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Nike loves to be bold, brave, and unapologetic. And, they’re wasting no time proving this in 2025. The sportswear giant kicked off January by amping up their college athletics game and looks like they aren’t stopping until they rack a few more wins for women’s track and field. Yes, days after they signed a rising star from Georgia, Nike has now expanded their NIL roster with another highly talented Oregon Duck.

Looks like the multi-dollar shoe sponsor is out on an NCAA haul in 2025 and it’s clear how. They signed up Georgia’s 400m runner and Olympian Aaliyah Butler on January 15. With this, she became the only second woman NCAA sprinter to put her signature down on a Nike contract. But who knew, a third from the track and field world would be joining her in days from the announcement. Here goes the big reveal!

On January 27, Jadyn Mays took to social media to announce that she’ll be going the Nike way, having freshly signed a NIL deal with them. The news has been making waves in the track and field world ever since, as Jadyn’s a star sprinter from Oregon who is now heading into her final season with the Ducks. Thus, this partnership couldn’t have come at a better time, giving her that extra push toward NCAA stardom.

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Track and field fans might wonder, why Jadyn Mays? Well, we’ll break that down for you. She’s an incredible sprinter who crushed it at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, finishing third in the 60m and 200m. And she kept that momentum going outdoors, landing third in the 200m again and fourth in the 100m dash. So, if anyone deserves the spotlight, it’s her!

Well, Jadyn’s reaction to this NIL deal was only warranted. The track and field athlete shared her excitement on Instagram, writing, “blessed beyond measure and ready to keep going! 💚” with her big announcement. She even hopped on X to tweet, “all praise to the most high! I’m so grateful [emoji].” It feels like she can now write the perfect comeback story after her 2024 upset.

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Yes, if you remember, Jadyn could not make it past the semis in the 100m and placed 8th in the 200m finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials, thus missing out on the Paris Olympics chance. But if you look at her fastest timings, her potential for victory will appear anything but far-fetched. With personal bests of 11.01 in the 100m and 22.19 in the 200m, she was NIL-ready!

Also, she’s even kicked off the year on the right note. Thanks to her Nike deal, there’s been a huge jump in her confidence as she’s won both the 60m and 300m events at the 2025 Graduate Classic in 7.30 and 37.24 seconds, respectively. However. she’s not the only track and field athlete in Nike’s quarters. There are a few others and they are detailed below.

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With Jadyn Mays joining Nike, are we witnessing the rise of a new track and field legend?

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Nike’s track and field NIL stars from NCAA

Guess who else is entering the season with Nike? It’s their recent star, Aaliyah Butler. A three-time state champ and All-American from Miami Northwestern, she’s been turning heads in the 400m for a while now. Also, unlike Jadyn Mays, Butler did get to show her talent at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she made it to the 400m semifinals. But the real highlight was when she crushed it in the women’s 4x400m relay and snagged gold for Team USA.

Speaking of big moves, remember Parker Valby? She was their first-ever female track and field who’d signed up with Nike back in 2023. Though she’s now with New Balance, Nike still has their 2023 star Mia Brahe-Pedersen. She was yet another Oregon track star who became their first high school track and field signee. Nike is continuing to pull them in young. What do you think of this? Let us know below.

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With Jadyn Mays joining Nike, are we witnessing the rise of a new track and field legend?

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