SPARKS, Md. – Salisbury University women's lacrosse head coach Jim Nestor will be enshrined as a "truly great coach" to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Class of 2026, announced by USA Lacrosse on Thursday morning.

Nestor will be inducted into his second hall of fame after being a part of the IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association) Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

"It means more than I can express," Nestor said. "I am truly humbled to be selected for this honor and grateful for this recognition by USA Lacrosse. It is a privilege to be inducted with so many greats."

A four-time national champion and the third-winningest head coach in NCAA women's lacrosse history, Nestor completed his 25th season coaching the Maroon and Gold, guiding the program to 22 conference championships, 23 NCAA tournaments and 10 NCAA tournament finals.

Nestor has been named the IWLCA Coach of the Year five times and has earned 18 IWLCA Chesapeake Region Coaching Staffs of the Year. He has coached two national players of the year, 13 national positional players of the year and 71 All-Americans.

The Laurel, Maryland, native is 442-63 in his tenure with SU, holding a 97.5 percent winning percentage, and boasts a 521-102-1 record with an 83.6 percent winning percentage in his coaching career, making stops at Colby-Sawyer and Gannon before joining Salisbury in 2002.

Nestor holds a claim on the longest Division III regular-season winning streak against conference opponents at 101 games and boasted the second-longest Division III home winning streak spanning 2012-15 at 48 contests.

"Coach Nestor's induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame is an extraordinary and well-deserved recognition of a career defined by excellence, leadership and an extraordinary commitment to the sport of lacrosse," Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Monica Polizzi said. "Jim has made an immeasurable impact on Salisbury University, our women's lacrosse program and, most importantly, the countless student-athletes whose lives he has influenced through his leadership and mentorship. His success on the field speaks for itself, but his greatest legacy is the culture he has built and the people he has helped shape. We are incredibly proud to call Jim a Sea Gull, and we are thrilled to see his remarkable contributions to lacrosse recognized with this tremendous honor."

Before arriving at Salisbury, Nestor posted a 73-20-1 tally as the bench boss of Gannon University women's lacrosse, earning a winning record in each of his six seasons. He was named the IWLCA Division II Coach of the Year in 1996 and, shortly after, was tabbed the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by CollegeLacrosseUSA.com in 2000.

Nestor was a four-year letterman on the Sea Gull lacrosse and wrestling teams during his collegiate career, earning his bachelor's degree in physical education in 1990. He went on to complete a master's degree in health and physical education at Frostburg State in 1992.

Nestor will be officially inducted along with seven other inductees on Saturday, January 9, 2027, at the M&T Bank Exchange in Baltimore, Maryland. Tickets for the event will be available for online purchase beginning next month.  

---

Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.