Nickoley got start on hall of fame career at early age

Former Shawnee Heights track and field coach Mike Nash knew there was a budding runner in the Heights area long before Trisa Nickoley arrived at the school as a freshman.

"I first noticed her when she was running down 45th Street with her dad," said Nash, who coached Nickoley three years at Heights. "There was this blond-haired girl with a pony tail bobbing, and that's when I first saw her as a runner.

"The background story to behind that is her mom was our child care provider for both of my boys, but I didn't drop the kids off, so I really wasn't aware there was a phenom living on 45th Street, although I'd see her all the time when she was like in fifth or sixth grade."

Neither Nash or anyone else could have predicted that young runner would become one of the greatest middle-distance runners in Kansas history.

Nickoley, a 2004 Heights graduate, will be inducted Wednesday night into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame along with Ron Bowen and the late Pete Goering at the downtown Ramada Hotel and Convention Center in conjunction with the annual Topeka Shawnee County high school awards.

Nickoley, a 2004 Shawnee Heights graduate, earned an amazing 17 5A state championships in cross country and track and never lost an individual race in state competition in either sport.

Nickoley, No. 32 on The Capital-Journal’s 2011 list of the Top 100 Athletes in Shawnee County history, went on to earn All-Big 12 and All-America honors at Missouri and is still Kansas’ all-time state leader in the 800 meters (2 minutes, 06.67 seconds). She was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2018.

"She was very focused and just a nice young lady, but you put her on the track and she was a terror," said Nash, who will introduce Nickoley for induction Wednesday night. "She had the ability to reel people in."

Nickoley was also known for her versatility.

"She also ran on some of our sprint relays, and I think at one time even ran a leg on our (400-meter) relay, so if you count that she was running everything from a 100 leg on a relay up through the 3,200," said Nash, who was replaced by current Heights coach Brad Nicks after he retired in 2003. "You talk about versatility."

Bowen was the longtime football coach at Washburn Rural, leading the Junior Blues to three Class 5A state championships in the 1980s and a runner-up state finish in 6A in the early ’90s.

Bowen posted a 156-73 record at Rural and is also a member of the KSHSAA Hall of Fame.

Goering, who died in 2009 at the age of 60 after a battle with cancer, had a storied 35-year career with The Topeka Capital-Journal as a sports beat writer, columnist, sports editor and editor.

Goering’s peers voted him Kansas sportswriter of the year five times. He is a member of the Washburn Athletics Hall of Fame.

All nine Shawnee County high schools have multiple senior athletes nominated for the high school awards that will be presented on June 26.

To be eligible, an athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

Awards will be presented to top female and male athletes in the fall, winter and spring seasons, as well as overall female and male athletes of the year and the most inspirational female and male.

TOPEKA SHAWNEE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS NOMINEES

FALL FEMALE — Brooklyn Hunter, Hayden; Tione Jackson, Highland Park; Aleksandra Sadowska, Seaman; Sydney Wellshear, Shawnee Heights; Abby Pressgrove, Silver Lake; Abby Wagemaker, Topeka High; Kiora Brooks, Topeka West; Shelby Ebert, Washburn Rural.

FALL MALE — Daniel Hernandez, Hayden; Spencer Jackman, Highland Park; Garrett Carver, Rossville; Sam Payne, Seaman; TJ Swietek, Shawnee Heights; Grant Cooney, Topeka High; Ethan Burke, Topeka West; Easton Weber, Washburn Rural.

WINTER FEMALE — Brooklyn Hunter, Hayden; Tione Jackson, Highland Park; Caila Hill, Rossville; Brianna Evans, Seaman; Cayla Bortz, Shawnee Heights; Gabby Rivera, Topeka West; Carly Bachelor, Washburn Rural.

WINTER MALE — Levi Braun, Hayden; Kenny Hartzell, Highland Park; Josh Florence, Seaman; Chris Berry, Shawnee Heights; Freddy Maisberger IV, Shawnee Heights; Vince Vehige, Topeka High; Korbin Kido, Topeka West; Jordan White, Washburn Rural.

SPRING FEMALE — Hannah Spellman, Hayden; Sage Poe, Highland Park; Kelcie Kippes, Rossville; Megan Skoch, Seaman; Abbey Fischer, Shawnee Heights; Abby Pressgrove, Silver Lake; Alyssa Morrell, Topeka High; Riley Zook, Topeka West; Jaybe Shufelberger, Washburn Rural.

SPRING MALE — Sean Sandstrom, Hayden; Xavier Austin, Highland Park; Parker Wildeman, Seaman; Tyce Brown, Shawnee Heights; Jake Lindstrom, Silver Lake; Whitney Banks, Topeka High; Zu’mere Beard, Topeka West; Ryker Kramer, Washburn Rural.

MOST INSPIRATIONAL FEMALE — Katye Vausbinder, Hayden; Sage Poe, Highland Park; Madison Dees, Seaman; Shy Tyler, Shawnee Heights; Tionna German, Topeka High; Shelby Ebert, Washburn Rural.

MOST INSPIRATIONAL MALE — Levi Braun, Hayden; Alejandro Martinez, Highland Park; Jared Kerr, Seaman; Santiago Soto, Shawnee Heights; Tate Donohue, Topeka West; Hunter Turner, Washburn Rural.

TOPEKA SHAWNEE COUNTY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

RON BOWEN — Bowen coached Washburn Rural to three Class 5A state football championships in the 1980s (’85, ’86 and ’89) and the Junior Blues finished second to Lawrence in the 6A title game in 1992. A member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame, Bowen compiled a record of 156-73 in 23 seasons as Rural’s head coach. Washburn Rural’s football stadium is named Bowen-Glaze Stadium in honor of Bowen and former Rural assistant Ray Glaze.

PETE GOERING — Goering, who died in 2009 at the age of 60 after a battle with cancer, had a long, storied career with The Capital-Journal as a sports beat writer, columnist, sports editor and editor. Goering’s peers voted him the Kansas sportswriter of the year five times. He is a member of the Washburn Athletics Hall of Fame and received the Clyde M. Reed Jr. Master Editor Award from the Kansas Press Association in 2008 for lifetime achievement in the newspaper industry.

TRISA NICKOLEY — A 2004 Shawnee Heights graduate, Nickoley earned 17 5A state championships in cross country and track and never lost an individual race in state competition in either sport. Nickoley, No. 32 on The Capital-Journal’s 2011 list of the Top 100 Athletes in Shawnee County history, went on to earn All-Big 12 honors and All-America honors at Missouri and is still Kansas’ all-time state leader in the 800 meters (2 minutes, 06.67 seconds). She was inducted into the KSHSAA Hall of Fame in 2018.