Nickerson was an NCAA champion as a junior, a two-time NCAA finalist and four-year All-American and a member of four Ivy championship teams. The three-time EIWA champion received the prestigious Fletcher Award in 2010 as the senior who contributes the most team points at the EIWA tournament throughout his career. With a 97-8 career record, Nickerson ranked sixth all-time in winning percentage at Cornell in a career (.924). A four-time first-team All-Ivy pick, he earned EIWA Wrestler of the Year accolades in 2009. Nickerson was a two-year captain and finished with 38 pins, second in school history, and received the 2009 Sheridan Award given to the wrestler that wins the most matches by fall in the least amount of time at the EIWA meet. He had the two fastest falls in school history, including a record-setting 13-second win during a dual meet against Eastern Michigan as a junior. As a freshman, Nickerson burst onto the scene, winning Ivy League Wrestler and Rookie of the Year, the first male athlete in any Ivy sport to capture both awards in the same season. He also was EIWA Freshman of the Year in 2006.
