Coach Nihart Earns 600 Wins
Women's volleyball Coach Lanny Nihart picked up his 600th win on Friday, October 27, with a victory over Ozark Christian College in the first round of the 2017 MCCC Conference Tournament. Coach Nihart is in his 33rd season as the Faith women's head coach.
Lanny took over as the women's volleyball head coach in 1985, just seven years after the program started, and led the program to a 20-4 record in his first season. During the past 33 years, the women's volleyball program has seen impressive success under Lanny's leadership. They have been to nine national tournaments, won five region championships, and advanced to three NCCAA II National tournament final fours. At one point, the program went seven straight years with 20 or more wins. The program has produced 14 NCCAA II All-Americans and numerous All-Region and Scholar Athletes. Lanny was selected as the National Coach of the Year in 2000 and has also been selected as the region coach of the year on several occasions.
Coach Nihart's 600 volleyball wins make him the winningest coach in Faith history. In addition to volleyball, Lanny also spent 19 years serving as the Faith women's basketball head coach. Lanny earned 216 wins as women's basketball coach, giving him a total of 816 career wins in Faith athletics.
One of the biggest impacts that Coach Nihart has had on the athletic program is his focus on the purpose of athletics. While Lanny is an intense competitor and wants to win, he has always done a phenomenal job of tying what's most important, glorifying God and athletic ministry, to the athletic experience. He constantly reminds his players to focus on their testimony on and off the court and to remember what's most important. He ties doing all to the glory of God into everything he does as a coach, and it has been his influence and leadership in that area which has helped keep athletics at Faith focused on the right priorities.
Congratulations to Coach Nihart on his many years of coaching success! Faith Baptist Bible College and the athletic department are thankful for Coach Nihart – for his many years of godly service, for his godly influence in so many of our athletes' and coaches' lives, and for his unwavering commitment to excellence and service.