For Nicole Carroll destiny came down to one throw. She needed to win the javelin competition at the Olympic trials to make the U.S. team and compete in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. To relax she whistled. When her name was called to make her sixth and final throw of the competition, Carroll flung the javelin farther than she ever had before, 188’ 11”, more than a foot farther than her closest competitor.

For Carroll, competing in the ’96 Olympic Games was a crowning achievement in a remarkable ascension. As a high school student in Alameda, she had been more interested in cheerleading and student government than sports. Carroll did join the track team and dabbled with the shot put and discus, but it was after being encouraged to enroll at San Mateo College and try the javelin that her focus changed. In her sophomore season, she won the javelin at the state championships and then enrolled at Fresno State.

As a Bulldog Carroll won the Big West Conference title and was twice an all-American. Following graduation, her skills continued to grow. Carroll was 4^th in the 1993 USA Track and Field national championships and competed for the United States in the World University Games. In 1994 she finished second in the national championships with a personal best of 185’ 4”. A year later Carroll competed for the U.S. in the World Championships.

1996 took her to track and field’s peak, the Olympic Games. Two years later she again won the national championship and represented the U.S. in the Goodwill Games.

One of the greatest Fresno State track and field performers of all time, Carroll told San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter Scott Ostler that for her success has “never come easy. I’m a hard worker. I believe work prevails.” Carroll is married to Mike Lewis, has received a master’s degree in psychology, and coaches javelin throwers at the College of San Mateo.