SJND Grad, Cooper Teare On Track In Life Pursuit To Qualify For U.S. Olympic Team Tryouts In June
By Ben Wiley, ANN Youth Writer
Since bursting onto the elite running scene at Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School (SJND) in Alameda and then at the University of Oregon, 24-year-old Cooper Teare has rattled off countless impressive achievements, yet is now preparing for his biggest challenge so far–vying to make his first US Olympic track and field team this summer.
Teare’s Run Up To Ranks Of The Elite
Teare holds a strong argument as the most successful SJND athlete in the 2000s, giving the small Catholic school’s athletic program attention it had not seen since future professional basketball Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd honed his skills at Kelly Gymnasium in the 1990s.
Thanks to his hard work and intense coaching from the high school’s former cross-country coaches Tony Fong and Alex Mason, Teare became the first SJND runner to win an individual state title, claiming the Division 5 High School State Cross Country crown in his junior and senior seasons (2016, 2017).
He also excelled on the track, becoming the first Alameda-based runner to win a state title in the 3200 (2-mile race) in 2016, and as a teammate, leading an SJND Varsity cross-country team that ranked among the best in the Bay Area during his time at the school. SJND honored him for his athletic excellence, inducting him into its Hall of Fame in 2022.
His success did not stop there as he proceeded to do great things as an Oregon Duck from 2017-2021. In college, he breached the under-four-minute barrier in the mile, setting collegiate records in that distance (3:50.39) and the 5000 meters (13:12.27). The 5000m distance’s record-breaking moment came in an impressive performance to capture the national title at the 2021 NCAA Track and Field Championships.
Professional Career Takes Flight
That achievement allowed him to compete in the 5000m in the 2020 Olympic Trials. Unfortunately, Teare finished fourth, one spot out of making the team, while his friend and Oregon teammate Cole Hocker made it to the Tokyo Olympics finals in the 1500m race. Teare’s resolve only hardened after the setback.
Since then, Teare has competed as a professional runner for Nike, striving relentlessly to continue improving ahead of another shot at Olympic glory in 2024.
Last fall, he exited the lane with the uber-prestigious Bowerman Group track club because he felt he was not getting the coaching attention needed at this pivotal time in his career.
Shortly after leaving that group, Teare completed a “side quest”, winning the 2024 USA Cross Country Championships 10k in January 2024. However, he decided to skip the World Championship race in Belgrade, Serbia, a decision he does not regret making.
“It is a crazy competition as cross country is a different beast. I was happy to win that race, but my goals this year are on the track so… world champion cross country did not make sense, but I might consider doing it down the line,” Teare said.
Regarding his track goals, Teare is tirelessly training for next month’s (June 21-30) Paris Olympics trials at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon with fellow Paris hopeful Hocker. Both runners reside together in Blacksburg, Virginia, training with Ben Thomas, their former coach at Oregon who now heads the track program at Virginia Tech University.
He explained the reasoning behind his recent coaching switch.
“Training for trials was a big part of making this transition back to Ben Thomas and getting to continue training with Cole. Last year, I did not make the team for the track world championships and I was disappointed, especially considering that Hocker made it. This will hopefully give me the best shot of making the Olympics. All eyes are on getting qualifying times out of the way and preparing for races in Eugene,” Teare said.
The Alameda native referenced the tough qualifying process that track competitors complete. First, he said it takes time to get one’s body and mind in the right space ahead of these major meets.
To make the Olympics’ team, track and field athletes have to run/throw/jump faster than the Olympic A standard time in their chosen event. Then they must finish in the top three at the US Trials in high-stakes competitions comprising the best, fastest American male and female track and field stars.
Teare is qualified to run the 1500m and 5000m races at the Trials and plans to do both. The 1500m race is up first at the special meet, leaving the 5k as a fallback option in case he doesn’t finish among the top three in the first race.
He has the Olympic time in the shorter discipline. On Saturday, May 18, Teare hit the magic mark obtaining the 5k standard at the USATF LA Grand Prix in Los Angeles, one of the few meets fast enough for him to run his target time. He put forth a stellar performance, finishing in ninth place at 12:54.72, the fourth fastest all-time by an American runner, making him just the 13th US athlete to breach 13 minutes in this 12-lap race around the track.
Now Cooper must prepare for the Bowerman mile at the annual Prefontaine Classic meet in Eugene looms on May 25. Alameda’s standout runner is eager to compete against 15 of the best milers in the world including Yared Nuguse, who is having a fantastic season and is likely the favorite in this discipline at the Olympic Trials.
The Bowerman poses a good precursor test for Teare as it will reveal where he stands and what he needs to improve before he attempts to achieve the feather in the cap of his career.
The mile race caps off this historic meet at 2:52 PM Pacific Time.
“My only goal is to make the Olympic team as I am at a level now where making the team has been my main priority this past year. It would be a real honor to be on the Olympic team as it has been a goal/dream of mine since I was young. It is cool to be close, and hopefully I can make it happen this year,” Teare said.
If not in person, Alameda residents can cheer on Cooper and other track and field stars in these multiple high-stakes meets live on NBC and streaming on Peacock, the home of Olympic coverage all summer.