St. Joseph Notre Dame High School alum Cooper Teare completed a standout freshman season on the University of Oregon track-and-field team with a strong showing at the NCAA Division I track-and-field championships. Teare was one of 24 competitors to compete in the men’s 5,000-meter race at the championships Friday, June 8, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. He was also one of just two freshmen to compete in the race. 

Teare finished in 17th place with a time of 14:08.18. He completed the race less than 14 seconds behind winner Sean McGorty of Stanford. The senior crossed the finish line in 13:54.81. Senior Justyn Knight of Syracuse finished second with a time of 13:55.03. McGorty’s Stanford teammate junior Grant Fisher finished third with a time of 13:55.04. 

Teare’s time, though solid, did not match his best time this season. The Alameda native achieved his personal best in a 5,000-meter competition at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 20. He completed the race at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa with a time of 13:46.46 for eighth place out of 24 participants. 

Teare finished in sixth place out of 33 runners in the men’s 5,000-meter race at the Pac-12 track-and-field championships on May 13 at Stanford Stadium. He completed the meet in 14:13.74. Teare was the first freshmen to complete the race. University of Colorado senior Ben Saarel won the competition with 14:11.23. Oregon went on to win the Pac-12 men’s track-and-field championship. 

Teare also ran a mile under four minutes this season. He completed the one-mile race at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge on Jan. 26 at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City with a time of 3:59.29 for eighth place out of 53 runners. 

Teare also had a great season on the University of Oregon cross-country team. The California high school state champion in track-and-field and cross country was named the Pac-12 cross-country freshman of the year. Teare finished as the top freshman in the men’s 8,000-meter Pac-12 cross-country championship race and eighth overall. He finished with a time of 23:59.4. Teare had two top-10 finishes in his first three collegiate races. He joins Jason Hartmann, Diego Mercado, A.J. Acosta, Luke Puskedra and Edward Cheserek as the only Ducks to win the conference’s top rookie honor. The eighth-place finish also earned Teare a spot on the all-Pac-12 second-team.

The 2017 St. Joseph Notre Dame graduate will be busy this summer. He will be competing for team USA in the World U20 track-and-field championships in Tampere, Finland from July 10 to 15. Teare qualified in the 1,500- and 5,000-meter races by finishing in the top two in both races, in near 100-degree heat, at the Junior National Championships in Bloomington, Ind. He is one of just 80 young men and women in the entire country who will be representing the U.S. this year.

Last year, Teare won the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter race for team USA in the Pan-American U20 games in Peru with a time of 3:46.46.