Caleb Nelson enjoys final college track season comeback

Caleb Nelson, a graduate of Chartiers Valley, is excited to be back competing in college track and field. His injury during his senior year at Saint Francis University kept him from participating for almost a year. Nelson suffered a hamstring tear while training and missed the entire outdoor season. He is now back as a graduate student at Mount St. Mary’s and is on an athletic scholarship. Nelson recently achieved impressive results at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference indoor championships. He set personal bests in the triple jump, winning first place with a distance of 14.43 meters, and finished fourth in the long jump. He expressed joy over his performance, noting that his hard work during recovery has paid off. Previously, his best indoor triple jump was 14.40 meters and 6.99 meters for the long jump. Nelson acknowledged that returning from his injury to jump over 7 meters in the long jump was significant for him. He believes the long jump is more challenging due to the need for speed. During his high school career, Nelson had the potential to break the school record in the triple jump, but lost his senior outdoor season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He initially considered becoming a decathlete but ultimately chose to focus on jumping events. After being recruited by several colleges, he selected Saint Francis for his undergraduate studies in marketing. Competing in college was a big step for Nelson, as the competition level is much higher than in high school. He adapted well and scored points in various events for the Red Flash. Nelson has earned All-East honors multiple times, recently placing third in the triple jump at the IC4A regional championships. With the indoor season ending, Nelson is looking forward to the outdoor track season. He aims to improve his personal best records and is targeting distances of 15 meters in the triple jump and 7.31 meters in the long jump this season. He recently started competition in a meet in Myrtle Beach and hopes to have fun while participating in various events. In addition to his athletic pursuits, Nelson is pursuing a master's degree in business administration. He is considering a focus on management and has been working with a sales team for ADT Security during the summer, helping to build the team by recruiting friends and teammates.