Mia Brahe-Pedersen of Lake Oswego (Oregon) signs with Nike; first high school track star to ink NIL deal
By Andy Buhler | Photo by Leon Neuschwander
Nike has signed the best sprinter in Oregon high school girls track history to a landmark Name-Image-Likeness deal.
Lake Oswego (Oregon) rising senior Mia Brahe-Pedersen becomes the first high school track and field athlete to ink an NIL deal, doing so with the Oregon-based multi-billion dollar apparel giant, and has retained agent Ray Flynn, DyeStat reported on Monday.
Brahe-Pedersen, who is competing in the 100 at the USATF Outdoor Championships Thursday along some of the world's best sprinters, has already asserted herself as the nation's top high school girls sprinter.
She set Oregon state records in the 100 and 200-meter dashes at the Summit Invitational in Bend and broke Olympia gold medalist Chandra Cheeseborough's high school 100-yard record at the Oregon Relays this past spring.
She also swept national titles in the 100, 200 and 4x400 at Nike Outdoor Nationals in June.
Details of the deal are not yet clear, but open the door for Brahe-Pedersen to profit off of her name, image or likeness through Nike endorsements while preserving her high school and college eligibility.
>> High school NIL rules in every state: Permitted, prohibited or under consideration?
That's allowed under Oregon State Activities Association rules as of last October and several Oregon high school athletes were quick to capitalize. West Linn (Oregon)'s Jackson Shelstad and Jesuit's Sofia Bell, the state's top basketball prospects in 2023, signed NIL deals with Portland Gear.
Brahe-Pedersen is already building quite the high school track legacy in a state that has produced all-time American track greats such as Steve Prefontaine, Galen Rupp, Ashton Eaton, Ella Donaghu and Ryan Crouser — all Nike-sponsored athletes.
"I think being an Oregonian definitely helps. It's a hometown story kind of thing," Brahe-Pedersen told DyeStat. "I'm right in Nike's backyard and it's an Oregon-based company that everyone knows."
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