Joe Waskom Blasts Final 200m To Win NCAA 1500m Title #2
By LetsRun.com
In the much-anticipated 2024 NCAA men’s 1500 final, Washington senior Joe Waskom used his big kick to go from 7th with 160 meters to go to first at the finish as he won his second NCAA 1500 title in 3:39.48 thanks to a 52.65 last lap and 1:49.42 final 800.
Pac-12 800 and 1500 champ Elliott Cook of Oregon almost got the win by moving up late with an inside pass in lane 1, taking the lead with about 35 meters left before getting passed by Waskom just before the line. Cook ended up second in 3:39.57 with Australian champion Adam Spencer of Wisconsin third in 3:39.80. NAU sophomore Colin Sahlman, who had the lead for the entire last lap until Cook passed him at the 3:35 mark, ended up fourth in 3:39.92.
Watch the end of the race here:
| Pl | Pos | Athlete | Time | 300m | 700m | 1100m | 1500m | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 |  | Joe WASKOM Washington [JR] | 3:39.48 | 46.96 [46.96] | 1:50.07 [1:03.12] | 2:46.83 [56.77] | 3:39.48 [52.65] |
| 2 | 10 |  | Elliott COOK Oregon [JR] | 3:39.57 | 46.45 [46.45] | 1:49.97 [1:03.52] | 2:47.08 [57.11] | 3:39.57 [52.50] |
| 3 | 4 |  | Adam SPENCER Wisconsin [JR] | 3:39.80 | 46.18 [46.18] | 1:49.57 [1:03.39] | 2:46.83 [57.27] | 3:39.80 [52.98] |
| 4 | 2 |  | Colin SAHLMAN Northern Arizona [SO] | 3:39.92 | 46.24 [46.24] | 1:49.86 [1:03.62] | 2:46.59 [56.74] | 3:39.92 [53.33] |
| 5 | 3 |  | Damien DILCHER Iona [SR] | 3:40.24 | 46.73 [46.73] | 1:50.17 [1:03.44] | 2:47.23 [57.06] | 3:40.24 [53.02] |
| 6 | 12 |  | Wes PORTER Virginia [JR] | 3:40.39 | 46.62 [46.62] | 1:50.53 [1:03.91] | 2:47.17 [56.65] | 3:40.39 [53.23] |
| 7 | 9 |  | Ezekiel ROP Iowa State [SR] | 3:40.50 | 46.28 [46.28] | 1:49.66 [1:03.39] | 2:46.95 [57.30] | 3:40.50 [53.55] |
| 8 | 5 |  | Anass ESSAYI South Carolina [JR] | 3:40.81 | 46.86 [46.86] | 1:50.43 [1:03.57] | 2:46.64 [56.22] | 3:40.81 [54.18] |
| 9 | 1 |  | Ethan STRAND North Carolina [SO] | 3:40.90 | 46.50 [46.50] | 1:50.40 [1:03.91] | 2:47.20 [56.80] | 3:40.90 [53.71] |
| 10 | 8 | | Nathan GREEN Washington [SO] | 3:40.98 | 46.69 [46.69] | 1:50.21 [1:03.53] | 2:46.98 [56.78] | 3:40.98 [54.00] |
| 11 | 7 |  | Liam MURPHY Villanova [JR] | 3:42.90 | 46.84 [46.84] | 1:50.06 [1:03.22] | 2:47.41 [57.36] | 3:42.90 [55.49] |
| 12 | 11 | | Luke HOUSER Washington [SR] | 3:48.86 | 46.45 [46.45] | 1:49.38 [1:02.94] | 2:46.96 [57.59] | 3:48.86 [1:01.90] |
| Split | Intermediate Leader | Time | Fastest Split | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300m | Adam SPENCER | 46.18 | Adam SPENCER | 46.18 |
| 700m | Luke HOUSER | 1:49.38 | Luke HOUSER | 1:02.94 |
| 1100m | Colin SAHLMAN | 2:46.59 | Anass ESSAYI | 56.22 |
| 1500m | Joe WASKOM | 3:39.48 | Elliott COOK | 52.50 |
Waskom’s kick was incredible
Take a look at that video again. Look how far back Waskom is midway on the turn. Waskom was roughly a full second back but he ended up winning. He told ESPN afterwards that he wasn’t feeling good but he wanted to end his collegiate career with a win (Waskom, who could come back next year, said this was his last NCAA race) and bump the Washington NCAA 1500/mile streak to 5 in a row.
The other guys have no excuses
Waskom ran the first 1k in the back on the rail but then he made a big move all the way out into lane 3 with 500 to go move up to 4th at the bell. However, with 200 to go, he was just 7th and with 100 to go, just 5th, but he had a second move in him and ran a brilliant final 200 to win.
The fastest man in the NCAA this year (Colin Sahlman) and the guy with the fastest PB in the field (Adam Spencer ) all had great trips as they were up front in lane one for the majority of the race (Spencer ran the first 200 in the back like Jakob Ingebrigtsen), with Elliott Cook right behind them on the rail. Cook could have perhaps been a little bit more physical just before the bell as he ended up briefly behind Waskom, but with 200 meters left, he was in a perfect spot – 4th – without ever really having left the rail the entire race. He looked like the winner when Sahlman started flailing with about 40 meters to go, totally tying up, but Cook had to accept second place.
Yet again, things were tight up front
Tonight the top 4 were separated by just 0.44 at the finish, but tight finishes have been common in recent years. Last year, the top 4 were separated by 0.53 and the year before that it was 0.45. However, this wasn’t the craziest finish in NCAA 1500 history. That likely was in 2015 or 2010 when the top five were separated by just 0.40 and 0.43 respectively and 8 guys were kicking for the win in the final 100 in those years. Watch those videos here: 2015 video, 2010 video (with Centro and Wheating).
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