Nico Young (born July 27, 2002) is an American distance runner competing as a senior for Northern Arizona University.
He grew up in Camarillo, California and attended Newbury Park High School.
He competed in the United States Olympics Trials in 2021.
Young ran for Newbury Park High School in Newbury Park, California.
2019
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.
2020
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 2001.
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.
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.
The next year, Young placed 3rd in the 5000m and 7th in the 3000m at the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.
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.
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.
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.
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.
