Now in his third year in the Chico State men’s track & field program, Zack Nelson has already shown signs that his senior season could potentially be his all-time best. The Santa Rosa product got the 2023 campaign off to a very productive start at the Chico Multi-Event Classic, garnering a solid fifth place finish in the decathlon. Nelson won one of the 10 events and finished second in two others, while posting a pair of personal best marks. His outstanding efforts during the two-day competition make Nelson the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Nelson piled up 5,673 points at University Stadium, and as a result he currently ranks third among all Division II decathletes nationwide.
Nelson began the Chico Multi-Event Classic with authority Thursday, winning the 100-meter dash with a personal best time of 11.26 seconds. Later in the day he placed seventh in the long jump (6.05 meters), seventh in the shot put (10.09 meters), and tied for seventh in the high jump with a PR height of 1.68 meters.
On Friday, Nelson notched second place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles (15.97 seconds) and the javelin (43.36 meters). Before the competition concluded, he posted Chico State’s highest finish in the discus, placing sixth with a distance of 32.01 meters. Nelson also cleared 3.50 meters in the pole vault, and finished eighth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5:28.74.
Nelson will be part of the Chico State men’s track & field team’s first full meet of the season this Friday and Saturday, with the Wildcats traveling to Turlock to take part in the Stanislaus State-hosted Kim Duyst Invitational.
