A little over a month into the 2022 outdoor track and field season, and Hillsdale College sophomore Joshua Nichols stands alone.
Thanks to a great mark at the Tiffin Carnival this past weekend, Nichols is currently the top triple jumper in the G-MAC with the conference meet just three weeks away.
Nichols was recognized by the conference for his performance this afternoon, earning G-MAC Field Athlete of the Week honors. It's the first time in his career that the Star, Idaho native has won a weekly conference honor.
On Friday, Nichols became the first triple jumper in the G-MAC this season to surpass 14 meters outdoors, jumping 14.05 meters to take third overall in the event. It's just the second time in his career that Nichols has gone over 14 meters, and the first time outdoors, but the sophomore has been a mainstay for the Chargers in the event for the last two years, placing at both the 2021 and 2022 G-MAC Indoor Championships and the 2021 Outdoor Championships in the triple jump.
Last year, Nichols took third outdoors at the G-MAC Championships, and this past winter he was the conference runner-up in the event with a distance of 14.16 meters, his career best. The sophomore will be looking to surpass that mark and contend for the conference crown in Owensboro, Kentucky three weeks from now.
Nichols is also moving closer to achieving a first-ever NCAA DII provisional qualifying mark in the event. The mark to make is 14.71 meters, and that will certainly be on the sophomore's mind over the next month's worth of meets.
The Hillsdale College track and field team is in action again this weekend, splitting its squad between the Georgia Tech Invite in Atlanta, Georgia and the Gibson Invite in Terre Haute, Indiana for its next action.
Photo by Reily Rogers, Lee Athletics