Nikki Larch-Miller is part of the 2023 Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame induction class. The class will be inducted on Sat., Jan. 14.

Nikki Larch-Miller excelled as an individual track and field athlete. As a member of a team, she blossomed into much more than a singular figure.

"I really loved seeing other people succeed," she said. "Individual success was fun. Winning a team title was so much more fun, celebrating with teammates."

Larch-Miller, a multi-event athlete at Wichita State from 2013-17, is one of five 2023 inductees into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame. She played a lead role in a golden era of women's track by helping the Shockers to the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference indoor title and four straight outdoor titles, capped by a then-meet record 226 points in 2017 at Cessna Stadium.

Larch-Miller earned NCAA All-American honors three times – first team in the 2015 heptathlon, second team in the 2017 pentathlon, second team in the 2015 400-meter relay - and won six Missouri Valley Conference titles in sprints, hurdles and the pentathlon.

"She walked around this athletic department and made people better," said Steve Rainbolt, director of track and field. "She brought an energy that people noticed."

Larch-Miller, from San Diego, came to Wichita State a somewhat-reluctant track athlete, following twin sister Taylor. The coaches and team spirit at Wichita State quickly sparked a passion for the sport.

(Rainbolt) made me really fall in love with track and field," Larch-Miller said. "He really cares about his athletes as a person."

She became the teammate who knew everyone and cheered them on. She was the cheerleader who demanded a teammate qualify for the finals of the 400-meter hurdles to prove doubters wrong and tackled the hurdler on the infield grass to celebrate the accomplishment. One of her favorite memories is the 400-meter relay team qualifying for the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships because it gave teammate Deja Young, born with a shoulder deformity, the stage to show coaches who didn't recruit her what they missed.

"That was awesome," Larch-Miller said. "She had a tough time being recruited out of high school. She was so talented."

When Larch-Miller and Jenny Pinkston rehabbed from injuries in dreaded water workouts, she motivated Pinkston.

"She cared, even in the pool," Pinkston said. "Because she was good, it pushed me."

Larch-Miller recommended recruits from her hometown to Shocker coaches and tracked performers at other schools to update Wichita State's prognosis for championship meets.

"Marvelous athlete; marvelous competitor," Rainbolt said. "She wanted to help the team any way she could. That sounds so logical when you say it. But it's not. There are athletes that don't want to do a lot. They want to focus on their favorite event. She was like 'Let's find out what I can handle.'"

Wichita State track and field coaches build their roster and their training to win conference titles. On those weekends, coaches want their best athletes scoring in many events, even ones they infrequently attempt.

Some are hesitant to exhaust themselves so close to NCAA competition. Larch-Miller wanted to run every event possible, preparing to jump into a relay if the Shockers needed points. She earned MVC Most Valuable Female Athlete (most points scored) honors four times and Most Outstanding Track Athlete (top NCAA-ranked performance) twice for her performances at conference meets.

The 1,600-meter relay wraps up outdoor and indoor championships and can be a tough one for sprinters after a busy weekend. Larch-Miller loved the event. If she ran, other Shockers wanted to run with her.

"She was fearless," Pinkston said. "As an athlete, you might be scared to go into the (1,600-meter relay). That wasn't her."

Larch-Miller coached at WSU, Eastern Illinois, and Nebraska before returning home to enter private business. Her time as a Shocker exceeded her expectations.

"It completely shaped me into the person I am," she said. "Work ethic. Competition. Bolt and that whole staff were willing to take a chance on me."