Another award has come Nico Young’s way, as the NAU record-setting distance runner on Monday was named the USTFCCCA Men’s National Track Athlete of the Year for the indoor season.
Perhaps no other college athlete in recent memory (save the late, great Henry Rono) has put together the past couple of months as Young has done.
To wit:
- Young became the first person to run a sub-four minute mile at 7,000-feet after running a time of 3:57.33 at the Lumberjack Team Challenge.
- He set the NCAA record for the 5K indoors in Boston at 12:57.14, the first under 13 minutes.
- He doubled at the NCAA Indoor Championships two weeks ago in Boston, handily winning the 5K and 3K.
- And, of course, last weekend at The Ten in San Juan Capistrano, Young achieved the Olympic standard in his outdoor 10K debut in 26:52:72 — in the process, shattering the NCAA record.
- Young’s outdoor performance was not considered in this indoor award, but it bodes well for the outdoor season — both the NCAAs (assuming he doesn’t turn pro immediately) and the Olympic Trials in June.
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