It has been an incredible spring for the senior from Gilbert, and now he's getting ready for the biggest test of his young career
Logan StanleyArizona Republic
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When he was just a young freshman at Gilbert High School, track and field was nowhere near the top of mind for Vance Nilsson. He was focused on football, trying to break through as a wide receiver.
But the tall and lengthy Nilsson struggled to make an impact on the football field, so he decided to put all his energy into the sport of track and field headed into his junior year. The results have been nothing short of spectacular.
First, he broke the Arizona state record in the 300-meter hurdles in April, taking down the old mark held by Brophy Prep’s Bobby Grant since 2014.
Then he broke the state record in the 110-meter hurdles in May at the Division I State Championships, lowering the time Brophy Prep’s Devon Allen ran in 2013. A few hours later, Nilsson ran the second-fastest time in U.S. high school history for the 300-meter hurdles. The stage was set for the following week at the AIA State Championships.
There, Nilsson broke the U.S. high school national record in the 300 hurdles by running 34.83 seconds — becoming the first American prep athlete ever to run under 35 seconds in the event.
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And just last week, Nilsson won the United States Track and Field Under-20 Championship and Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 400-meter hurdles.
Next up: the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Nilsson, The Arizona Republic's high school male athlete of the 2023-24 school year, is committed to Florida. He is one of nine high schoolers competing in the trials, according to FloTrack and Runner’s World.
More: Gilbert's Vance Nilsson named Republic's 2023-24 Male High School Athlete of the Year
The first round of the men’s 400-meter hurdles is on June 27 at 6:20 p.m.
It’ll be a different experience at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials for Nilsson, who has led the way this season against his fellow competition. He was a perfect 25-0 in every hurdle race at the high school level in a Gilbert uniform.
Now, he’s up against athletes who are faster than him in the 400 hurdles. Out of the 34 accepted entries, Nilsson’s time puts him at 23rd. Only the top three finishers at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials with the Olympic standard time make the team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nilsson is focused on being in the moment. He will be rubbing shoulders with the athletes he looks up to and has watched on TV.
There are some nerves. But he’s still a competitor at heart and looks forward to the chance to race against the best in the country.
“I’m just happy that I got accepted, that I can run there,” Nilsson said. “I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere – super competitive. I’m definitely going to be nervous because there’s some dogs out there. But I think it will be a great opportunity for me to push myself and race against people that I’ve never raced against before.
“If I get eliminated in the first round, I won’t be mad about that. But I think I can make it through the first round, maybe the second round. I would say I’m just going in open-minded, do as best as I can and go from there.”
Nilsson will be running with his club track team, the Arizona Flames, and his teammate James Smith II in the same event. They are coached by Smith II’s father, James Smith.
Smith and Nilsson have been paired up since last season.
“The best thing he can do is go out there and run a PR (personal record) and live up to the moment,” Smith said. “The stands are full. I don’t know if he’s been on a stage quite this big – regardless of high school, state, nationals, all that, this is the Olympic Trials. I think if he can just go out there and perform, that says a lot to stand there and not freak out and run a good race. That’s all I’m really looking for. Whatever that is is what it is, because these guys are on a different level. I think he can make it past the first round.”
Another high school national record is in play for Nilsson. The record right now is 49.38, set in 2002 by Kenneth Ferguson. Nilsson has a personal best time of 50.23.
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, ASU and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@gannett.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@LSscribe.
