For most high schoolers, any mention of “the mile” brings back traumatic memories of running laps around a park in Converse and their middle school gym shorts. For star cross country and track runner, Cooper Teare, however, the mile is the manifestation of years of blood, sweat, and tears. Teare, who is a senior at St. Joseph Notre Dame in Alameda, has made a name for himself in the national high school running arena. Most recently, he came in first place in the 1600 meters (approximately one mile or four laps around the track) at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, California. Breaking the tape has become the norm for Teare, who holds the top mile time in the nation for high school runners this season. His time of 4:00.16 at Mt. Sac was not only a personal best, but also the fourth fastest time ever run in an all-high school race and the tenth fastest time in history by a high school runner. His performance was unrivaled with the second place runner crossing the finish line more than ten seconds behind him. Though Teare’s objective was to break the four-minute mile in Walnut, there is no doubt that he will be able to do so before the end of the season.
Though Teare’s four-minute mile has been the center of attention, his most recent performance in the 3200 meters (approximately two miles or eight laps around a standard track) was also noteworthy. A week before the Mt. Sac Relays, Teare competed at the ultra-competitive Arcadia Invitational in Los Angeles — a meet known for having hosted 152 Olympians over its 50-year history – where he ran the 3200 meters in 8:41.46. Needless to say, he won the race, breaking the meet record set in 1976.
While Teare’s track times are beyond impressive, his running career has been equally characterized by incredible cross country races. Teare won the Division V title at the CIF State Championships this past November, posting a time of 14:58.5 and gapping the second place finisher by more than 40 seconds. Teare went on to finish 16th overall at Nike Cross Country Nationals, even after slipping on the start line. He also won the DV race at the CIF State meet as a junior and came in 5th place as a sophomore. Teare’s high school running career has been extraordinary to say the least.
After having raced alongside Teare on multiple occasions, top Lick-Wilmerding cross country and track runner, Sean Laidlaw ’18, professes, “To see a fellow DV BCL runner having national success is rather inspiring. It’s crazy to think a normal runner attending school 30 minutes away would become one of the greatest high school runners of all time.” When asked to share his proudest accomplishment as a high school athlete, Teare responded, “hands down winning [the state championship] in the 3200 in track last year – mostly because I am the first one from my school to ever do it and I really had to work for it; with such a close finish, it made it that much sweeter when I saw my name in first.”
After four years of competing for St. Joe’s just across the Bay Bridge, Cooper Teare will be attending the University of Oregon in the fall, where he will run Division I cross country and track and field. When asked about his athletic ambitions, Teare optimistically responded, “Beyond high school I just want to continue seeing the success I have seen in the past year or so and keep improving. Hopefully after college, I can continue to find success on the pro track circuit.” And with four years of record-setting under his belt, Teare surely has the mental and physical strength to make his aspirations a reality.
