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As an aspiring first generation college student, cross country and track runner Niko Dayment, is looking for sports to bring him towards a good college. Niko has dedicated his time to running, as it is a skill he is exceptional at. He is currently ranked 142 in the state of Illinois. He originally started running to lose weight and to improve before lacrosse season. As he began to realize his natural talent and passion for running, he decided his priority was working hard on the cross country and track seasons. Lacrosse was no longer something he wanted anymore since he found new happiness in running full time.
Last year during his sophomore year of high school, he was ranked the highest performing sophomore. He was improving and accelerating rapidly. He watched his times drop and made his friends and family proud. To say he was successful was an understatement, he set the bar for not only his school but for teams around the whole conference. Everything was going perfect until he sustained an injury that threatened his ability to run. Niko sprained his foot at the end of September 2022 and wasn’t able to continue running until the middle of October that same year. He was overwhelmed with emotions. He felt as if he wanted to quit, and never go back to running again. This moment made him reflect on his entire running experience. Whether or not it was even worth going back just to see his time that he had worked incredibly hard on slipping out from under him.
Through Niko’s defeat he looked to the support of his grandparents, especially his grandmother, to find motivation. Niko says “She’s always made it to [my meets] whether I was running or not”. He always wants to make his family proud, which is why he dedicates an abundance of his time to running. His main goal is to get into a good college and be the first generation college student he and his family have been dreaming of. He is setting the curve for his family, and the trajectory for generations to come. He is a role model for his peers, teammates, family, and everyone in the community.
