Perhaps the greatest power couple in Penn State sports history is having their second child.
Thursday evening, Penn State track & field legend Maddie Nickal— formerly Holmberg— announced via Instagram that she and her husband, Penn State wrestling legend Bo Nickal, have had another son— Axel.
“Our Axel is here” Maddie wrote. “On 8/11, our boy made his entrance into the world. He is already beyond loved & Ace is crushing it as his big brother. Thank you, God.
Psalm 127:3.”
This is the highlight of what would have been an exciting month for Bo Nickal regardless. The three-time national champ, four-time national finalist and 2019 Hodge Trophy winner— who is now a rising UFC star— is returning to the mat for Real American Freestyle. He’ll make his debut Aug. 30 in Cleveland.
Maddie, who was a three-time All-American, retired from active competition in November 2022.
Nittany Sports Now talked with the Nickals for a feature story last summer.
Plenty of athletes have met at Penn State, fallen in love and gotten married, but it’s hard to imagine any of them were as dominant in their respective sports as the future Mr. and Mrs. Nickal— who married in December 2020– were at Penn State.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.They grew up more than 18 hours apart, fell in love at Penn State and, tucked in the Pennsylvania mountains, got married.
The couple first met in a kinesiology class in 2016. Both majored in kinesiology. Maddie, now 26, was a freshman, Bo a sophomore.
The two are active in the State College community.
Bo Nickal runs American Top Team Happy Valley, which launched in July 2021. Maddie runs Maddie Nickal Nutrition, which she announced the next summer.
The last line of Nittany Sports Now’s feature came from Bo Nickal.
“I’d love to have athletic kids,” Bo said with a smile.
They’re well on their way.
