Nate Huckle comes to the mental performance world following a 22-year career as a head cross country and track & field coach. Drawing from a Master’s in Applied Sport Psychology, he prescribes a build-it approach to mental strength training, providing athletes with a strong foundation of psychological tools.
A U.S. Center for SAFESPORT trained practitioner, Huckle’s holistic approach to working with clients includes training in confidence, self-awareness, mindfulness, and stress-response. His philosophy of strengthening a client’s self-image helps athletes find greater consistency and enjoyment in performance, while also enhancing overall well-being.
Most recently, Huckle coached and mentored Siobhan Quinn, one of the Golden Griffins most decorated cross country student-athletes of all-time. As a sophomore Quinn won the individual crown at the MAAC Championship, becoming only the second female student-athlete from Canisius to win the league crown. She then went on to become the first ever female student-athlete to earn NCAA All-Region honors and to win four-straight Little Three Championships individual titles.
During Huckle's third season at the helm of the program, the men’s cross country team had one of its best seasons in Canisius history. The Griffs’ finished first in the National Catholic Championships, knocking off the University of Notre Dame, and besting the previous highest finish of second place in 2002.
Since his arrival in 2011, the men have improved from 28th in the Northeast Regional Championship to 10th. In Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference competition, Canisius has improved from a perennial mid-pack team to consecutive runner-up finishes behind nationally ranked Iona.
The Canisius women’s team has also made great strides during Huckle’s tenure, including a doubling of its roster size in just his first two seasons. During the 2014 Cross Country season, the Blue and Gold’s depth began to pay dividends, as the women’s team finished sixth in the National Catholic Championships and the MAAC Championships, for the second straight season, and also recorded a fifth place finish in the Paul Short Invitational, an improvement of 17 places from the 2013 season.
Prior to arriving at Canisius, Huckle served as the head coach of the men's and women's cross country, and indoor and outdoor track programs at Brighton Central School, located outside of Rochester, N.Y. The head coach is a graduate from SUNY Brockport where he competed in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and holds two bachelor’s degrees in Journalism (1998) and English Literature (2000) as well as a master’s degree in Liberal Studies (2007).
Huckle also serves as assistant camp director at the Eastern Regional Elite Distance Camp, held at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y.
