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In The Nick Of Time
6/15/2020 2:00:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
Sophomore and San Marcos, Texas native Nicks Hicks was among the contingent of throwers who had excelled during the indoor season and had his eyes set on an even loftier outdoor campaign.
With four top-three finishes under his belt, including a silver medal in the weight throw at the C-USA Indoor Championships, Hicks and company were primed to make a statement deep into the summer.
"We knew last spring that once this outdoor season came around we could really do some damage," said Hicks. "We had a stacked group of guys throwing the discus and five guys in the shot put. Really for most of our events, we had three or four guys that were going to be able to damage at conference. We were hyped and we were ready, but we lost the season and lost those seniors."
Like most other student-athletes, Hicks found out the season came to a premature close due to the COVID pandemic with a notification on his phone. An outdoor season that seemed so promising was over in an instant.
"I had just finished one practice and was eating lunch about to go to another practice, and I saw the update on my phone that the NCAA had canceled all its championships, which effectively ended our season," he said. "I had such high hopes for the outdoor season. As a team we had been working so hard and to have it end literally a week before our season was about to begin, it was tough."
Hicks, who claimed the No. 3 weight throw mark (19.35m/63-6.00) in school history in Birmingham this February, had been trending up throughout the indoor season culminating with the personal best performance that landed him on the medal stand.
"I was kind of getting my feet wet as the season began and as it went on, I started getting momentum and finding my groove," he said. "By the time we got to Birmingham, I was feeling pretty good and obviously ended up tying for first place. I was pretty proud that all the hard work I had put in during the fall had paid off."
A future in track and field wasn't always in Hicks' plans. Throughout his four years at San Marcos High School, Hicks dabbled in both football and track but he believed any sort of aspiration of competing at the next level would be with him in shoulder pads protecting the quarterback's blind side. After moving from defensive line to left tackle and posting solid results his senior year, Hicks was looking at some DIII offers. But midway through his final year something clicked in the throwing department.
"About halfway through that year I began picking things up and started getting better by 10 feet, 20 feet, and the next thing I knew I was throwing about 177 feet," Hicks said. "That's when my high school coach got in contact with Rice and Coach Christensen and as they say rest is history."
Hicks credits Christensen and the Owls for taking a chance on him despite being a late bloomer. In return, Hicks has turned in a pair of C-USA All-Conference performances over his first two seasons in Houston and seems to only be getting better thanks in part to the culture and competition around him.
"Nick is a tremendous asset to not only our throws group, but to the entire track and field team," said Christensen. "Since his first day on campus, he has been a tenacious worker. He combines dedication to his craft with a charismatic personality and truly special athletic ability. He has accomplished a lot in his short time competing for Rice, but I can guarantee you that he will continue to work, improve, and leave a legacy for future athletes to admire."
During his freshman season, Hicks was able to rub elbows with current weight throw and hammer throw school record holder Austin Riddle (now a volunteer assistant), as well as C-USA champion Uche Ugwunze and former transfer Matt Garcia. To this day, all three still show up to practices at various times to show support and encouragement to Hicks and company, a bond that Hicks credits for his personal improvement.
A Sport Management major with concentration in sport analytics, Hicks aspires to one day perhaps crunch numbers with the Houston Astros or Houston Rockets. In the meantime, there are still goals Hicks would like to accomplish in the ring. If the last three months have taught him anything, it's to not take one moment for granted.
"I think if anything I've learned to cherish relationships of teammates and that the time we have to compete is limited," he said. "No season is actually guaranteed, whether it be injury or an outside force that can derail your team. I just know that every time I get to compete, I'm going to give it 100 percent every time."
