Track & Field
Drake, Jason
Jason Drake
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- jzdrake@uw.edu
- Phone:
- (206) 543-9880
» Drake Offers Fresh Perspective (GoHuskies.com, 2009)
Veteran distance coach Jason Drake joined the Washington staff in the summer of 2009, bringing more than a decade of experience coaching and recruiting many of the country's best runners. In addition to coaching the men's and women's distance runners, Drake heads up many more projects designed to continue the advancement of the Washington track and field program.
In Drake's nine seasons, Washington has qualified its women's team to the NCAA Cross Country Championships every season with four Top-10 finishes, including capturing trophies in 2009 (3rd-place) and 2011 (2nd-place) while the men made nationals in 2009, 2014, 2017, and tied the second-best finish in school history in 2015 with an eighth-place finish. On the track, 29 different distance runners have earned All-America honors since 2009. Three UW women won Pac-12 Cross Country individual titles during Drake's time on staff while men's and women's distance runners combined for eight Pac-12 track titles.
Some of the projects Drake oversees in addition to regular coaching and recruiting duties include meet management of Washington's series of renowned meets at the Dempsey Indoor facility, which bring several thousand athletes each year to Seattle. He also handles implementation of Husky track and field and cross country camps, alumni relations, and fundraising for Washington's new outdoor track facility, which broke ground in 2011 and was inaugurated in the spring of 2013, and then hosted the 2016 Pac-12 Track & Field Championships, the first time since 1997 that Washington was able to host the meet.
Drake served the previous seven years as the head distance coach at Washington State, serving as assistant distance coach in charge of the Cougars cross country program the first two seasons before being officially named cross country head coach in 2004. Prior to that Drake began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Colorado, where he was an assistant distance coach from 1995-2002 and also served as recruiting coordinator during the final three years of his stint.
Some of Drake's achievements at WSU included leading the men's cross country squad to the NCAA Championships in 2006, its first national meet appearance in eight years and just the second since 1984. Drake mentored Haley Paul to a program-record 14th-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championships and All-America honors. Three more Cougars earned All-American honors on the track under Drake, winning two Pac-10 titles as well.
Drake's time at Colorado coincided with one of the most successful runs by any distance program over the past twenty years. The men's team won the NCAA title in 2001, following a runner-up finish in 2000. The Colorado women were team champs in 2000 as well as runners-up in 1995. Both team titles were achieved by athletes recruited and coached in part by Drake under head coach Mark Wetmore. On an individual level, Drake worked with All-Americans Lesley Higgins (second in mile at NCAA Indoor), Steve Slattery (second in steeplechase at NCAA Outdoor), and Sara Gorton (fourth in 5k at NCAA Outdoors).
Born in Aberdeen, S.D., Drake's prep career at Campbell County High School, in Gillette, Wyoming, included seven state titles. He then moved on to Colorado, running middle distance events on the track and for the cross country squad. Drake earned All-America honors as a member of CU's 1994 indoor distance medley relay team and also garnered several Academic All-Big Eight Conference accolades while earning a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental conservation.
In 1999, Drake founded the Colorado Elite Track Club, a nonprofit club for post-collegiate female middle and long distance runners. The club was home for several world-class runners including Shayne Culpepper (2000 Olympic team 1500m and two World Cross Country teams), Janet Trujillo (2002 World Cross Country team and fifth place in 2001 USATF 1500m Outdoor Championships), and Sarah Toland (2002 World Cross Country team).
Drake and his wife Colleen have a 13-year-old daughter Riley and a nine-year-old son Benjamin.
Veteran distance coach Jason Drake joined the Washington staff in the summer of 2009, bringing more than a decade of experience coaching and recruiting many of the country's best runners. In addition to coaching the men's and women's distance runners, Drake heads up many more projects designed to continue the advancement of the Washington track and field program.
In Drake's nine seasons, Washington has qualified its women's team to the NCAA Cross Country Championships every season with four Top-10 finishes, including capturing trophies in 2009 (3rd-place) and 2011 (2nd-place) while the men made nationals in 2009, 2014, 2017, and tied the second-best finish in school history in 2015 with an eighth-place finish. On the track, 29 different distance runners have earned All-America honors since 2009. Three UW women won Pac-12 Cross Country individual titles during Drake's time on staff while men's and women's distance runners combined for eight Pac-12 track titles.
Some of the projects Drake oversees in addition to regular coaching and recruiting duties include meet management of Washington's series of renowned meets at the Dempsey Indoor facility, which bring several thousand athletes each year to Seattle. He also handles implementation of Husky track and field and cross country camps, alumni relations, and fundraising for Washington's new outdoor track facility, which broke ground in 2011 and was inaugurated in the spring of 2013, and then hosted the 2016 Pac-12 Track & Field Championships, the first time since 1997 that Washington was able to host the meet.
Drake served the previous seven years as the head distance coach at Washington State, serving as assistant distance coach in charge of the Cougars cross country program the first two seasons before being officially named cross country head coach in 2004. Prior to that Drake began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of Colorado, where he was an assistant distance coach from 1995-2002 and also served as recruiting coordinator during the final three years of his stint.
Some of Drake's achievements at WSU included leading the men's cross country squad to the NCAA Championships in 2006, its first national meet appearance in eight years and just the second since 1984. Drake mentored Haley Paul to a program-record 14th-place finish at the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championships and All-America honors. Three more Cougars earned All-American honors on the track under Drake, winning two Pac-10 titles as well.
Drake's time at Colorado coincided with one of the most successful runs by any distance program over the past twenty years. The men's team won the NCAA title in 2001, following a runner-up finish in 2000. The Colorado women were team champs in 2000 as well as runners-up in 1995. Both team titles were achieved by athletes recruited and coached in part by Drake under head coach Mark Wetmore. On an individual level, Drake worked with All-Americans Lesley Higgins (second in mile at NCAA Indoor), Steve Slattery (second in steeplechase at NCAA Outdoor), and Sara Gorton (fourth in 5k at NCAA Outdoors).
Born in Aberdeen, S.D., Drake's prep career at Campbell County High School, in Gillette, Wyoming, included seven state titles. He then moved on to Colorado, running middle distance events on the track and for the cross country squad. Drake earned All-America honors as a member of CU's 1994 indoor distance medley relay team and also garnered several Academic All-Big Eight Conference accolades while earning a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental conservation.
In 1999, Drake founded the Colorado Elite Track Club, a nonprofit club for post-collegiate female middle and long distance runners. The club was home for several world-class runners including Shayne Culpepper (2000 Olympic team 1500m and two World Cross Country teams), Janet Trujillo (2002 World Cross Country team and fifth place in 2001 USATF 1500m Outdoor Championships), and Sarah Toland (2002 World Cross Country team).
Drake and his wife Colleen have a 13-year-old daughter Riley and a nine-year-old son Benjamin.
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