College athlete of the week

Nate Washington

JR. | Washington State | TRACK

Hometown: Everett (Mariner High School)

What he did: Was part of Washington State’s 4×100 relay team that qualified for NCAAs and competed in Des Moines, Iowa, this week. The Cougars finished seventh in their heat Wedn

esday and did not advance to today’s finals. The Cougars had the 15th fastest qualifiying time at 39.85, with Washington in 16th place at 39.86.

What’s next: The track season officially ends today, with the finals of the NCAA outdoor meet, but Washington still has one year of eligibility in the indoor season that begins next fall.

The two-minute drill

So what is Des Moines, Iowa, like?

It is hot and humid out here. It’s, like, 90 degrees. I think it will be really good to run in. The atmosphere, with all the other schools, knowing what’s on the line, you’re not really worried about the weather. It just makes you want to run.

We’ll assume that you’d rather be there than anywhere else this week. So how great is it to be at the NCAA championships?

It’s incredible. It’s a great opportunity to come out here and represent Washington State. I hope to get a championship. That’s the goal. But it’s an opportunity not a lot of people get to do.

As part of a 4×100 relay team, have you guys gotten a chance to hang out together at all? Or is it all business?

We all hang out together. We do everything together. You can pretty much tell we’re a relay team because you see four guys out all the time. We haven’t really had much time to hang out here (as of Tuesday afternoon), but we’re planning on getting out to see the city.

Tell us about the dynamic of a 4×100 team. Is there inner competition in terms of 100 times? And do you all feed off each other?

We do feed off each other. We’ve really put a team together to figure out our best strengths and how to use them. One guy (Greg Hornsby) is fast starting off, so we put him at the beginning. We almost always have a lead after the first leg. Then me, I run second. I run the back stretch because your fastest people are usually on the back stretch. After my leg, we have to keep us in contention, and our anchor leg (Marlon Murray) is a really, really good closer. So we give the baton to him, and we know he’s going to finish it off.

In high school, you also did the long jump and pole vault. Do you ever miss competing in them?

I miss the pole vault a lot. I really wish I could do the pole vault again. But sprinting has been good to me.

What is it that you miss about the pole vault?

Just the competing. A lot of times, it’s the last event (at a meet), so everyone is depending on you. And the pole vault is something I did my first three years of high school. That’s what I did first in track. I was told I wasn’t fast enough, and that’s why I started sprinting.

Who told you that you weren’t fast enough?

The sprinters. They said the only reason I did the pole vault was because I wasn’t fast enough to do the 100 or 200. I said, ‘No, I’m faster than you guys. I just chose the pole vault.’ I told them: ‘I’m going to start sprinting to prove it,’ and that’s what I did.

You also played football at Mariner. What kind of player were you?

I was only 140 pounds, so I was a small guy, one of the smallest on the field. I love to hit; I love contact. I was able to give it my all every play. I wasn’t the best corner, maybe more like a safety. But I did what I could for my team.

Track guys are supposed to be afraid of contact. That wasn’t the case with you?

Definitely not. That’s a bad rap. I was a football player before track. Track was something we had to do to stay in shape. But I always had a natural love for track.

You know, there’s an NFL receiver named Nate Washington. Do you ever get mistaken for him?

No, I haven’t gotten mistaken for him. But I don’t like the fact that he’s taking all my shine with my name. I started hearing about him when he was a rookie for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I really realized it when I used to type my name into Google, and he came up. I was like, ‘Who’s this guy? Who’s taking my shine?’

You really typed your name into Google that often?

That’s how you show someone you’re somebody. You can tell someone, ‘Who are you?’ And then you’re like: ‘Here, I’ll Google me.’ (Laughs) Then you’re somebody.

So could you cover Nate Washington on the football field?

I could cover him. Give me some man coverage, and I could lock him down. I’m confident. I think when track’s over, I might go back to football. I’ve got to re-prove myself. It’s got to be man coverage, though. I don’t like zone.

Would you play football for the Cougars?

No, no, not at all. I still have one year of eligibility left for indoor (track), and that’s in the fall. I’m thinking like semi-pro or something. I don’t know. I haven’t really given it that much thought.

It’s been a pretty tough year for WSU athletes off the field. Are they getting a bad rap?

It kind of has been. It’s not that bad out here (at WSU). A lot of football players are really nice people and they’re not into the drug scene, like it’s been made the last couple of years. They’re just getting a bad rap.

Your 4×100 team certainly brought some positive headlines after winning the Pac-10 meet. What was that like?

It was incredible. The race was so close. We won by two-hundredths of a second (over second-place Arizona State). After I ran the second leg, I wasn’t sure if we’d won or not. Then I looked up at the board and saw ‘WSU,’ and that’s when I knew we won. Also, I heard the crowd booing, so I knew we won. I knew nobody wanted Washington State to win the four-by-one. It was close — Arizona State was right there, and Washington finished third. UW was in it until the final leg, and then our anchor lit them up.

Was it even more sweet knowing you beat UW?

Oh, yeah, definitely. We beat them in the four-by-one last year, and they went out and got another fast guy, so they were talking trash all season. Then they beat us in a dual meet, but that was the first time we ran our A-team all together. They beat us, and they were all cocky and definitely confident, but it was really our first time running together, so we were still getting use to the baton and the handoffs and everything. We said we were running for the gold at the Pac-10 meet, and that’s what we did. We stepped up, and we won it.

The UW 4×100 team also qualified for nationals. What’s it like seeing those guys in Iowa?

We haven’t seen them yet (as of Tuesday afternoon). But when we do, we’re definitely going to give them a good staredown. (Laughs)

This is the last College Athlete of the Week this academic year. So have you got any fun summer plans?

No summer plans. Either summer school, or I’ll take the summer off. I haven’t decided. If I take the summer off, I’ll definitely be in Everett a lot. I go to the track a lot, and all my high school friends are there. My mom moved to Renton, so I won’t be in Everett as much, but I’ll be there a lot.

When you’re back in town, will you have any plans to invite the UW relay members to a night on the town?

Nah. (Laughs) I don’t really communicate with them outside of track.