A five-time All-American and three-time Mountain West Champion, there's no doubt junior Nicola Ader makes a difference on the track for the Wolf Pack. With extra time on her hands due to COVID-19's cancellation of the outdoor season, Ader carried her difference-making ability off the track to the Reno Burrito Project.

The founder of the Reno Burrito Project attends the same church as Ader and her roommates. One of Ader's roommates started volunteering with the project, inspiring Ader and others to join with.

"There are prejudices about homeless people. We spend quite a lot of time talking to those individuals in the street and listening to their stories," said Ader. "You realize homelessness isn't a decision people make. It can happen to any of us."

Ader has always been aware and educated on many issues, including homelessness. Her passion for helping others and bettering the Reno community is behind her involvement each Sunday. Volunteering also presents Ader with an opportunity to continue learning about the many issues surrounding homelessness.

A typical Sunday for Ader and her roommates begins with attending church together via Zoom and then starting the burrito-making process in their kitchen.

After they're finished building burritos, the roommates travel to downtown Reno and meet up with other Reno Burrito Project members. The group currently sits at 40 active members.  

"We usually go to multiple places downtown and get a lot of walking in, but you don't even realize how much you've been walking because you're surrounded by your friends," said Ader. "We not only hand out burritos, but we also distribute water and hygiene kits."

Ader, an Affolterbach, Germany, native, has always been passionate towards making a difference in her community. She was interested in joining Germany Special Forces growing up, but her full-ride offer to Nevada posed her with the perfect opportunity to study Criminal Justice while continuing to pursue her athletic goals.

Ader was recruited to the Wolf Pack after associate head coach Scott Williamson watched her compete in Germany. Nevada offered her the perfect opportunity to continue doing what she loved: competing in track & field and making a difference in the community.

Journeying 5,529 miles from Affolterbach to Reno as a freshman, Ader arrived eager for the challenge. She understood she needed to work hard and improve from the moment she stepped on campus. 

"The first time I lifted weights at Nevada I used a PVC pipe. PVC pipes aren't exactly that heavy," said Ader. "I was just standing in the weight room with this little white pipe that you could easily throw into the air."

Ader defied all odds as a freshman, winning gold in the pentathlon at the Mountain West Indoor Championships and qualifying for the Outdoor NCAA West Preliminaries in high jump.

"Nobody expected me to win the pentathlon," said Ader. "Being an underdog, I was super overwhelmed with emotion after I won."

Even though she took home gold after the Mountain West Indoor Championships and qualified for the Outdoor NCAA Preliminaries in high jump Ader finished her freshman year unsatisfied.

She began working with a sports psychologist to help improve her confidence and overcome her tendency to overthink.

"That changed everything," said Ader. "The moment you compare yourself to other people, it's not going well for you. You only allow yourself to see what other people can do, but never look at what you can accomplish."

Despite pushing herself to new heights physically as a freshman, Ader transcended herself mentally in order to maximize her capabilities.

Ader's enhanced self-confidence and athleticism shined throughout her sophomore campaign. At the Mountain West Indoor Championships, Ader placed first in the high jump with an indoor school-record mark of 6'. Ader became the sixth ever from Nevada to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. She finished ninth in the Birmingham, Ala., meet and earned Second-Team All-American accolades.

In Ader's sophomore outdoor season, she tallied three All-American titles and became Nevada's most decorated track & field athlete ever. She finished 13th in the heptathlon, 12th in the long jump and 16th in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

As a junior, Ader missed a majority of the indoor season due to a hamstring injury. She recovered just in time for the Mountain West Indoor Championships, claiming gold in the high jump with a height of 1.81m. She also managed to place first in high jump and break the school record in 60m hurdles with a time of 8.46 at the Bronco Invitational.

COVID-19's cancellation of the outdoor season hindered Ader's goals for the remainder of her year; however, she still has one season of eligibility left for indoor and two for outdoor.

Ader's goals for the next two years include qualifying for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Whether she's competing in track & field or volunteering with the Reno Burrito Project, Ader continues to push herself daily and make a positive impact on every person she meets.