Nico Young, the reigning Gatorade National Boys Track and Field and Cross Country Athlete of the Year, made his much anticipated collegiate debut on Monday at the Silver State Collegiate Cross Country Challenge in North Las Vegas. The freshman immediately made in impact on the national scene, as he turned in a time of 22:52.7 to finish his 8K in second, just 2.3 seconds behind BYU's Conner Mantz, last season's national third-place finisher.
The race included No. 2 BYU, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 18 Washington, No. 24 Weber State and No. 27 Air Force as many programs returned from extended layoffs dating back to the condensed fall schedule or even back to last spring's track and field season.