Pacific Lutheran University football student-athlete Wesley Nixon documented his experience at the 2021 Virtual NCAA Career in Sports Forum for GoLutes.com. Nixon is a four-year letterwinner with the Lutes, appearing in 29 games over the past four seasons including playing every game over the past three seasons.
The wide receiver amassed 89 catches for 1,085 yards and four touchdowns over the past four years in addition to rushing for 85 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. On the diamond, Nixon played in 27 games in 2018, helping the Lute baseball program win the regular season Northwest Conference title. In 2019, Nixon switched gears to track & field, competing in the 100-meters, 200-meters, long jump, triple jump, and 4x100-meter relay.
A Film and Media Studies with a minor in theatre, Nixon is following in the footsteps of several Lutes who have attended the event, including football's Curtis Garner in 2020, men's basketball's Zac Webb in 2019, football's Doug James in 2018, men's golf's Kyle Drugge in 2017, women's soccer's Nicoya Benham-Marin in 2016, and volleyball's Amy Wooten in 2015.
The Forum was an amazing opportunity to grow as not only an athlete but as a leader. I got to meet other outstanding athletes from division 3 all the way to division 1. I made relationships with many of them and I can only imagine how much closer we could have gotten if we were able to be in person.
I went to a couple different sub forums while attending and they were about external athletics and pro sports. The external part of sports in the NCAA deals with media, marketing, game-day activities, and much more. It was basically how people make the sporting events and the school look to the public. The pro sports forums were mainly about jobs in professional sports.
All of the keynote speakers had their own creative style to their messages. I especially liked the women's basketball coach at Ole Miss. She told us to call her Coach Yo but her full name is Yolett McPhee-McCuin. She talked a lot about getting over yourself and being about the team. Her catchphrase was #NoCeilings because the strength of the team is in each individual.
It was just a blessing to represent PLU at the NCAA Career in Sports forum. I would recommend it to anyone trying to better themselves and if they have a love to work in any sports business.
