Cheyenne Nesbitt (née Williamson; born 23 August 1999) is an American heptathlete and the 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winner in the women's pentathlon. Competing for the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals track and field team, Nesbitt was a ten-time NCAA Division II champion including four straight heptathlon titles. At the 2024 United States Olympic trials heptathlon, Nesbitt was in 4th place after the first day of competition but ended up finishing 11th.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2021 Indoor | Long jump |
| 60 m hurdles | |
| Pentathlon | |
| 2021 Outdoor | Heptathlon |
| 4 × 400 m relay | |
| Long jump | |
| 2022 Indoor | Pentathlon |
| 2022 Outdoor | Heptathlon |
| 2023 Outdoor | Heptathlon |
| High jump | |
| 2024 Outdoor | Heptathlon |
In high school, Nesbitt broke a 20-year-old school long jump record during her first ever competition. She committed to the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals track and field team to compete in the NCAA Division II.[3]
While playing basketball, Nesbitt tore her anterior cruciate ligament during her senior year of high school, causing her to miss the 2018 prep season. In 2019, still injured, Nesbitt used a medical redshirt, and in 2020 she was given an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, she was able to continue competing collegiately until 2024 at the age of 24.[3]
Nesbitt was a 10-time NCAA DII indoor or DII outdoor champion in several different events. She was the first ever NCAA athlete in any division to win four national heptathlon titles in a row.[4][5]
Nesbitt won her first senior national title at the 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, beating Olympian Annie Kunz and Hope Bender in the process. She became the first-ever collegian to win a USATF indoor heptathlon title, and her mark of 4,475 points was a new NCAA Division II record and the 2nd-highest score in the world that year.[6] Despite winning the U.S. championships, Nesbitt's mark ended up below the top-five threshold of 4,533 points required to compete at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.[7]
At the 2024 United States Olympic trials, Nesbitt finished 3rd in the heptathlon high jump and was in 4th place overall after the first day of competition. On the final day, she finished 14th in the long jump and 13th in the javelin disciplines, and placed 11th after all heptathlon events were completed, failing to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team.[8]
Nesbitt was born on 23 August 1999 and attended Garber High School in Bay City, Michigan.[2][9] She started running from her Hampton Elementary return bus stop to her grandmother's house in grade school, and first started track and field at Cramer Junior High.[3]
In 2023, Nesbitt married Saginaw track and field teammate Brendan Nesbitt and changed her last name from Williamson.[3]
In 2024, Nesbitt became an assistant coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini track and field program.[4]
| # | Mark | Pl. | Competition | Venue | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5517 pts |  |
Tobacco Road Challenge | Durham, NC | 9 Apr 2021 | [10] |
| 2 | 5595 pts |  |
NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships | Allendale, MI | 27 May 2021 | [11] |
| 3 | 5757 pts | |
NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships | Allendale, MI | 26 May 2022 | [12] |
| 4 | 5861 pts | |
NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships | Pueblo, CO | 25 May 2023 | [13] |
| 5 | 6002 pts | |
NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships | Emporia, KS | 23 May 2024 | [14] |
| # | Mark | Pl. | Competition | Venue | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3630 pts |  |
SVSU Holiday Open & Multis | Saginaw, MI | 6 Dec 2019 | [15] |
| 2 | 3906 pts OT | |
SVSU - Jet's Pizza Invitational | Saginaw, MI | 28 Jan 2021 | [16] |
| 3 | 4113 pts | |
NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships | Birmingham, AL | 10 Mar 2021 | [17] |
| 4 | 4292 pts OT | |
NCAA Division II Indoor Championships | Pittsburg, KS | 10 Mar 2022 | [18] |
| 5 | 4475 pts | |
USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Indianapolis, IN | 27 Jan 2024 | [19] |
