Junior Wildcat runner Nick Fly placed fifth in the 1,500 meter run at the UNK Loper Invite Saturday.

Fly, a graduate of Omaha North High School, has been running well in his first year with the ‘Cats.

He was a state qualifier in track and cross country at North, before attending Iowa Western Community College for his freshman and sophomore seasons.

He received Academic All American honors at IWCC.

During his freshman indoor season at IWCC, Fly was a national qualifier in the 1,000 meter run.

During his sophomore season, he was an outdoor national qualifier in the 1,500 meter run.

“I liked going to Iowa Western because it was close to home. My sister ran track there, so I kind of followed in her footsteps. I also knew the coach before I got there, so it was nice being able to go in feeling comfortable,” Fly said.

After finishing his two years at IWCC, Fly needed to find another school to attend. After some searching, Fly found Wayne State.

“I found Wayne State and asked some people on my Iowa Western team who were looking at Wayne if they liked it. They said they did, so I decided to come to Wayne,” Fly said.

Fly is running unattached at meets this year and will probably redshirt.

“Coming into the season I wasn’t in my best shape, so I have been running unattached. I will redshirt this year and have two more years of eligibility,” Fly said.