Miami Ohio University Athletics
STRAIGHT A TEAM: Sophomore Heptathlete Nicki Mitchell
6/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
June 3, 2008
OXFORD, Ohio - This is the second in a series of 16 features about Miami University's brightest student-athletes. Their exceptional academic performance during the recently completed spring semester earned them a spot on the roster of the RedHawks' exclusive Straight A Team. In addition to their rigorous schedules on the athletic fields, each of these individuals earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average this past semester. Overall, during the 2007-08 academic year, Miami's 500-plus student-athletes earned an impressive cumulative 3.0 GPA in the classroom.
There are many challenges that student-athletes face in their freshman and sophomore years on campus. Miami University sophomore track and field student-athlete Nicki Mitchell does not shy away from challenges and is one of our featured members of the "Straight-A Team".
Mitchell is a pre-med student and a business major.
"Although many people question why I am a business major if I am pre-med, I believe that business skills such as accounting, marketing, and communication among others are very important in today's society," said Mitchell. "If I ever open my own medical practice, I will greatly be in need of these skills." Mitchell earned her spot on the RedHawk Straight-A Team by acing the 2008 spring semester. The challenges faced by the Lake Forest, Ill., native make her accomplishment even more impressive.
Her spring semester schedule included organic chemistry, organic chemistry lab, honors international studies, honors managerial accounting, honors marketing, and Spanish composition.
 Mitchell scored two points for Miami at the '08 MAC Outdoor Championships, taking seventh in the heptathlon  | |
"My toughest class was definitely organic chemistry," added Mitchell. "I didn't think `o-chem' could get much harder after taking it first semester but realized that it could second semester. The class was pure memorization of reactions."
The term "tough" is a relative term. Even attempting the workload involved with such a semester takes some toughness, but earning a straight-4.0 in such a semester while practicing and competing at a high level in the arena of athletics, sets the stage for a very bright future.
Athletically, Mitchell takes on as many challenges as she can find, competing in the heptathlon, the seven-event combination of the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and the 800-meter run on the track with the high jump, shot put, long jump and javelin in the field.
Just like in the classroom, Mitchell shined on the track last semester, winning the All-Ohio indoor pentathlon (60-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put, and 800 meter run) with 3,388 points and finishing sixth in the pentathlon at the MAC indoor championship with a season-high 3,539 points. During the outdoor season, she won the triple jump at the Miami Team Challenge with a bound of 37-2 ½ and ended the year by taking seventh at the MAC Outdoor Championships with a total of 4589 points, scoring two valuable points to help Miami finish in the conference's top-three.
"We placed third by half a point. This small margin just goes to show that every point from individuals can make a huge difference for the team," said Mitchell.
Even with all she has already accomplished, Mitchell looks for big things - both academically and athletically - in the final half of her Miami career.
"For my final years at Miami, I would like to continue with a strong GPA academically. Athletically, I hope to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon," Mitchell continued. "If I can get my hurdle time down and throw farther in the javelin, as well as improvements elsewhere, I believe this is an attainable goal."
Looking at Mitchell's accomplishments, it is easy to think that she is just able to breeze through work that others find impossible. She explains that that is not the case.
"During finals week, I was extremely nervous for an exam the next day. I went to bed at a reasonable hour hoping to get a good night's sleep so my mind would be fresh for the exam," said Mitchell.
"However, I panicked and couldn't fall asleep, and then I panicked that I wasn't going to get enough sleep. So I got up and studied the rest of the night thinking I might as well study if I was just going to lie in bed," she ended.
All of her hard work in Oxford will not only produce an expanded trophy case for parents Anne Marie and Richard but also will be a launching pad for an exciting career in the medical field.
 Mitchell is conducting a summer research project on the metabolic rates of women during and after exercise. | |
"After Miami, I plan to go to medical school," explained the sophomore. "I was pre-accepted at the University of Cincinnati's medical school so I will most likely be attending there. I would love to go into a sports medicine specialty and be a team doctor after med school."
Several factors brought this abundantly-talented student-athlete to Miami, including the pre-medicine program and the women's track and field coaching staff.
"I chose Miami because I was accepted into its Dual Admissions Program, which guarantees me a spot in the University of Cincinnati's medical school. In addition to Miami's notable pre-med program, I also found the track coaches to be very knowledgeable, amicable and capable of turning me into a great athlete."
After such a rigorous semester, Mitchell deserves a summer break. But she is doing nothing of the sort. Instead, she is conducting her own research in exercise science, while working with a favorite professor.
"My favorite professor is actually one that I haven't taken a class with. I worked with Dr. Jeff Potteiger, in the Kinesiology department, on his research project first semester and a little bit second semester," Mitchell explained.
"He continues to work with me this summer, as I am conducting my own experiment testing metabolic rates in women during and after exercise. I have learned immensely from Dr. Potteiger in the labs and he has been extremely helpful, instructive, and supportive," she ended.
Halfway through her time at Miami, Mitchell has set the stage for an even more impressive final two years in Oxford while striving to accomplish the goals she has set for herself.
Judging from her ability to take on and handle the biggest challenges she can find, it seems imminent that her heptathlon score and grade point average will continue to grow.
Players Mentioned
