Nico Young

Nicolas Young (born July 27, 2002) is an American long-distance runner. He is a two-time NCAA champion having won both the 3000 m and 5000 m at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships while competing for Northern Arizona University. He also holds the collegiate records in the 5000 m (12:57.14) and 10,000 m (26:52.72), both set in 2024. He comes out as gay.

High school career
Young ran for Newbury Park High School in Newbury Park, California. He broke the 3 mile cross country American high school record at the 2019 Woodbridge Invitational, running a time of 13:39.7, and lowered the American high school indoor 3000m record (previously held by Drew Hunter), running a time of 7:56.91. At the 2019 Nike Cross Nationals, Young won the race and set the course record with a time of 14:52 and led Newbury Park to the team victory. Young was named the 2019-20 XC National Gatorade Player of the Year and the 2019-20 Track and Field National Gatorade Player of the Year. He was the first to sweep both awards in the same season. His brother Leo picked up the California version of the Cross Country award in 2022. His senior season in 2020 was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His season amounted to time trials with his brothers and teammates.

2020–2021
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 at the 10 km distance, the highest a true freshman has placed since 2013. He set an American junior record in the 5000m at the 2021 Drake Relays with a time of 13:24.26. With this time he qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, where he ran 13:35.94 and finished 9th.

2021–2022
Later that year, Young placed 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.

In 2022, Young placed 3rd in the 5000m and 7th in the 3000m at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.

On May 6, 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. 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.

2022–2023
During the 2022 cross country season, Young would set a 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 December 3, 2022, finishing 5th in a field of collegiate and professional runners.

2023-2024
Young placed 6th at the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships with a time of 29:04.2.

On January 26, 2024, at Boston University's John Thomas Terrier Classic, Young placed 2nd to Adrian Wildschutt's 12:56.76 in the men's 5000m White Heat, with a new personal best time of 12:57.14, defeating the 13:00.00 barrier, setting a new NCAA record, and hitting the Paris 2024 Olympics' qualifying standard of 13:05.00.

On March 8, Young won his first NCAA individual title at the 2024 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships over 5000m. His last three 200m laps were recorded at 28.47, 27.10, and 27.29 seconds, respectively. He followed up the victory the next day with a NCAA title at 3000m in 7:41.01. North Carolina's Parker Wolfe finished second in both events, but was not within a second of Young in either.

Just one week after his double-gold performance at The Track at New Balance in Boston, Young made his debut in the 10,000 m on the track, competing at The TEN in San Juan Capistrano with the goal of achieving the Olympic qualifying standard of 27:00.00. Finishing in second place behind American-record holder Grant Fisher, Young broke the collegiate record of 27:08.49 set by Sam Chelanga, and hit the Olympic standard, running a time of 26:52.72. Later that month, on March 25, Young announced he had signed an NIL deal with adidas.

Two weeks after the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he placed second in the 5000m to Parker Wolfe, Young competed in the 10,000m at the Olympic trials. He out-kicked Drew Hunter to place third and qualify for the Olympic Games.