Oregon’s Cole Hocker goes pro, signing with Nike
Hocker placed sixth at the Tokyo Olympics as a 20-year-old sophomore
University of Oregon sophomore no more, as Cole Hocker announced on his Instagram on Monday that he has signed a professional contract with Nike. The former University of Oregon Duck follows in the footsteps of other former American Oregon Ducks Matt Centrowitz, Galen Rupp and Andrew Wheating to go professional before finishing university.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTxTYb-AP3r/
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Hocker has had a phenomenal season, winning the U.S. Olympic Trials as a 20-year-old and placing sixth in the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics, where he ran a personal best time of 3:31.40. He is also a three-time NCAA champion on the track in one season, winning the mile and 3,000m indoors, and the 1,500m outdoors.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQzANLWHBaB/
If Hocker chose to return to Oregon, he had three years of eligibility remaining for cross country and outdoor track. He was redshirted (held from competition) in 2019 due to the pandemic, saving him a season of eligibility.
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It has not been announced which club Hocker will be training with or if he will continue training with the University of Oregon team.
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