Nighman was a three-time All-Ivy first team selection in wrestling, at 142 pounds in 1979 and 1980 and at 150 in 1981. He won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Championship title at 142 in 1981, and went on to finish seventh at the NCAA championships to earn All-America honors. He was co-captain in 1980-81, when he was the New York state 142-pound champion. Nighman compiled a four-year overall career record of 71-18-1, going 22-2 his senior year, with his only losses coming in the NCAA tournament. He was third in the Easterns in 1980 and fourth his sophomore year. In the summer of 1980, he was runner-up at 143 in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the AAU championships.
