Andrew Wheating

Running a head taller than most of his competitors, Andrew Wheating has become a fan favorite in the 800m and 1,500m competing for the Oregon Track Club Elite. Primarily an 800m runner in college, Wheating bumped up to the 1,500m and in 2010 ran a 3:30.90 in Monaco to become the second-fastest American born athlete in the history of that event; only Alan Webb has run faster. It was a personal best for Wheating of nearly seven seconds and the fifth fastest time in the world that year. In the 800m final at the 2008 Olympic Trials in front of his home crowd in Eugene, Wheating pulled was part of one of the more memorable finishes in Olympic Trials history when Christian Smith dove across the finish line to make it a clean Oregon Track Club Elite sweep with Nick Symmonds, Wheating and Smith, respectively. Wheating ran only one track and field season and two cross country seasons in high school for legendary coach Jeff Johnson and focused on soccer in years prior. He competed in the 800m for first time in 2007 and ended the outdoor regular season ranked ninth nationally among freshman (1:50.17). In his debut collegiate cross country season in '07 he earned All-Pac-10 Second Team laurels for his top-14 league finish. In his first season of track and field in 2006, he ranked fourth nationally in 1,500m with his personal best of 3:54.48 from the USA Junior Championships.