Joe Waskom was genuinely surprised to realize that he’d won the 1,500 meters. Photo by Kevin Neri
Sunday morning was anything but typical for Washington redshirt freshman Joe Waskom. Two cups of coffee were already in his stomach by the time his teammates got up, and that set the tone for the last day of the Pac-12 championships at Hayward Field. Waskom said unlike usual, he woke up early before the race with lots of energy to spare.
“I was up being jittery, just taking their ear off,” Waskom said. “I was ready to go, I really wanted this.”
Waskom went on to win the men’s 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, 40.33 seconds Waskom with teammate and friend Luke Houser finishing second in 3:40.44. Waskom was elated to find himself atop the podium after placing fourth in the men’s steeplechase final on Saturday night.
“Honestly, it’s pretty surreal. I’m still blown away,” Waskom said. “After having some races on my legs already, I was a little tired this morning.”
Waskom turned that tiredness into motivation. Coming into the final, Waskom had the fifth fastest time in the conference this year but was looking to be at the top of the pack.
“I was a little pissed off that I didn’t win yesterday,” Waskom said. “After being second in the steeple last year, I really wanted that one. I woke up this morning just determined.”
Waskom was in last place for the first three laps of the race. But with 300 meters to go, he saw fellow Husky Houser make his move to the front of the pack.
“I know I have good closing speed,” he said. “My coach just said no matter what you run your hardest on that last lap. I realized I was closing on everyone, and I just wanted to get to the lead and see if I could hold it.”
Waskom surged to the front of the pack and held off the rest of the field as he ran his way to a new personal best.
