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.