Nicole Neal serves as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Team Administration at Florida Gulf Coast University, a role she assumed in late 2024 after previously serving as Associate Athletic Director for Health Performance & Administration. She joined the FGCU staff in August 2014.

Neal brings more than 30 years of experience in collegiate athletics and provides executive oversight for FGCU’s sports medicine, strength and conditioning, and equipment operations. She also serves as the sport administrator for men’s soccer, women’s basketball, and men’s golf, working closely with coaches and staff to support student-athlete health, performance, and overall program success.

Before joining FGCU, Neal spent nearly two decades at North Carolina State University, where she advanced from assistant athletic trainer to associate director of sports medicine. In that role, she managed daily operations of the Reynolds and Weisiger-Brown Athletic Training Rooms, supervised athletic training staff and graduate assistants, and coordinated comprehensive care for student-athletes, including injury evaluation, rehabilitation, and return-to-play planning.

In 2011, Neal served as interim director of sports medicine at NC State, overseeing the operations of all athletic training facilities and collaborating with sports nutrition and strength and conditioning staff to support student-athlete health and performance. Earlier in her career, she served as the athletic trainer for the women’s basketball and track and field programs at NC State and began her Division I career at the University of Oregon working with the women’s soccer program.

Neal earned a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine from High Point University and a Master of Science in Exercise and Movement Science from the University of Oregon. She later completed a Master of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Sport Management degree from North Carolina State University.

Professionally active in the field, Neal has served as a moderator at the annual symposium of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and previously served on the North Carolina Board of Athletic Trainer Examiners.

Neal holds the following certifications:
- National Athletic Trainers’ Association Certification - Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, NSCA - Performance Enhancement Specialist, NASM
- Corrective Exercise Specialist, NASM - Certified in Sound Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization technique - American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED

Updated: 4/24/26