[Gresham, Oregon] Super Sophomore seems to fit Jaxson Nichols in more ways than one. In an incredible display of his athletic ability combined with his dedication to the team and those around him, Nichols scored a team and meet high 31 points at the NWAC track and field championships May 22-23 at Mt Hood Community College.
His efforts won the High Point Award that goes to the individual that scores the most points for their team. As a result, he was also named the NWAC Baden Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Jaxson lead his team to a third consecutive second place finish in the team scoring race.
This is the second year in a row that the Sasquatch men have earned this recognition. In 2022 Bradley Fillis won three throwing events at the conference championships scoring 30 points and being named Athlete of the Year.
Nichols won the conference decathlon title on May 2-3 with a winning score of 6069 points. He won five of the 10 events and improved almost 800 points in only his second decathlon ever.
During the regular NWAC championships Nichols was entered in four events where he finished in the top 6 in each event. Most impressive was defending his 2022 conference high jump title which he won by clearing 6’ 5”. The 2023 version was any impressive 7” improvement with a winning clearance of 7’ .25”. This ranks him #2 of the Spokane All-Time performance lists.
Nichols finished in 5th place in the triple jump leaping 44’.75” good for 4 points in only the second time competing in this event. He finished in 5th place in the javelin throw with a season best 158’ 5” good for another 4 points. In the men’s long jump, he finished in 6th place with a season best 22’ 7.75” scoring another 3 points. The decathlon and high jump wins were worth 10 point a piece totaling 14 different events and 31 points.
Jaxson will collect his Athlete of the Year award at the NWAC Hall of Fame Banquet schedule for June 1 in Pasco, Washington.