BOSTON, Mass. (Jan. 30, 2022) – Senior Aidan Ryan (New York, N.Y./Trinity School) became just the second NCAA DIII runner to break the four minute mile standard. Ryan posted the fastest time ever by a NCAA DIII runner when he finished in 3:56.88 at the 2022 Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic. He raced in a field that brought together collegiate and professional athletes from across the globe.
Ryan's record time shattered the previous best NCAA DIII time by three seconds. He placed fourth overall, beating nearly 150 Division I and professional milers. He finished first among all collegiate runners entered in the race. Ryan's mile record came mere weeks after he broke the 3000m Division III record, at a meet in early January at the University of Washington, where he is considering attending graduate school. Ryan's race was the 10th-fastest mile run in 2022 thus far.
For the second time this season Ryan was named the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA DIII Athlete of the Week.
When asked about his mentality entering the race, Ryan said, "I felt that I would hang on, and would try to make it deep enough into the race that when it came time to start competing, I'd set myself up for success." Ryan continued, "I went in knowing that, if I was going to run sub-four yesterday, I was a sub-four guy before the race started. Believing that I belonged on that start line, that was a big part of it."
When asked about his outlook for the rest of the season, Ryan offered, "We'll run a DMR (distance medley relay) at the BU Valentine Invitational [in two weeks' time]. Last time we tried we came just short of the national record. We have a good shot of doing it in two weeks, and after that, we'll have to do some thinking and come up with a season plan for the rest of the races."
Eph distance coach Dusty Lopez '01 added, "We wanted to make the most of a great, competitive opportunity on a fast track. In Aidan's case, we'd been talking about breaking four for the mile…but for everyone, the main idea was to compete hard and use that to run fast times."
Ryan's teammate and training partner, sophomore Nate Lentz, also set a massive new personal best in the Mile, finishing in 4:10.66 and besting his previous PB by nearly four seconds, good for 4th in his heat, and 32nd overall in the event.
The third Eph athlete to compete at the meet, fellow sophomore Jinwoo Kang, also had an excellent day. Kang set a new PB, running 1:52.76 in his first indoor 800m since high school. Kang's time saw him place 24th overall.
Lopez also commented on the team's philosophy this year: "Our BU group, and everyone who competed at Nazareth College this weekend, has really embraced the idea of big swings and not being intimidated. The growth we're seeing has been on two fronts–investment in training and good decisions, which then leads to confidence that comes from being prepared and experiencing success."
The Ephs' Strong mid-distance contingent, combined with the team's quality and depth across all event groups, positions the team well to continue its momentum as championship season approaches. Regardless of what happens throughout the remainder of the indoor and outdoor seasons, however, Ryan's record is one of the most impressive in the history of Division III track & field, even as he himself remains hungry to improve, and to help the team bring success this season.
