Willamette University graduate Nick Symmonds earned the top spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic 800-meter team with the second fastest time ever recorded on American soil. At the final heat in Eugene, Ore., he drafted behind, running most of the two laps in last place. Only when he reached the final curve did he suddenly blaze ahead with his powerful trademark kick, leaving America’s top runners far behind. The sellout crowd at Hayward Field went wild as Symmonds completed the two-lap race in 1:44:10.
“The crowd was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think,” says Symmonds. “I’ve been working on that kick for a couple years now, and I was going to wait until the last 100 meters to flip the switch. It felt so good to burn it on the last 100. I dreamed of this. It just felt amazing.”
The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and hundreds of other newspapers, television programs and blogs raved about the unknown who came from a small Division III school to lead the Olympic team. A Boise, Idaho, news program said Symmonds “has been proving that college size doesn’t matter.”
At Willamette, Symmonds majored in biochemistry and won four national titles in the 800 meters and three in the 1,500 meters. He helped the Bearcats earn four Top 10 team finishes in NCAA Division III between 2003 and 2006, including a tie for third place in 2004 and fourth place in 2005.
“Willamette was the perfect college experience,” Symmonds says. “My choice to run at a Division III school seems odd to some and, at this level, makes me stand out from all the Division I phenoms, but it was the place that made me into the runner I am today. I was surrounded by teammates, friends, teachers, coaches and mentors who all had an enormous amount of love and time to give to me. I progressed from a kid who could win races at the state level to a kid who could win races at the national level.”
Symmonds still considers assistant track coach Sam Lapray ’87 his mentor and great friend. “He’s the first person I hugged as an Olympian, just after I crossed the finish line,” he says.
“As a coaching staff, the best thing we saw about Nick was his raw talent,” says Lapray, who coaches as a volunteer. “We all thought he could run professionally someday and be an Olympian, and for him to embrace that idea and do all the hard work is incredible. There are plenty of talented athletes in the United States, but you rarely see someone who believes in himself and puts in that kind of effort. It’s incredible that Nick really believes, every time he steps on the track, that he’s going to win. That’s incredible.
“His track career hasn’t come without challenges,” Lapray says. “Willamette is one of toughest places in the nation to be a student athlete because the academic load is so serious. One of the main reasons Nick was so fresh entering his professional career is because head coach Matt McGuirk made sure Nick didn’t over-train or over-race in his collegiate career.
“But Nick has never been just a track guy. He’s always been a well-rounded individual with a high priority on family and academics. His dad and grandfather and great-grandfather are doctors, so he’s always had that other side of reality. That balance is what keeps him fresh.
“Now that Nick has transitioned from the Willamette track and field team to the Oregon Track Club Elite, running for legendary track coach Frank Gagliano, he feels like he’s gone from one good family to the next,” Lapray says.
“I knew I had the potential to one day be great,” Symmonds says. “It’s one thing to think I have the potential to do it. It’s another thing to do it on the night everyone else is trying. When we go to Beijing, I want to make the finals and make the U.S. proud.”
The Olympic Games begin in Beijing August 8. You can view a video of the trial race at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcVN5PjmaDs.
The photo of Nick Symmonds ’06 was taken by Thomas Patterson, Statesman Journal.
Willamette Olympians
Willamette has produced five Olympians since 1936, including an honorary graduate who served as interim university president.
Politics and Spanish student Andrew Hermann ’93 set an American record in the 25-kilometer race walk in 2000 and placed second in the U.S. time trials for 50K race walking, qualifying for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team. He finished 31st place in the Sydney Olympics.
Dan Foster ’75, played team handball with the Olympic team in 1980. Foster was a Native American football player and wrestler at Willamette who went on to work for the Blackfeet Tribe in South Dakota. Team handball is much like soccer. Players handle the ball with hands rather than feet, and the game can be fast and physical, with shots being thrown at speeds approaching 65 miles per hour.
Physical education student Joe Story ’75 was an Athletic Hall of Fame football player who helped organize team handball as a club sport at Willamette. The newly formed team won the collegiate division national championship in 1975. Story played for the U.S. Team Handball squad from 1978–88, was named team captain from 1986–88, and competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. The 1986 U.S. team won the silver medal at the Goodwill Games and the 1987 squad won the gold at the Pan-American Games. Story was twice named the U.S. Team Handball Player of the Year.
James Corson H’74, won a bronze medal in the discus throw at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. He was proud of his ties to Willamette, where he served as interim university president from 1972–73. The alumni association named him an honorary member of the Class of 1973, and he received an honorary degree in 1974.
Willamette football player and track star Dean Benson ’56 placed fourth in the high hurdles at the Olympic Trials in 1956, missing a place on the Olympic team by inches. He set the Willamette school record in the high hurdles and won an NAIA championship in 1955. As a coach at Medford High, Benson helped lead the football and track and field teams to five state championships.
Rachael Yocom ’37 was invited to participate in the 1936 Olympic trials during her junior year, where she placed sixth in the javelin. She also placed 5'2" in the high jump. A Willamette Hall of Famer, Yocom participated in every sport at Willamette in the mid-1930s, including basketball, softball, soccer, tennis and volleyball. After graduation, Yocom taught dance at schools and universities in four states and trained many important New York dancers.
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BEIJING, CHINA -- Nick Symmonds '06 ran a solid race in the first semifinal heat of the 800-meter run at the Olympic Games, but placed fifth at 1:46.96 and did not advance to the finals. Wilfred Bungei of Kenya won the heat in 1:46.23 and Yeimer Lopez of Cuba took second in 1:46.40.
BEIJING, CHINA -- Nick Symmonds '06 started his Olympic competition in successful fashion on Wednesday, Aug. 20, as he won his preliminary heat in the 800-meter run. Symmonds achieved a time of 1:46.01 to finish three one-hundredths of a second in front of Alfred Kirwa Yego from Kenya, who clocked in at 1:46.04. Symmonds and Yego both earned automatic berths into the semifinals, which will be held on Thursday, Aug. 21.
BEIJING, CHINA -- Former Willamette University runner Nick Symmonds '06 (Boise, ID/Bishop Kelly HS) is set to compete in the preliminary heats of the 800-meter run at the Olympic Games on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Action in the 800 is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. Pacific Time. Symmonds is slated to run in the fourth of eight heats.
Olympic contender Nick Symmonds, who earned the top spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic 800-meter team, also offered the fastest delivery in Salem, Ore., according to Ladell and Gary McIlnay.
The McIlnays promised they would put up a window display in Symmonds’ honor if he made it to the Olympics, and sure enough, their downtown shop now features photos, newspaper clippings, balloons, flowers and advice, “Watch out Beijing. Here comes Nick.” There is even a scroll on the sidewalk, where townspeople can sign their names and send encouragement.