Pac-12 Championship
Pac-12 Championship at Wazzu is a file of 2 stories. The newest of them: “Nelly Jemeli on the Palouse, a Pac-12 champ in her own words” and “Solomon Kipchoge talks Pac-12 title race and life after Pullman”. Nelly Jemeli did not just win the Pac-12 title. Solomon Kipchoge won a Pac-12 title, and he's got thoughts on what that means now that he's not in Pullman anymore. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Pac-12 Championship story on Wazzu, newest first.
Nelly Jemeli on the Palouse, a Pac-12 champ in her own words
Nelly Jemeli did not just win the Pac-12 title. She left the field in Pullman dust. That is the kind of thing you remember from a Saturday in October, the kind of performance that makes you text your old running buddy, "Did you see what she did?" We have been following this team all season, and Jemeli's race was the exclamation point. She ran like she had a bus to catch and the rest of the conference was just in the way. We sat down with her for this one. It is Nelly on the Palouse, in her own words. No filter. No press-release spin. Just a Pac-12 champ telling you what it felt like to cross that line, what it means to wear the Cougar uniform, and what Pullman looks like when you are the one bringing the trophy home. It is the kind of conversation you want to have over a beer at the Coug, not in a press conference. If you want the full race story, go read "Nelly Jemeli Wins Pac-12, Leaves the Field in Pullman Dust." It is right there on the site. This one is the voice behind the finish. Together, they give you the whole picture, the way a Coug deserves to hear it. Go Cougs.
Solomon Kipchoge talks Pac-12 title race and life after Pullman
Solomon Kipchoge won a Pac-12 title, and he's got thoughts on what that means now that he's not in Pullman anymore. That's the conversation we sat down for, and it's a good one. He talks about the race itself, the weight of that conference championship, and what life looks like when you've traded Palouse mornings for something else. It's not a goodbye story. It's a "what now" story, and Kipchoge is honest about both the pride and the adjustment. We've been following this arc. If you want to see how the team got that trophy back in the first place, go read "WSU Women Bring the Pac-12 Trophy Home Where It Belongs." That piece and this one sit next to each other well, the team effort and the individual reflection. Kipchoge's win didn't happen in a vacuum, and he's the first to say it. What I like about this interview is that it doesn't pretend leaving Pullman is simple. Kipchoge doesn't either. He's a Coug who ran his race, won his title, and now he's figuring out the next lap. That's relatable. That's the stuff we don't always get to hear. Go Cougs.