Linh Nguyen enters his fifth year as the head coach of UNC Greensboro's cross country and indoor track and field teams and his sixth year at the helm of UNC Greensboro's outdoor track and field teams.  Additionally, it is Nguyen's 11^th year overall with the Spartans, having served as an assistant coach from 2001-2006.

During the 10 years that Nguyen has been at UNCG, he has coached 22 different student-athletes who have earned a total of 63 separate All-SoCon honors, seven Southern Conference champions and four NCAA Regional qualifiers.

Nguyen enjoyed perhaps his most successful season in 2010-11 as he saw six student-athletes earn 12 All-SoCon honors, including four Southern Conference titles and two who advanced to NCAA Regionals. The year started off great as Ashley Schnell became the first runner in school history to win the Southern Conference title in cross country and was also named the SoCon Women’s Runner of the Year. Schnell would also go on to earn All-Region honors, a first in school history. Shaina Sumney was also named first-team All-SoCon in cross country and to help lead their team to school-best third place finish. The men’s team also had a school-best second place finish as Joey Thompson was runner-up at the SoCon Championship and earned first-team honors along with Mike Koech. AJ Savoia earned second-team All-SoCon honors, as well.

The Spartans’ carried that momentum into the track & field season as Schnell captured the 3,000 meter title at the SoCon Indoor Track & Field Championships, becoming the first-ever women’s runner in school history to accomplish that goal. Nguyen’s team continued its success with a SoCon title in the women’s distance medley relay, as well. On the men’s side, Kenny Hinman was tabbed to the SoCon All-Freshman Team in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters, while Paul Katam earned the same distinction in the 5,000 meters.

UNCG would continue its impressive year during the outdoor season when Schnell won the 1,500 meter SoCon title and advanced to the NCAA Regionals in the 5,000 meters, becoming the first-ever female in school history to do that. Chelsea and Shaina Sumney were named All-SoCon in the 5,000 meters after finishing second and third in the event, respectively. On the men’s team, Paul Katam qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the 10,000 meters and came just one spot away from advancing to nationals.

During the 2009-10 season, the Spartans continued to see improvements both as a team and individually under Nguyen. Once again, the men’s cross country team came in third place at the SoCon Championships to turn in a top-5 performance for the sixth-straight season. Mike Koech earned runner-up honors and Joey Thompson came in fifth place as they were both named to the All-SoCon First Team. Andy Clyne also earned second-team honors to mark the first time in school history that UNCG has had three runners earn All-SoCon honors in the same season. Sherrika Jordan once again led the women’s team as she finished in eighth place to earn Second-Team All-SoCon honors.

The Spartans carried that momentum into the indoor track & field season in 2010 as Koech and Thompson once again led the way. Thompson, a sophomore, earned All-SoCon honors in the 3,000 meters for the second time in as many years in the event as he was edged out and finished in second place. He was also the runner-up in the mile to earn All-SoCon honors in that event. Koech was named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team in the 5,000 meters, as he set a new school record in the race.

In the outdoor season, UNCG continued to rack up Southern Conference awards. Thompson earned runner-up honors once again, this time in the 1,500 meters, to earn All-SoCon honors. Senior TJ Wyatt also performed well at the SoCon Championships as he was named All-SoCon in the 800 meters after finishing in second place. Taylor Day was named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team in the 1,500 meters, as well. On the women’s side, Shaina Sumney was also named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team in the 1,500 meters.

In the 2008-09 season, the Spartans had Jermaine Coore and Sherrika Jordan named All-SoCon at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships. Joey Thompson was named all-freshman at the meet for UNCG as well. In indoor, Thompson broke the school record in the 3,000 meters and earned All-SoCon honors in the event too. Taylor Hurst was named All-SoCon in the 800 meters and Kerry Hartman was named all-freshman in the mile. During the outdoor season, Thompson was named All-SoCon in the 1,500 meters and AJ Savoia earned All-SoCon honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. TJ Wyatt was also named All-SoCon in the 800 meters after earning runner-up honors.

In 2007-08, Sherrika Jordan became the seventh runner in UNCG women's cross country history to run sub-23:00 in the 6K.  Jordan ran 22:58.65 at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, which is eighth fastest in UNCG history. The 2008 indoor season saw four men's runners earn All-SoCon honors, including the men's distance medley relay team earning All-SoCon honors for the fourth time in five seasons. Jess Weber broke the school record in the 800 meters and Josh Wyatt recorded a new record at the 5,000 meters. During outdoor, the men saw Clyne (800m) and AJ Savoia (3,000m steeplechase) raced their way to All-SoCon distinctions, earning UNCG's first All-SoCon honors for outdoor in two year.  For the women, Weber concluded her career by setting a new record in the 800 meters in her final meet of the season, clocking 2:17.81 at the Duke Asics Twilight and becoming just the second Spartan in program history to run sub-2:20 in the 800 meters. 

In his first season as head coach of the cross country teams, the men posted their highest finish at the SoCon Championship meet, placing third out of 11 teams.  Individually, Josh Wyatt and Nick Vaccaro finished fifth and eighth, respectively, garnering All-SoCon honors and becoming the first set of Spartans to receive cross country All-SoCon honors in the same season.  For the women, Jess Weber and Sherrika Jordan each registered a 6K time that ranked among UNCG's Top-25 times. 

During the 2007 indoor season, Jeff Williams won his third-straight title in the 800 meters en route to earning All-SoCon status.  The distance medley relay team of Vaccaro, Terry Wyatt, Williams and Xavier Rutz also earned All-Son honors with a second-place finish at the SoCon Championships. 

In outdoor, both Vaccaro (1,500m) and Xavier Rutz (3,000m and 5,000m) established new men's school records.  The year ended with Jess Weber being named ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team presented by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Nguyen was named head coach of the Spartans at the start of the 2006 outdoor season.  In his inaugural season at the helm, both Jeff Williams (800 meters) and Charles Jones (triple jump) qualified for the NCAA East Regionals.  It remains the only time in UNCG history in which two Spartans have made the NCAA East Region Track and Field Championships.

Prior to being named head coach, Nguyen served as an assistant coach and as a volunteer assistant coach for the Spartans.  In his four years as an assistant, Nguyen produced 24 All-Conference honorees, one NCAA Regional qualifier and one NCAA National participant.  Charles Jones became UNCG's first NCAA Regional and National qualifier in 2005.  Jones remains the only two-time Regional qualifier and is the only national qualifier in UNCG history.  As a volunteer assistant, Nguyen coached Heidi (Sloop) Pinkerton to cross country All-SoCon status in 2002.

Prior to UNCG, Nguyen was a volunteer assistant coach at Lynchburg College, his alma mater, for one season.  During the 2000-01 school year, the Hornets swept the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) titles in cross country, indoor, and outdoor.

Nguyen was an eight-time All-ODAC selection. Nguyen led Lynchburg to a pair of top-five finishes at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional Cross Country meet, including one third-place finish. He also took the Hornets to a conference title in 1999, while capturing ODAC Runner of the Year Honors.

Nguyen, a native of East Hampton, NY, graduated from Lynchburg College in 2000 with his bachelor's degree in sports medicine.  He received his master's in exercise physiology from UNCG in 2007.

Nguyen and his wife, Christina, reside in Greensboro, with their son Khoi.

Leah Allen enters her first season at UNCG in 2011 as assistant coach for the cross country and track & field teams.

"I'm very excited to have Leah join the staff,” said Nguyen. “She brings with her a wealth of experience as a high level student-athlete that should benefit our team moving forward. My goals for the program continue to be a step up to the next level and I'm confident that Leah can help us get there."

Allen has spent the past four years at Ashland University where she excelled in cross country and track & field, including being named an All-American this past season in the distance medley relay.

“I am truly excited to be joining the Spartan cross country and track staff along with Linh (Nguyen) and Steven (Hassen),” said Allen. “With the success that both the men's and women's teams have had recently, I feel very fortunate to be a part of this program and look forward to helping both teams reach the next level.”

Allen found tremendous success while at Ashland as she earned All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honors 12 separate times during her career. As a senior, Allen joined teammates Cheryl Bourne, Stephanie Stoffel and Steph Tinney to earn All-America honors at the Division II National Championships in the distance medley relay. She was also a member of the distance medley relay team that earned all-region honors her final season and captured the school record in that event, as well.

During her senior year, she finished in 13^th place in the 1,500 meters at the Division II National Championships after turning in a school record in the event. Allen was also named All-GLIAC in the mile and distance medley in indoor track, while also turning in provisional qualifying times for nationals in both events. She received the same honors in both events as a junior, as well, while also adding an All-GLIAC nod in the 1,600 meter relay.

In outdoor track, she accumulated All-GLIAC honors in the 800 and 1,500 meters, while also being a part of the All-GLIAC 1,600 meter relay team as a junior and sophomore. She was also named the most valuable runner on her cross country team her sophomore season.

In addition to be a standout in competition, Allen was equally as impressive in the classroom. She was named All-Academic by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as a senior, junior and sophomore in indoor track. She also earned the same distinction in cross country as a senior and junior.

Allen graduated from Ashland in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in child and family studies.