Bio

Eric N'Dri is entering his 6th season at Columbia College in the 2024-25 campaign and his 4th as Head Track and Field Coach.

In 2024, he coached five athletes and three All-Americans at the NAIA Outdoor Track Championships including Mackenzie Pringle to 4th place in the Triple Jump and the 100 meter Hurdles. He also assisted four race walk athletes qualify for Indoor and Outdoor Nationals including multi-time All-Americans Jessica and Tori Whatley.

In 2023, he coached Rhyan Reinsel to become the first-ever Columbia College Men's qualifier for the Indoor National meet. He lowered his school records to 49.08 seconds in the 400 meters indoors and 10.8 in the 100 meter outdoors.

N’dri joined the Columbia College staff after coaching at Hampton University (2016-17). During his stint at Hampton, N’Dri helped coach 11 athletes to All-MEAC indoor honors, and five members received All-MEAC outdoor honors. In 2016, Hampton University became the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to win the Men’s Indoor IC4A Championship. N’Dri also helped the women's program win the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Outdoor Championship.

During his first year of coaching at Columbia College (2019), N’Dri coached Amber Bell to a 400m school record and indoor conference title in the 400m. Bell also earned school records in 100m, 200m, and 400m during the outdoor season. N’Dri then coached Kelsey White-Kennedy to a school record in the indoor 60m dash and the 4x100m relay team to a new school record during the 2018 season. 

As a professional athlete, N’Dri maintained the Top 20 world rankings for five consecutive seasons. He set Central State University (Ohio) 100-meter school record, and the 2001 Texas Relays meet record in the College Division. A two-time All-American at Central State Ohio in 2001, he was an NAIA 100m and 200m National Champion.

N’Dri is a four-time Olympian and seven-time World Championship participant, where he represented his native country Ivory Coast. During the 2012 London Olympics, he served as the Sprinter/Technique Coach for the Ivory Coast National Team.

N'Dri was the coach for Kempsville High (VA) for four years where he helped produce numerous national qualifiers and conference champions in the Virginia Beach area.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Central State (Ohio) in 2001. He has two young children as well.