FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason track and field has added a pair of assistant coaches – Lauren Biscardi and Tim Nickas – to its staff, head coach Andrew Gerard announced on Thursday. Biscardi will work specifically with high jump while Nickas will assist with pole vault and multi-events.
 
Biscardi joined the George Mason University track and field staff in August 2018. She specializes in the high jump, and has also coached long jump, triple jump, pole vault and multi-events.
 
Prior to joining Mason, Biscardi served as assistant track and field coach at Suffolk County Community College. She coached 12 NJCAA DIII National Champions in field events and 21 NJCAA DIII All-Americans in field events between 2012-2016. She received the NJCAA DIII Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2012, 2014 and 2016, and the USTFCCCA NJCAA DIII Assistant Coach of the Year Regional Award in 2016.

As an athlete, Biscardi competed for Notre Dame from 2005-07. She was a two-time high school national high jump champion, five-time New York State champion and Penn Relays champion. She holds the Suffolk County High School indoor record in high jump.
 
Biscardi graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Science, with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning, from Hofstra University.
 
Prior to joining Mason, Nickas served as head track and field coach at Mount Saint Mary's University in 2019 after serving as associate head cross country, track and field coach, for the past six seasons.
 
He has worked with sprints, hurdles, relays, throws, multis, jumps and seen conference, regional and national success across the disciplines. In 2019 Nickas' multi eventers won both the decathlon & heptathlon at the prestigious Penn Relays. 
 
Nickas has coached eight NCAA Championship qualifiers in the javelin throw and long jump and five National All-Academic awards honorees. Regionally, 10 athletes have earned All-East honors in the pole vault, pentathlon, heptathlon, decathlon, long jump and javelin with two of his athletes winning individual IC4A/ECAC championships in the decathlon and javelin.
 
As an athlete, Nickas was part of the Mount's storied decathlon tradition working under hall of fame coach, Jim Deegan. Nickas achieved All-East honors in the decathlon during his time competing for the Mount. 
 
Nickas graduated from the Mount in 2012 with a degree in political science and minor in philosophy.