Dan Nielson begins his fourth season at Utah Valley University in 2022-23. He led the Wolverines to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in his second season, where they faced No. 1 and eventual national champion Stanford. Over his first three seasons, Nielson has coached eight All-WAC, two WAC All-Defensive Team picks, a WAC All-Newcomer selection, and 27 Academic All-WAC honorees.
In 2021-22, the Wolverines finished 16-15 overall and 10-8 in the WAC, notching their second straight winning season. Nielson has a 41-38 overall record and is 29-18 in WAC play. The 21-22 team produced two All-WAC selections in first-teamer Josie Williams and Maria Carvalho who was on the second team. Williams was one of the top statistical producers in the country, averaging 17.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Her rebound average ranked fifth in the country while her 24 double-doubles set a school record and ranked fourth nationally.
His 2020-21 team finished 13-7 overall and 10-4 in WAC play (including a 4-2 mark on the road), setting a program record for WAC wins since joining the conference in 2013-14. UVU also finished second in the conference for the second straight year under Nielson, who is 19-10 over his first two WAC seasons. Utah Valley earned the conference's automatic NCAA bid after California Baptist, which was not eligible for the tournament due to its reclassification from NCAA Division II to DI, won the conference's regular season and tournament titles.
Nielson coached two first-team All-WAC selections in 2020-21 in Maria Carvalho and Josie Williams. Two players on the WAC's first team was also a program first. Shay Fano and Nehaa Sohail were also named honorable mention All-WAC with Fano, a Southern Utah transfer, also being named to the All-Newcomer Team, and Carvalho was on the All-Defensive Team for the second straight season.
In Nielson's first season, the Wolverines went 12-16 overall and 9-6 in Western Athletic Conference play, finishing in a tie for second, the team's best finish since joining the conference in 2013-14.
The 2019-20 team went 11-7 over its final 18 games and produced two All-WAC selections in first-team pick Jordan Holland and second-team pick Carvalho. Carvalho was also named to the All-Defensive Team. The team also committed its fewest turnovers since moving to NCAA Division I in 2003-04 and also had the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio and the second-highest free-throw percentage in program history. The Wolverines' assist total was also the team's best since the 2008-09 season.
Nielson returned to Utah Valley University in May of 2019 as the women's basketball program's new head coach. Nielson spent 2009-13 as an assistant coach on long-time head coach Cathy Nixon's staff.
In his prior stint at UVU, Nielson was part of two Great West Championships — one regular season and one tournament title — while recruiting and coaching nine All-Great West players. Among those nine all-conference selections was Sammie Jensen, who was a two-time Great West Player of the Year. As a senior Jensen, who holds the top three single-season rebounding school records, was second in the nation with 14.1 boards per game.
After four seasons as a UVU assistant coach, Nielson went on to help coach Brigham Young University teams that won 139 games, made four NCAA tournament appearances (including a Sweet 16 run in 2014), and captured a West Coast Conference regular season title in 2016.
Nielson worked a total of 18 years in women's basketball at UVU and BYU, including four years as a UVU assistant, and positions at BYU as a film coordinator, director of operations, and as an assistant coach prior to being elevated to associate head coach under Jeff Judkins.
BYU also had 18 All-West Coast players, four WCC Players of the Year, two WCC Defensive Players of the Year, and two WCC Newcomers of the Year as well as two WNBA draft picks.
Nielson graduated from Brigham Young University in 2006.
A native of Round Rock, Texas, Nielson and his wife, Carly, are the parents of four children (Sadie, Elise, Camille and Grant).
