Nornhold named UPike’s first bass fishing coach

STAFF REPORT

BSN

PIKEVILLE — The University of Pikeville has named the first coach for its newly-formed bass fishing program.

Corey Fipps, the director of athletics at UPike, has tabbed Gene Nornhold to coach the upstart Pikeville bass fishing team.

Nornhold comes to Pikeville from Kentucky Christian University, where he has been the head coach of the bass fishing program since 2020.

“We’re very happy to be able to find someone of Gene’s character to begin this program,” Fipps said. “I’ve known Gene for several years and he’s absolutely the kind of person we want to bring to our campus.

“His resume speaks for itself where bass fishing is concerned. We’re blessed to find someone to start our program in this rapidly growing sport with his level of experience. We’re excited to welcome him to the family.”

Nornhold, who is a native of Mt. Sterling, inherited a KCU program that had 10 student-athletes and grew it to a 32-player roster.

“One of the main reasons that my current program has grown in numbers, is my main goal is to build relationships with my team and new recruits,” Nornhold said. “I set high standards in choosing not only the best fishermen, but the best students that will represent my program in a professional way.”

Like most successful coaches, their association with their sport began as a player. Unlike most, however, Nornhold continues to be a successful competitive fisherman.

“I have been fishing tournaments since I was 12 years old and began fishing on the tournament trails in my 20’s and continue fishing on tour today,” he said. “I have received sponsorships from major companies over the years and still today have support from those companies. These sponsorships have also assisted at the collegiate level.”

Nornhold has coached teams that finished third, fifth and seventh in the nation, has a goal that drives him: He wants to be the absolute best.

“I am excited to begin a new journey and to bring the top recruits in the nation to Pikeville,” he said. “My goal is to win a national championship and I won’ t stop until I do.”