Symmonds Wins U.S. 800-meter Title for Sixth Time

EUGENE, Ore. -- Former Willamette University athlete Nick Symmonds ('06) has earned a reputation for incredible finishes to win big races. Symmonds did it again at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships on Sunday, June 28 at Hayward Field, as he rallied form eighth place at the start of the second lap to win the men's 800-meter final.

Symmonds registered a time of 1:44.53 to record his sixth national title in the 800 (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015). With the victory, he earned a fifth consecutive trip to the IAAF World Championships, which will be held in Beijing, China, later this summer (Aug. 22-30).

In Sunday's championship race, Symmonds trailed the rest of the field at the start of the second lap after Duane Solomon set a fast pace of 49 seconds on the first lap. Symmonds moved into fifth place early on the final back stretch and slipped into fourth place at the end of the back stretch.

Solomon faded as the top runners reached the final straight-away, while Symmonds began to surge toward the front. Symmonds, competing for Brooks Beasts, took the lead with about 50 meters to go. Erik Sowinski of Nike was second at 1:44.84 and Cassimir Loxsom of Brooks was third at 1:45.35.

"I always say 'If I can be on the leader's shoulder with 100 meters to go, I like my chances'," Symmonds said. "I moved up onto Erik Sowinski's shoulders and we ran shoulder-to-shoulder for about 20 or 30 meters and then I finally broke him."

Symmonds previously competed at the World Championships in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. He placed sixth in 2009 and was fifth in 2011. He finished second in Moscow in 2013.

While attending Willamette from 2002-03 through 2005-06, Symmonds won seven NCAA Division III National Championships. He won four titles in the 800-meter run and claimed three titles in the 1,500-meter run. He reached the semifinals of the 800-meter run at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and took fifth place in the 800-meter run at the London Olympics in 2012.

Another former Bearcat, Kimber Mattox ('11), also excelled at the USA Track and Field Championships this past weekend. On Saturday, June 27, she took 14th place in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her time in the final was 10:08.62.

Mattox was an athlete for the Bearcats from 2008-09 through 2010-11. She competed in three seasons of track and field, ran cross country for two seasons, and was a member of the women's soccer team for two seasons.

She earned All-America honors in cross country in the fall of 2010 when she placed 35th at the NCAA Division III Championships. He registered two All-America finishes in the steeplechase at the NCAA Championships, as she placed sixth in 20-09 and was second in 2011. Her time of 10:23.34 in 2011 is Willamette's school record in the steeplechase.