Katie Wasserman

KATIE’S STORY
Katie grew up in the small town of Spotswood, New Jersey, an hour’s drive from the heart of Manhattan. She played a variety of sports growing up, focusing mainly on soccer–a sport she played all the way through her senior year of high school. Despite only running half the year, she was a multiple time all-state performer–running a personal best of 4:55.58 in the mile. She then attended Columbia University in New York City where she majored in Neuroscience before moving on to graduate school at Notre Dame where she earned a degree in Global Health.

PRO STATS
Katie joined HOKA NAZ Elite in October of 2021. She began her professional career at the Michigan Pro Ekiden in November, helping the team to a second place. She finished fourth at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships the following month. She kicked off her 2022 campaign with a win at the Baldy Castillo Invite over 3,000 meters. In June she ran a personal best at 5,000 meters (15:27.57) en route to an eighth place finish at the Portland Track Festival. She finished off the year leading the team to a third-place finish at the Club Cross Country Championships in December. She began her 2023 indoor season with a second place finish at the University of Nebraska Graduate Classic in the 3,000 meters. Two weeks later she set a huge personal best of 8:49.65 to finish third over 3,000 meters at the BU Terrier Classic, and a week after that she added a mile best of 4:34.32. Her outdoor season really got going in early June when she set a big personal best of 15:15.88 for 5,000 meters at the Portland Track Festival. After a 19th-place finish at the USATF Outdoor Championships at 5,000 meters, she came back with a third-place finish and a personal best at the Harry Jerome Track Classic 1500 meters–4:08.40. She finished second at the Victoria Track Classic two days later in 4:08.98. At the Sunset Tour 5,000 meters she ran a PB of 15:13.81 to finish third and was fifth at the Sir Walter Miler in a PB of 4:28.89. She finished her 2023 campaign with yet another PB in the mile (4:27.73) en route to a fourth-place finish at the Falmouth Mile.

Katie kicked off her 2024 season in the late fall of 2023 by winning the Maurten Women’s 8k at the Cross Champs in Austin, Texas, leading the Women of NAZ to the team title as well. In January of 2024 she opened up the Olympic year with a 15:13.84 at the BU Terrier Classic, nearly tying her PB. In February she posted a third-place finish at the USATF Indoor Championships over 3,000 meters–her first podium at a U.S. Championship. Her spring season included another fast 5,000 (15:14.17 at he LA Grand Prix) and a 9th-place finish at the HOKA Festival of Miles. In June, she competed at her first ever Olympic Trials, advancing to the finals and finishing 14th overall in the 5,000 meters.

NCAA STATS
Katie attended Columbia University in New York City where she was a Heps champion in the mile run in 2019 and part of two Ivy League team cross country championships (2018 and 2019). She also qualified to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships as a senior in 2020, though the meet was cancelled due to COVID-19. In 2021, as a graduate student at Notre Dame, she was second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5,000 meter run in a personal best of 15:28.68.