Two-time Pac-12 women athlete of the year isn’t done quite yet
BOULDER, Colo. (BVM) – From August to November, the crowd at every football game at Folsom Field watches awe as Ralphie runs across the field. But there’s a different person running for CU that should be grabbing everyone’s attention: Abby Nichols. A transfer student from Ohio State finishing up her eligibility at the University of Colorado, she has made her mark not only at CU, but on the entirety of the Pac-12 conference.
While at the Pac-12 Track and Field conference tournament from May 13-15, Nichols brought home a multitude of accolades as well as putting her name in the record books. Nichols swept the 5,000 and 10,000 meter titles at the tournament becoming only the third women to do so in Pac-12 history. While doing so, she set a Pac-12 meet record and University of Colorado team record in the 10k race, finishing with a time of 32 minutes and 27.25 seconds which also is the top time in the NCAA this year.
Nichols continues to impress and would eventually go on to be named the Pac-12 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year. By doing so, she became the first CU athlete to be recognized for that award. However, this is nothing new to Nichols as she was named Pac-12 Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2021. She is now the second Buffalo to be named a two-time Pac-12 women athlete of the year.
Now as Nichols continues to prepare for the NCAA championships beginning June 8, we take a look at how an Ohio girl born and raised ended up repping the Buffalo black and gold.
Growing up in Kettering, Ohio, Nichols would join her high school team her sophomore year. Her skills would improve after miles of running the Iron Horse Trail near her home. A few years later, Nichols found herself at Ohio State University. In 2019 as a junior, Nichols would be the first Ohio State runner to win the 5,000 meter Big Ten championship.
In an interview with the Dayton Daily News, Nichols said, “I had a good experience at Ohio State, and then COVID hit, and I had two more years. I wanted a challenge, so I transferred out here because this program has a lot of history, and I knew a lot about the coaches and their track record. I wanted to be a part of this.”
At the NCAA championships, Nichols will only be focused on running the 5,000 meter race in Eugene, Oregon in the coming weeks.
With Nichols college eligibility coming to an end, she would still like to pursue running as her college journey comes to an end.
“It’s taken me a long time in college to get to this place where I’m really competitive,” she said to the Dayton Daily News. “Now that I’m here, it’s sad that it’s ending, but I can look back and really appreciate how far I’ve come. I’ve had to really develop as a runner. I haven’t been the best from the very beginning. I have a lot of people to thank for that, like, my Ohio State coach and my coaches here and all the teammates I’ve had.”
