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The Red Banner Race Report
Featuring and celebrating NAIA cross country/track and field athletes, coaches, and supporters. This podcast is an independent production and is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by the NAIA.
The Red Banner Race Report
Nico Altheimer, St. Thomas University
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Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, where we feature the amazing athletes and performances in NAIA cross country and track and field. We are joined by the NAIA Outdoor National Championships' Most Valuable Performer, Nico Altheimer. The St. Thomas University Men's Track and Field Program recorded its best finish in program history in third place, led by Altheimer, a freshman, who earned MVP honors after claiming Individual National titles in the 100 and 200-meter races before contributing to a third-place effort in the 4x100 relay and again in the 4x400 finals, to place fifth.
Altheimer was the Sun Conference outdoor champion in the 100, 200, and 4x100, and was All-American at the indoor championships, finishing sixth in the 200. As a high school senior, he competed for Curtis High School in Washington State, earning a state championship in the 100, 200, 4x100 relay, and even placing in the top ten in the 300-meter hurdles. He made the podium at elite meets like Nike Nationals and the USATF National Junior Olympics, and clearly, the transition from high school athletics to collegiate competition has been successful. Join us as we chat with this dynamic first-year student athlete who has made an immediate impact in the NAIA in 2026.
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Welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast, where we feature the amazing athletes and performances in NAI Cross Country and Trek and Field. We are joined by NAI Outdoor National Championship's most valuable performer, Nico Alzheimer. The St. Thomas University men's track and field program recorded their best finish in program history in third place as a team led by Alzheimer's Joseph Freshman, who earned MVP honors after claiming individual national titles in the 100 and 200-meter races before contributing to a third place effort in the 4x1 and again in the 4x4 finals to place 5th. Alzheimer was the Sun Conference outdoor champion in the 100, 200, and 4x1, and was All-American at the indoor championships, finishing sixth in the 200-meter dash. As a high school senior, he competed for Curtis High School in Washington State, earning a state championship in the 100, 200, 4x1, and even placed in the top 10 in the 300-meter hurdles. He's made the podium at elite meets like Nike Nationals and the USATF National Junior Olympics. And clearly the transition from high school athletics to collegiate competition has been quite successful. Thanks for joining me and welcome to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast.
SPEAKER_02Thank you. Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, first of all, let's jump in and um, you know, cut to the chase. You just had a huge national meet. You got not one, but two national titles individually, another all-American finish with your relay. So let's let's reflect on that. Talk to us about how that felt when you stood on the podium, not once, right? Three times. Um, coming in as a freshman, immediately becoming an NAI outdoor national MVP as well. You were named the most valuable performer at the meet. So talk about how that felt. And did you expect that or did it surprise even you?
SPEAKER_02Um, so I coming in, I definitely did expect to at least win one uh, you know, outdoor uh national title, um, which was more of the 200. That's what I really came in thinking I was gonna win. The 100 was really actually to me and just the race itself was very very unique. Um it wasn't one of my best, but I ended up coming away with the dub. You know, I wasn't ranked coming in to at least even get top three. So for me to do that, that was very, you know, rare, and I was actually I was actually very excited. Like that was probably my my best race all season. Even if we go based on a time-wise, it wasn't the fastest, it was still one of my best. The relay, um, we actually expected to do a lot better, but for us to still get top three with the team that we had, it was just it was it was unique. It was it was great, and I I'm actually glad that we were able to finish off the season as a top three team. Um but yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, pretty impressive. I I'm not sure in the history of the NAI if any freshman has ever won both. So I guess we'd have to do a little research and find that out, but I'm guessing it's pretty pretty unique to see that happen. Well, let's hear about you. Tell us your your story. How did you get introduced to the sport of track? When did that begin for you? And how did you first get involved?
SPEAKER_02Um, so I first got introduced my eighth grade year, uh, like summer eighth grade. So it was basically like the end of COVID around 2021. Um and I got introduced during club um with my mom and stuff. And I kind of I was like, I've always kind of enjoyed running, and I was always kind of fast. So it's something that we I just told my mom I wanted to do because I wanted to get back into shape. Um and I I really enjoyed it. So then from there, I kind of let that like kind of just take off. High school I did it, and I feel like I really started like getting into the sport, like seriously, my sophomore year, because that's when I stopped playing basketball too. So is when I I actually got into okay, I'm gonna actually continue doing this track thing. And I've like junior year will be when I actually kind of took it off, and that's when I actually feel like I got technically fast to where I was like, okay, I could actually do this in college. Um so I think really it started, it started in eighth grade, but I really started taking it serious sophomore in my junior year of high school, and my senior just kind of solidified me knowing that I was gonna okay, I was gonna continue doing this.
SPEAKER_00Well, let's talk about how you chose which college you would attend. What made you decide on St. Thomas for your collegiate career?
SPEAKER_02Well, honestly, I was supposed to actually go, I was supposed to go to Kentucky um out of out of high school, but I ended up having NCAA credit issues, which means I was missing a credit for my NCAA. So I wouldn't be able to run and I'll be, I wasn't really able to even go to a D1. So I would either have to go JUCO for two years or go NAIA for a year. And the Kentucky coach knew Coach Joey. Personally, they said that he's a great coach. He's a great person to, you know, for me to go for I can actually improve and get better. And I was like, well, in my mind, my mindset, I was like, automatically I was gonna come because my goal was to transfer. Now that we're here, I decided that I am gonna, you know, I'm gonna look at my options before I make my next move. But that's how I got, that's how I got to St. Thomas.
SPEAKER_00Okay, that was my next question. If you were planning on transferring, so you're not sure yet. It's still a uh still still up there. The cards are on the table. Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00Well, as you are located in Miami, how does training in that heat, do you think that's an advantage for you to have that better weather year round? Um, do you think that that's played a role in sharpening your success in the NAIA coming from Washington State? So I'm curious to see what you think about the weather.
SPEAKER_02Um, I tell my friends that all the time too. I always told them if I was in Washington, if I was if I was in Miami, what I ran in Washington, I would have ran way faster. Like, um, I feel like the heat, not saying that it it's it's it's definitely better because it's something that I'm not used to, but not in a bad way. I feel like it's a great advantage. Um, it helps me. I just feel like it's easier for me to warm up. I enjoy it a lot better. I don't have to deal with the rain or cold all the time. And like it's it's something that I definitely can, you know, get used to. Um I feel like I adjusted very well to that from from coming from Washington, just for something like this, I've always done clubs, so it's kind of like I've never been in my, I'm not always in my state all the time. So I was able to adjust and really actually get, you know, acclimated to just the weather and how it is. And I'm I'm I'm really glad that I, if anything, that stood stews in Miami. I really liked it.
SPEAKER_00Mm-hmm. Well, which do you prefer more, the indoor season or the outdoor season?
SPEAKER_02Um, to me, I don't really like indoor for real. I'm more of an outdoor kind of kind of guy. I just feel like I've always been pref I prefer I perform better in like the second half of my season. Um and I feel like this is probably the first time I actually did like a full, like I trained for indoor and I actually ran indoor. More of it, just me just keeping my body like just you know, I did bass training and all that stuff. So I I really do prefer outdoor more, but I have to get that indoor part, you know, 100% down.
SPEAKER_00Well, what would you consider your uh, you know, premier event? Like if you could pick from maybe the 60 through to the 200, what would you think is the event where most of your strength lies?
SPEAKER_02Um, I'll definitely say the 200, um, because I feel like my my best part of my race is the end. Um I'm really a top-end individual, so like the beginning parts of my race are a little um shaky where they do need to get worked on. But like I'll say the 200 really is where I show off my my capabilities, my my skill and speed.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Well, speaking of training, sprinters have very specific elements and they may have to focus on one more than another if one is you know more difficult or it doesn't come as naturally. So, what is one specific part of your race that you have really focused on this season that's kind of led you to the next level?
SPEAKER_02Um I would I would have said my blocks, but really it's been more my my acceleration and transition. Transitioning, transitioning, feet yeah. Um just coming coming from my coming from my dry phase. Um so actually just me making sure I'm getting my feet on the ground and I'm actually moving instead of me just floating in the air and just kind of having a lot more air time, actually getting them feet on the ground and moving forward. I'll say that's probably the most that I've worked on throughout the year. Um, so that was like really I say something that really grew and I actually fixed as I as we just you know just practice throughout the season.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've heard a lot of athletes tend to focus on their strengths versus correcting any weaknesses or anything they need to focus on, and it sounds like you've been very successful doing that as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, in a typical training week, I know it's probably different now. You're coming off the end of your season and it's the summer, but if it were, you know, a typical week in the season, what does a regular practice or training session look like for you?
SPEAKER_02Um a regular practice would be so like just say based off, so say with us having the natty the natty meet, say if it was another normal meet, we would have probably we would have had Saturday and Sunday off. Monday we would have we would have been back. Um so we would have been back on the track. It probably would have been a light, a lighter day for some factors. We just got done running not that long, so it'll be more of something in flats and we'll have weights as well, and then after that, it'll be just straight back to work um to Monday, Monday through Friday. Um Wednesday we have also most sometimes, depending on how how the week is looking, if we have a meet coming up or anything, but if not, we have a full week of practice and we have weights three days out of the week.
SPEAKER_00So do you do any form of cross-training? Do you bike, do you swim, do you have any of that in your training, or is it strictly sprint work or weight training?
SPEAKER_02It'll be sp uh sprint work or weight training. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Well, between your conference championships, the national meet, the postseason is pretty long, especially if you're coming off at indoor season and then you roll right into outdoor. So, what does your recovery and mental prep look like during meets when you have to race multiple times through those rounds?
SPEAKER_02Um, I'll say like my recovery during during championships, I feel it's a lot different um than like conferences, stuff like that. Um, like going into Natty's um after the two hunt, because I had to hunt it. After the two and four by one, I had to hunt it the next day. Um we we make sure we do get a lot of sleep. Like to me, I I just feel like my body in in everybody's body, it resting is very important. Um, so I I really do capitalize on that. So I wanted to make sure that I we get back in time so I can get a nice quality nap. Well, not nap, sleep, and then we eat. Um, but it's more of I want to say like it's a crazy diet, but we're not eating nothing that we shouldn't be really putting in our bodies. Um we try the best to find the best things that we can with the with our with the you know whatever we got around us and we kind of just we kind of stick with that. Um but our coach and our we have a our at I think it's our athletic trainer, Kat. She's she's she be she came down with us. So they they helped a lot with like either doing a flush out, a massage, um, and icing, just making sure your body, if you have any type of issue that you you let them know and then she'll be up there, she'll be ready to, you know, work on you and see what see what the issue is. So kind of just me, I kinda just either do a massage or I I a gentle flush out, nothing crazy, just to keep my legs from you know having too much lactic or being too heavy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's definitely a great advantage to have somebody who's knowledgeable to do that with you. Um, well, I have to ask, I I saw in high school you did hurdles, correct? Yeah, have you thought about dipping your toes back in that or even trying something like the 400?
SPEAKER_02Um, probably not. Like I probably probably not. My my coach don't really like that. Because I be joking with them, be like, yeah, I want to go back to that hurdles. Um just for something like this, I also I did run, you know, the 42s, um, I think like maybe twice in high school. Um but um hurdling just never was really like something I wanted to do in college. Um that's why I kind of got out of it after my after uh I never really started after my senior year. Um and then I mean I'm I think I'm I think I'll be down to do the four in it, you know. I have to I have to get my four in a time down, you know, just to show show my team that I can actually do it. And uh it just it will help my other my it'll make help it'll help strengthen my other events, so like the uh 200 and the one. So I'll definitely be like interested to do a four-in it, but probably not on a natty stage. I'll probably go run it back in the one or two, if anything.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Well, I was curious to think, hmm, you could probably go pretty fast. Uh well, what are some of the things item-wise or gear-wise that you use and you like, such as a certain shoe, apparel, recovery tools, supplements, etc.?
SPEAKER_02If you ask my teams, I love anything Brooks, like I love Brooks shoes. Um so like ever since I went to the Brooks PR meet and I got free gear, I've been wearing my Brooks shoes ever since. Like I love them. That's what that's my go-to training shoe. Like it mind you, they're not even really four sprinters, they're for distance runners. So I just I just enjoy it. Like, I don't know, I like that extra little foam. Like, I that's my go-to. Um, and then my gym bands I have that I use for uh resistance with my arms and my legs. Um, so those are my those are my really like gear and type like equipment I like to use. Other than that, it's really everything else that everybody else is used. I don't use nothing special. Um, maybe it's my my little my little softball that I got to roll out and stuff like that. But yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, you're definitely the first sprinter I've ever talked to that says Brooks are their favorite shoes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So that's the unique thing about you. Well, if you were gonna give some advice to a high school recruit who is maybe looking at sprinting at the college level, what is one piece of advice that you would give them based on something that you've had to learn or figure out as a freshman this year?
SPEAKER_02Um, honestly, it doesn't matter where you go. Like, I feel like you're gonna you're running by competition uh on all types of level. I just feel like the only thing that really matters is the type of coach that you have. Trust your coach. Um and trust that your coach knows that your coach is willing to do good for you. Um I I feel like that's something I I've learned. And I I I think I I'm glad I learned quickly um with my coach because I feel like without without trusting my coach and trusting the process, I wouldn't have been able to, yeah, I would have been able to produce the times, but it wouldn't have been as efficient or as fast as I was able to do it this year. And I'm I'm glad that I did, and I'm glad I gave Coach Joey, you know, that that available that availability and you know, me being comfortable into so he can actually coach me the way that he he knows how to.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's great advice. Well, what are your goals moving forward? I mean, have you thought of that far ahead, like what you'd like to do next?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, I I plan on making a U-20 team, so that's my next goal right now. And then, you know, finna just see what this summer's looking like after all that, and we'll see if I'm here again or I'm going somewhere else.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Well, if you're not running and you're not studying and you're not at class, what are you doing with your free time? What are you interested in?
SPEAKER_02Um, I'm pronounced as a professional napper. I love cooking naps. Like you can ask anybody, they'll call me and they'll be like, what are you doing? I'm like, I just got up. Like, I'm either napping, I'm I'm I'm I love to cook actually, but I just haven't been able to really cook while I've been on while I scores been so busy. Um I love to read sometimes. I love to play my game, but napping is really what consumes most of my time. Like my coach called me and you know what, Nico, just go just go back to sleep. Like, how about how you know?
SPEAKER_00Well, clearly it's uh an essential part of your recovery and it's working, right? I mean, sleep is sometimes underrated by athletes. So hey, here's your sign. It's working. Well, what are you studying? What is your major?
SPEAKER_02Uh my major is criminology. I want to become a criminal profiler.
SPEAKER_00Oh, wow. That's an interesting one. Okay.
SPEAKER_02I got that because I I used to love watching uh criminal minds, dexters, stuff like that. And it's always that, I'm like, the mind of a criminal is kind of like not fascinating in the way, but it is crazy of how they think the way they think.
SPEAKER_00It's very interesting. Yeah. Well, good news is if you had to catch anybody that was committing a crime, you'd definitely be able to. I'll be able to get them.
SPEAKER_01I'll be able to get them.
SPEAKER_00That's so true. Well, do you have a favorite professional athlete that you enjoy following? And it doesn't have to be a runner, it could be anybody.
SPEAKER_02Um my my favorite, but my favorite is only only for some fact is I met him and I can I can actually have conversations with him. It's Fred, Fred Curly. I feel like he's a core individual. And I love I love the the confidence that he has that to because it gets to a point where people think that he's cocky. And it just reminds me of how I am sometimes, where people do take with mistake how confident I am in myself as me being arrogant and cocky. It's really not that. I just know the ability that I've been given, and I know that out when it comes down to I'm always gonna bet on myself because I know I'll always go out there and perform no matter how I'm feeling or no how no matter how bad the conditions are.
SPEAKER_00And if you know you've put in the work, yeah, you can feel confident about that. Uh, did you just see that he ran in the enhanced games?
SPEAKER_02I did.
SPEAKER_00What are your thoughts on that? I'm curious.
SPEAKER_02My thoughts on that. I mean, like, hey, he's getting the money. Like, we've just also seen that the the the IO ISC uh head head president says she don't feel like she wants to pay, that we don't deserve to get paid as Olympic athletes. So that's that's that itself was what's something crazy to say. So I mean he's he's out here doing what he needs to do to make his money. He's doing it clean. So, like, can we really say anything? Nope.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's an interesting uh factor that he won.
SPEAKER_02Minds mean everybody else is jugging. Like, that's that's what makes it even crazier.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's it's a lot more prevalent than I think we know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So well, hopefully it'll shine a light on that and maybe maybe make some change for good. We'll see. But okay, so if you could race any event in any venue, so this is a dream race for you. What would you pick to run and where would you go?
SPEAKER_02Um, any venue? Um, okay, I'd probably say um okay, it's kind of it's kind of like it's kind of crazy because I've raced her. I've already raced here, and it's at Eugene on Oregon's on Oregon's track. I love I love their track. I just feel like I've had I've had a lot of good races there and bad races, so it's a lot 50-50. But I've always I've always been able to actually run fast. So I can't say it's a bad track. So I like that. And it kind of gives me the environment of being back home without me being uh in Washington.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02Um but it'll probably be the 100 actually on there. I feel like where I'm at now, I would love to run a hundred on on that track just for something like this, how fast that track is. Or or just because it's new and it's basically the same but a little better, the UGA track, the new one that they built.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_02I would run one a hundred there as well.
SPEAKER_00Did you run at Hayward as part of Nike Nationals?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_02I was I ran uh 100 and the 200, and then I've also ran there at JO's my sophomore year, but that's when I was doing hurdles, so okay. That's a that's a nice story.
SPEAKER_00Well, it sounds like the hurdles are not on your future radar for design.
SPEAKER_02No, not anytime not not anytime soon.
SPEAKER_00Okay. All right. Well, I mean, you stick with what works, right?
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast. Congrats again on the national titles. I'm sure we are just seeing the beginning of an amazing collegiate career. So it's gonna be exciting to see what happens next, and we'll keep an eye on you. So thanks again.
SPEAKER_02Thank you very much.
SPEAKER_00Thanks so much for tuning in to the Red Banner Race Report. I can't wait to feature more cross-country and track and field athletes from the NAIA. So stay tuned because it just might be you. If you enjoyed today's podcast, please share, subscribe, and leave a review. You can find the Red Banner Race Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other major media players. You can also ask for Smart Speaker to play the podcast. If you have an idea for a great topic or guest you'd like to hear about, feel free to contact me through the show notes or reach out on Instagram.