Nico Young
| File:Nico young.png | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | July 27, 2002 |
| Home town | Camarillo, California |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Track and Field |
| Events | |
| University team | Northern Arizona Lumberjacks |
| Coached by | Sean Brosnan (2016-2020) Michael Smith (2020-Present) |
Medal record | |
Nico Young (born July 27, 2002) is an American distance runner competing as a sophomore for Northern Arizona University. He grew up in Camarillo, California and attended Newbury Park High School. He competed in the Olympics Trials in 2021.[1][2]
Athletic career
High School Career
Young ran for Newbury Park High School in Newbury Park, California. He broke the 3 mile American high school record at the 2019 Woodbridge Invitational, running a time of 13:39.7,[3] and lowered the American high school indoor 3000m record (previously held by Drew Hunter), running a time of 7:56.91.[4] At the 2019 Nike Cross Nationals, Young won the race and set the course record with a time of 14:52[5] and led Newbury Park to the team victory. Young was named the 2019-20 XC National Gatorade Player of the Year[1] and the 2019-20 Track and Field National Gatorade Player of the Year.[1]
Collegiate career
During the 2020 cross country season, Young placed 4th place at the 2020 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships with a time of 29:58.3[6] at the 10 km distance, the highest a true freshman has placed since 2001. He set an American junior record in the 5000m at the 2021 Drake Relays with a time of 13:24.26.[7] With this time he qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, where he ran 13:35.94 and finished 9th.[8]
Later that year, Young placed only 11th at the 2021 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships with a time of 28:57.5, but he also would lower the American junior record in the indoor 5000m with a time of 13:22.59 at the BU Season Opener on December 4, 2021. The next year, Young placed 3rd in the 5000m and 7th in the 3000m at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Young ran 13:11.30 at the Sound Running Track Meet in San Juan Capistrano, which is the fastest 5000m ever run by an American teenager and the 3rd fastest outdoor 5000m in collegiate history.[9] He would end up placing 3rd in the 5000m at the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. At the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Young placed 8th in the 5000m, running a time of 13:19.15.
During the 2022 cross country season, Young would set an 10 km personal best of 28:01 at the NCAA Division I Mountain Region Cross Country Championships on November 11, 2022 before placing 2nd at the 2022 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships with a time of 28:44.5. Two weeks later, Young lowered his indoor 5000m personal best to 13:15.25 at the BU Season Opener on Decembember 3, 2022, finishing 5th in a field of collegiate and professional runners.
Personal Achievements
High School Personal Bests
| Event | Time | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | 800 m | 2:06.8h | April 23, 2018 | Newbury Park, California | |
| 1600 m | 4:07.33+ | March 23, 2019 | Azusa, California | ||
| Mile | 4:08.82 | March 23, 2019 | Azusa, California | ||
| 3000 m | 8:11.02+ | April 6, 2019 | Arcadia, California | ||
| 3200 m | 8:40.00 | April 6, 2019 | Arcadia, California | ||
| 5000 m | 13:50.55 | June 23, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | ||
| Indoor | 1500 m | 3:58.64+ | January 29, 2019 | Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Mile | 4:14.92 | January 26, 2019 | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| 3000 m | 7:56.97 | February 8, 2020 | New York City, New York | High School Record | |
| XC | 3 miles | 13:39.7 | September 20–21, 2019 | Norco, California | Former High School Record |
| 5 km | 14:28.5 | November 30, 2019 | Fresno, California |
College Personal Bests
| Event | Time | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | 1500 m | 3:37.75 | April 15, 2022 | Azusa, California | |
| 5000 m | 13:11.30 | May 6, 2022 | San Juan Capistrano, California | ||
| Indoor | 800 m | 1:54.21A | January 21, 2022 | Flagstaff, Arizona | |
| Mile | 3:56.00 | January 29, 2022 | Seattle, Washington | ||
| 5000 m | 13:15.25 | March 11, 2022 | Birmingham, Alabama | ||
| XC | 8 km | 22:30.8 | February 9, 2021 | North Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| 10 km | 28:01.8 | November 20, 2021 | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
References
- ^ a b c "Nico Young - Track & Field". Northern Arizona University Athletics. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "College Runner Nico Young Comes Out As Gay in Emotional Instagram Post". www.out.com. September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Ochsner, Steve. "Best All-Time Boys Individual (SilverLakes course)". Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ S, Rich; s. "High School 3000 Record Falls To Nico Young". Track & Field News. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "Nike Cross Nationals", Wikipedia, September 24, 2021, retrieved September 26, 2021
- ^ Curley, Joe. "Nico Young to complete memorable freshman collegiate year at Olympic Trials". Ventura County Star. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "Nico Young Posts Breakthrough Performance at Drake Relays". Northern Arizona University Athletics. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ Newman, Eric. "Northern Arizona runner Nico Young reflects on freshman season". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ Mull, Cory (May 7, 2022). "Lex Young, Colin Sahlman Generate Historic 5K, 1,500 Efforts". MileSplit United States. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
