In the men’s 800-meter Olympic trials at Hayward Field in 2008, Oregon track star Andrew Wheating rounded the final turn in the middle of the pack. With 70 meters to go, he slipped into third place and, before he knew it, into second, crossing the finish line and qualifying for the Beijing Olympic games.
Wheating, hands on his head, was in awe. He had accomplished something he never thought possible.
“I just couldn’t believe what just happened,” Wheating said.
Many Olympic athletes commit their life to mastering their sport. For Wheating, qualifying for the Olympic games came only three years after he started seriously training for track.
After making a name for himself at the Olympic trials in 2008, Wheating took the NCAA Track and Field Championships by storm in the years following. Specializing in the 800-meter, he became a five-time NCAA champion, setting three school records in the process. Wheating excelled at the pinnacle of college track and field and made his name known on the international scale. He holds memories from the old Hayward field close to this day.
Running the 800 in the 2008 Olympic trials stands out to Wheating as one of his greatest memories as a competitor at the old Hayward field. Sweeping the 1500 meter race in the 2010 NCAA championships is another Hayward field moment that stands out to him.
“I think the real reward there was being able to celebrate with two of my closest friends,” Wheating said about the 2010 championships.
Wheating likes looking back at the old Hayward field and the memories that come with it. He compares it to having a phone for a while as it gets worn out in the process of using it.
“Hayward field, of old, had all these stories, every nook and cranny has a story. At some point old wood rots and things break down and you have to upgrade, so we’ve upgraded…. to the iphone 12 or whatever it is now,” said Wheating.
With the new Hayward field, more moments and memories will be born, starting with the 2021 NCAA championships.
“It doesn’t have these historic stories, doesn’t have the nooks and crannies that remind you of those old days, but it is a fresh canvas that you know 25 years from now we’ll look back on and be like, look at all these great performances that came out of this stadium,” said Wheating about the new Hayward field.
For most track athletes, the NCAA championships is the pinnacle of their college career. Wheating emphasized what a spectacle the NCAA championships are at Hayward Field.
“Oregon brings out their best attire and you feel like you’re at a formal event, which it is, but you can really feel the vibrancy of it as you’re doing warm ups around the track,” he said. “For a college kid, [the NCAA championships] is the Super Bowl of collegiate running,” Wheating said.
Through his time in the championship spotlight, Wheating’s mindset stayed consistent. He focused only on winning, not personal bests or specific times, he said.
Wheating was the NCAA champion in the 800-meter in 2009 and 2010 as well as the 1500-meter champion in 2010. He became the first Division I man to win the 800 and 1500 in the same year since Joaquim Cruz, also of Oregon, in 1984.
As one of the favorites at the championships, Wheating was often put on a pedestal by running forums or social media, becoming a target for attention.
While in this spotlight, Wheating felt significant pressure to achieve specific times and personal records. To combat the pressure, he focused purely on winning.
“It’s a 400-meter track no matter where you are so whatever your event is, it’s that many laps, it’s no different, just go out and compete,” Wheating said.
Wheating also had experience as the underdog in the 2008 Olympic Trials prior to performing in the championships. He encourages athletes in the NCAA championships to embrace the underdog title.
“Being an underdog in ’08, who knows, you could pop out and surprise people, like lean into being an underdog,” he said. “That’s a good feeling.”
