Women's track and field
A record-setting sprinter who turned down Division I offers to attend Central, Nelson captured four individual NCAA Division III track and field titles, the most ever by a Central athlete at the time of her induction. She was a key component of Central's 1982 NCAA Division III track and field championship squad, earned all-America honors 12 times and was a national placewinner 16 times. Nelson ran the second leg of NCAA champion 4 x 100 meter relay units in 1982 and 1983, then swept the 200 and 400 meter crowns in 1984, leading the Dutch to a second-place team finish after helping Central place fourth nationally in 1981 and 1983.
Nelson later served as assistant women's track and field coach at Central and was the head volleyball coach for four seasons, including the 1988 Iowa Conference championship campaign.
She was Central's director of the Educational Talent Search program, part of the federal TRIO program, and received the TRIO Achiever of the Year Award. She also was an admission counselor, GEAR UP liaison and director and special assistant to the dean at the college. She was president of Iowa MAEOPP and the College is Possible liaison for the American Council on Education. Nelson earned a master's degree at Drake University before pursuing a Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership studies at the University of Iowa, where she was a program assistant to the AERA History of Education program chair.
