WVU Potomac State College is proud to announce that Nasir Cheatham has been named the May 2026 recipient of the Catamounts Climb Higher Award.
The Climb Higher Award is presented monthly to a student who exemplifies resiliency, outstanding work ethic, and kindness and positivity. A member of the Catamounts men’s basketball and track and field teams, Cheatham was nominated by one of his coaches, Chris Biser.
Potomac State College president Dr. Jerry Wallace and May Climb Higher winner Nasir Cheatham
“Nasir decided to try out for the newly formed track team to assist us with numbers and scoring,” Biser said. The coach noted that during spring break this year, Cheatham had a death in his family and yet remained an inspiration to his teammates.
“Nasir arrived back on campus and practices shortly after making me aware of his situation and how sorry he was to have to miss practice,” Biser said. “He is one of those guys who, in my short time of getting to know him, puts everyone else first.”
Biser said Cheatham is also a wonderful ambassador for PSC.
“I have seen Nasir at track practices at Keyser High School, always presenting the Catamount Culture to his fellow teammates and all the high school and middle school age kids at the practices,” he said. “There have been so many high school and middle school kids come up to him and chat with him about his height and about him dunking, and he always chats with them and boosts their confidence and tells them they will be dunking before long.”
The coach said Cheatham is a role model for others, always approached by students younger than him for encouragement and even guidance.
“Random kids will just run up to him at the practices just to give him a high five, and he always returns the favor and high-fives them back,” Biser said. “He has also been seen helping the younger kids with block starts and just chatting with them while changing out his track spikes. These kids look up to him, and he just greets them with a smile and boosts their confidence with some sort of reply back. He is always one of the first to step up and lend a hand.”
Cheatham said being the final Catamounts Climb Higher recipient for the 2025-26 school year is a “true blessing.”
“Receiving the Catamounts Climb Higher Award is a wonderful achievement that I will never forget,” he said. “I’m grateful for just being nominated for this award. Due to the fact of me just being myself and not trying to be someone I’m not.”
Cheatham said he has found that the lessons he learns on the course and on the court translate well into real-world issues and have helped him become a more well-rounded person.
“Having conversations with others about sports, school, and even personal stuff is how I try to spread kindness or positivity,” he said. “There is always another way to look at every situation, good or bad. But we should always look at things from a positive standpoint.”
Please join us in congratulating Nasir Cheatham for his insight, resilience, and outstanding optimism. He is an inspiration to the Catamount community and a shining example of what it truly means to Climb Higher.