Mount Si High School alumni Joe Waskom finished second in men’s 1,500 meters at the U.S. Track & Field Championships last weekend.

Waskom, who now runs for the University of Washington, took the lead with around 200 meters remaining, before being caught by Yared Nuguse on the homestretch of Hayward Field.

“I knew I was gonna make a move with about 250 to go,” Waskom told reporters after the race. “I thought at least one guy was going to get me, but I thought I had enough to hold on for second or third.”

Waskom finished less than a second behind Nuguse, the American record holder at 1,500 meters, in a new personal best of 3:35.32. The time lowers his own school record.

A top three finish at USAs also gives Waskom the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the 2023 World Championship in Budapest.

To guarantee his spot, Waskom will need to run the 1,500 meters world qualifying standard of 3:34.20 or faster, before July 30. He is also likely to qualify without the standard via a world ranking process.

Waskom finished as the runner-up in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Championships earlier this year. He won an NCAA title in 2022.

Prior to his time at UW, Waskom won three state titles as a Wildcat and set school records at 1,600 and 3,200 meters. He graduated in 2019.

“I didn’t ever win a mile state title [in high school],” Waskom told reports after the race. “If I was going to tell my high school self I was going to make a world team and this soon – I’m only 22 – I would just say keep believing in himself and I would tell him you gotta keeping dreaming big, because big things are going to happen.”