Dale Wellman
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Nebraska Wesleyan |
| Conference | American Rivers |
| Record | 232–83 (.737) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | Versailles, Kentucky |
| Alma mater | Sewanee Eastern Kentucky |
| Playing career | |
| 1996–1999 | Sewanee |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2002–2003 | Kenyon (assistant) |
| 2003–2004 | Union (assistant) |
| 2004–2006 | Eastern Kentucky (assistant) |
| 2006–2008 | Williams (assistant) |
| 2008–2014 | Alfred |
| 2014–present | Nebraska Wesleyan |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 299–169 (.639) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2018 NCAA Division III National Champion 6x IIAC/A-R-C Regular Season (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024, 2026) 3x IIAC/A-R-C Tournament (2018, 2019, 2020) | |
| Awards | |
| 2018 DIII NABC Coach of the Year 5x IIAC/A-R-C Coach of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024) 2014 Empire 8 Coach of the Year | |
Dale Wellman is an American college basketball coach. He is the current head men's basketball coach at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Playing career
Wellman, a Kentucky native, played college basketball and baseball at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.[1] During his playing career his teams qualified for two NCAA Division III basketball tournaments in 1997 and 1998, and he was an all-conference player in baseball.
Coaching career
Alfred College
Wellman became the head coach of Alfred University prior to the 2008–09 season. In his final season with the Saxons he led them to a 18–7 record, their best season since 1988–89. He was named the Empire 8 coach of the year and qualified for their first ever Empire 8 men's basketball tournament.[2] He resigned from his post in June 2014.[3]
Nebraska Wesleyan
Wellman was named the 23rd head men's basketball coach in NWU history in June 2014.[4] In just his second season with the Prairie Wolves he led them back to the postseason for the first time since 2001, with a birth into the NAIA DII men's basketball tournament. In 2018, Wellman led the team to the NCAA DII national title with 78–72 win over Wisconsin-Oshkosh. They finished the year with a program record 30 wins and secured the programs first national title.[5] The 2018 season was the second conference title in a row for Wellman, a streak that would with 4 straight in 2020. Following his 2018 campaign, Wellman was named the DIII national coach of the year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The 2023–24 season Wellman won his 5th American Rivers Conference championship and returned NCAA DIII elite eight.[6]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Saxons (Empire 8) (2008–2014) | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Alfred | 7–17 | 3–11 | ||||||
| 2009–10 | Alfred | 11–14 | 5–11 | ||||||
| 2010–11 | Alfred | 8–17 | 3–13 | 6th | |||||
| 2011–12 | Alfred | 15–11 | 6–8 | 5th | |||||
| 2012–13 | Alfred | 7–18 | 3–11 | 8th | |||||
| 2013-14 | Alfred | 18-9 | 9-5 | 4th | |||||
| Alfred: | 67–86 (.438) | 29–60 (.326) | |||||||
| Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves (Great Plains Athletic Conference) (2014–2016) | |||||||||
| 2014–15 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 13–13 | 8–12 | 5th | |||||
| 2015–16 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 22-8 | 15-5 | 2nd | NAIA First Round | ||||
| Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (2016–2018) | |||||||||
| 2016–17 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 18–8 | 11–5 | T–1st | |||||
| 2017–18 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 30–3 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA National Champion | ||||
| Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves (American Rivers Conference) (2018–Present) | |||||||||
| 2018–19 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 27–2 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2019–20 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 25–4 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
| 2020–21 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 3–3 | 1–2 | 8th | No postseason; COVID-19 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 14–12 | 8–8 | 6th | |||||
| 2022-23 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 16-10 | 11-5 | 3rd | |||||
| 2023-24 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 26-5 | 13-3 | T-1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 2024–25 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 20–7 | 12–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 2025–26 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 18–8 | 13–3 | 1st | |||||
| Nebraska Wesleyan: | 232–83 (.737) | 139–53 (.724) | |||||||
| Total: | 299–169 (.639) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- ^ Moore, Josh (March 18, 2018). "Meet the Kentucky man who's already won an NCAA basketball championship this year". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Whitehouse, Mark. "Empire 8 men's basketball tournament". gosaxons.com. Alfred athletics. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ "Wellman resigns as head coach of AU men's basketball team". gosaxons.com. Alfred Athletics. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Powell, Ron (March 15, 2018). "How did NWU become a DIII hoops contender? By building recruiting pipelines in Omaha, KC". Lincoln Star Journal. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ "Nebraska Wesleyan wins program's first national championship". ncaa.com. NCAA. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
- ^ Sjuts, Kevin (March 8, 2024). "Nebraska Wesleyan advances to the Elite 8 of NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament". KOLN-TV. Retrieved February 14, 2026.