individual workouts, and team academic progress.