Green Wins USA 1,500m Title Over Star-Studded Field
March 01, 2026 | Track & Field
NEW YORK – Former Husky NCAA Champion Nathan Green captured his first USA gold medal today, upsetting a field containing Olympic medalists and American record-holders to take the 1,500-meters championship at the USATF Indoor Championships at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island.
Green, a 2025 grad, who competes for adidas and continues to train with Husky Head Coach Andy Powell, showed his usual blend of tactical smarts, speed and pure determination to put himself in the mix right from the beginning, holding his position and then making a finishing kick at just the right moment to get over the line first in a time of 3:37.65.
The person Green edged out for the title was his former teammate, and another two-time NCAA Champion in Luke Houser, who now competes for Atlanta TC. Houser had the lead for the entire final lap until Green caught him on the outside just at the line. Houser finished .02 seconds back in 3:37.67.
U.S. Olympic Medalists Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker had to settle for fourth and fifth today. Hocker won the 3,000m title on Saturday and Nuguse was second. Hocker is the American Record-holder in the mile, the 2024 Olympic Champion at 1,500-meters and 2025 World Outdoor 5,000m Champion. Nuguse won Bronze at the 2024 Olympics in the 1,500m and formerly held the indoor mile World Record.
Additional former Huskies in action at the two day USATF Indoor Championships included another of UW's NCAA Champion men's milers, Joe Waskom, who dropped down to 800-meters, advanced to the final, and placed sixth overall.
Other alums included Nastassja Campbell placing eighth in the pole vault, Kayle DeLay finishing seventh in the 3,000-meters, and Sam Ellis running the seventh-fastest 800m qualifying time, coming up two spots shy of the final. Scott Toney competed in the men's pole vault but did not clear the opening bar.
Green, a 2025 grad, who competes for adidas and continues to train with Husky Head Coach Andy Powell, showed his usual blend of tactical smarts, speed and pure determination to put himself in the mix right from the beginning, holding his position and then making a finishing kick at just the right moment to get over the line first in a time of 3:37.65.
The person Green edged out for the title was his former teammate, and another two-time NCAA Champion in Luke Houser, who now competes for Atlanta TC. Houser had the lead for the entire final lap until Green caught him on the outside just at the line. Houser finished .02 seconds back in 3:37.67.
U.S. Olympic Medalists Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker had to settle for fourth and fifth today. Hocker won the 3,000m title on Saturday and Nuguse was second. Hocker is the American Record-holder in the mile, the 2024 Olympic Champion at 1,500-meters and 2025 World Outdoor 5,000m Champion. Nuguse won Bronze at the 2024 Olympics in the 1,500m and formerly held the indoor mile World Record.
Additional former Huskies in action at the two day USATF Indoor Championships included another of UW's NCAA Champion men's milers, Joe Waskom, who dropped down to 800-meters, advanced to the final, and placed sixth overall.
Other alums included Nastassja Campbell placing eighth in the pole vault, Kayle DeLay finishing seventh in the 3,000-meters, and Sam Ellis running the seventh-fastest 800m qualifying time, coming up two spots shy of the final. Scott Toney competed in the men's pole vault but did not clear the opening bar.
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