Gilbert senior Vance Nilsson, who just made history by breaking the U.S. national high school record in the 300-meter hurdles , has made his college decision. Nilsson will be attending Florida next year on a full scholarship.
Nilsson will be under head coach Mike Holloway, one the most successful coaches in track and field. Holloway has won 13 NCAA championships with Florida during his 22 seasons at the school. He was most recently one of the head coaches for the Team USA track and field team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Holloway is also known for developing hurdlers at the next level and beyond. There have been only four sweeps of the men’s 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships — Florida owns three of them. A total of 12 World Championships gold medals have been won by Holloway-coached sprinters and hurdlers.
Nilsson hopped on a plane and visited Florida the day after his national record was set, a visit that had already been set in motion before his record-breaking weekend. It didn't take long for him to realize that Florida was the best place for him on the official visit. Nilsson and one of his club coaches with the Arizona Flames, Jayson Vazquez, have long talked about how they both view Florida as the "holy grail" for hurdling.
While the world-class facilities and the prominent culture of track and field at the school were certainly a draw, Nilsson raved about the food in particular.
"Food for athletes is top-notch," Nilsson said. “No where else is nearly as good. The food there is so good. I’m sort of a picky eater. I like to eat very healthy and I’m not a big fan of sauces or any extra stuff like that. This place has so much selection, it’s a humongous buffet and you can eat there as many times as you want. That was one of the biggest things for me because food is my biggest concern. I want to put on a little bit more weight but it’s hard for me because I have to eat a lot of food — but I still want to eat good food. This place blew me out of the water for food. I really like the food.”
Nilsson — also a passionate fan of track and field — watched Holloway coach practice as well. He said it was “mind-blowing” to see so many elite athletes. Florida is the two-time defending NCAA champions on the men's side and is aiming for a three-peat this June at Hayward Field in Oregon.
One of the best American hurdlers ever, Grant Holloway (no relation) is a recent Florida alum who still trains under his former college coach. Holloway is the collegiate record holder in the 110-meter hurdles and is No. 2 all-time in U.S. history for the event.
Nilsson said the plan is to do both the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles at Florida, as opposed to focusing only on one event. He broke the Arizona state high school record in the 110-meter hurdles at the AIA Division I State Track & Field Championships two weeks ago when he ran 13.39, taking down Phoenix Brophy Prep's Devon Allen's 2013 record of 13.50. Allen went on to become an NCAA champion at Oregon before making two Olympic teams.
"They have a really good history with dual hurdlers,” Nilsson said. “I know they’re going to train me in both of the hurdles. For as long as I’m in college, I don’t see why not because it’s an opportunity to earn more points.
“I think I can improve so much more there. I have a lot of room to grow. I’m super excited about the future. I think I’m going to have a lot of fun as well.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school and Olympic sports. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe .
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vance Nilsson, U.S. high school record-holder in the 300M hurdles, commits to Florida
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