Freshman Hannah Nichols (Fredericksburg, Va./Chancellor) has transitioned effectively into collegiate running for the EMU track & field team. Despite working with some nervousness at her meet last weekend, Nichols pushed through that to earn her first Royals Athlete of the Week award early in her EMU career.
At the Finn Pincus Invite, she finished second in the 400m with a time of 1:01.37, third in the ODAC this season. She finished only behind a runner from D-I Wingate in the race. Nichols then ran in the non-traditional distance of 600m, winning the race with a time of 1:39.78. She also ranks fourth in the ODAC in the 800m, despite not running in that race this past weekend.
“I was extremely nervous,” Nichols said of last weekend’s race. “But when I finally got to the line and heard the gun, I was hungry for the win.”
Nichols explained that she had not run the 400m since her junior year of high school, but with her college career beginning, she is ready to try new things and take on new challenges for the Royals.
“Both races felt great,” she explained. “Running the 600m was a surprise, but I’m glad that I decided to do it.”
Being a high school athlete just a year ago, Nichols notices differences in the competitive nature of collegiate track & field.
“Honestly, I did not prepare for how competitive college sports would be,” Nichols said. “I was expecting wins to come easy but I was wrong.”
With the new platform of competition at Nichols’ feet, her training sessions have become more in-depth than when she was in high school. With new unique practices and help from her teammates and coaches, Nichols has seen improvements that she is happy with and which help build her confidence on the track.
“I remember thinking ‘seriously, coach, this is pointless,’ and next thing I know I’m PRing by 20 seconds,” Nichols said. “This team has been eye opening and I can’t say thank you enough to the program and people that have come into my life because of it.”
Coach Isaac Bryan has been happy with Nichols’ performance and work ethic.
“Hannah has been running very well this past few weeks,” Bryan said. “She’s got a lot of talent, but more importantly she’s a competitor. Hannah works extremely hard and expects a lot out of herself.”
On top of being a prominent middle-distance runner for the track & field team, Nichols also spent the offseason improving her stamina by running for the cross country team. She is still deciding on her future vocation.
“I love people and I want to go into a career where I can be surrounded by new ideas and constant change,” said Nichols. This weekend, she will travel with her Eastern Mennonite teammates to Winston-Salem, N.C. for the UCS Invitational as the men and women gear up for the ODAC Championships on Feb. 26.