Editor's Note: The following story is the fourth installment of a series highlighting WSU student-athletes who have earned stipends through the Unleash Excellence Fund. Read the entire series HERE

Join Cougar Athletics on #CougsGive day, to learn about the positive impact the Unleash Excellence Fund has already made on our student-athletes and how you can support this critical need for Cougar Athletics.


Ask Jasneet Nijjar what her favorite sprint event is, she will have a definite answer.

"The 200m," she said.

But what do her coaches think?

"If my coaches are speaking for me, the 400m," she admitted. "But I have a love/hate relationship with the 400."

"I don't if anybody really likes the 400," said Track and Field Coach Wayne Phipps with a laugh. "It's the same speed only twice as far.

"Even though her favorite event is the 200, the 400, that's where she has the most potential," Phipps added.

Nijjar has been showcasing her potential since arriving to WSU running sprints during indoor and outdoor track season including the 200m and, yes, the 400m.

On March 23, Nijjar won the 400m at the GCU Invitational, clocking a blistering 53.87, a personal-best and the fourth-fastest time in WSU history.

Becoming a Cougar

Coming to the Palouse from British Columbia, the challenges of transitioning to a new environment, particularly as an international student-athlete, was challenging.

"The transition as a college student is not easy because you're a student-athlete coming from far away," Nijjar explained. "It was hard." 

Nijjar was able to meet the challenge by asking herself one question.

What is her why?

"Knowing why I'm here, what my goal is and what my dreams are," she explained. "Keeping those things in mind is what keeps me going."

It's that advice she gives her fellow international student-athletes.

"You can accomplish a lot of things if you know your whys," she said.

Nijjar's is intent on accomplishing a lot as she embarks on the outdoor track season and beyond setting the goal of reaching the NCAA Championship as a WSU student-athlete.

And after WSU?

"Representing Team Canada at the Olympics," she said.

"If she continues to improve the way that she is improving, she has the potential to be an NCAA qualifier, an All-American and I think she can represent Canada," Phipps said. 

Striking a Balance

Nijjar has set ambitious goals as well off the track.

She is studying kinesiology and psychology and says her dream job is to work in physical therapy and high-performance coaching.

"I've been around sports since growing up and always loved movement," Nijjar said. 

"When I came to WSU, I realized that in sport there are a lot of mental barriers you have to fight, and I don't think that's talked about enough," she added. "There's a physical aspect to sports but there's just as much a mental aspect, especially balancing school and track."

Striking that balance was toughest during her freshman year, Nijjar said, but she figured out how to meet the challenges. 

"I made a schedule and so I knew what I have coming up," she said. "Every year I'm learning something about myself and ways to improve."

Unleash

Nijjar has utilized the stipend from the Unleash Excellence Fund to continue her pursuit to achieve on the track and in the classroom. And as an international student-athlete, it is particularly meaningful for her.

"The Unleash Excellence Fund means a lot to me because, as an international student-athlete, I am not able to receive NIL deals, so I can rely on these extra funds in place of NIL deals," she said. "It has helped with books, supplies, groceries and rent."

"It's one of the biggest game-changers for our sport," Phipps said of the Unleash Excellence Fund stipend. "For the track and field program, it is amazing what's that been able to do for our student-athletes, especially for our international student-athletes."

Nijjar experiences at WSU, whether it's in the classroom or running the 200 or 400, is filled with deep gratitude. And she knows why being a Coug is so special.

"Being a Coug means community," she said. "It is heartfelt the way Cougs stand up for each other and have each other's back. Whenever I think of a Coug I think of a community. I may not know them but I know they're family."