As Jack Bolas raced toward the finish line last Sunday, times were about the farthest thing from his mind.
Starting the final 300-meter push in the 1,600-meter run of the Meyo Invitational, Bolas was in fifth place. However, after sprinting toward the lead with 150 meters left, he held off the competition to take first place at the Invitational.
Not only had Bolas just pulled off a big comeback, he had also just broke a 30-year-old school record in the mile run with a time of three minutes, 59.40 seconds. It was actually the first time in school history that anyone broke the magical 4-minute barrier, as the previous record holder, Steve Lacy, set the mark in 1978 with a time of four minutes, 0.4 seconds.
To make the occasion more special, Lacy ? whose son Andrew is also a member of UW?s track team ? was actually in attendance in South Bend, Ind., to watch Bolas break the record. Even Bolas was surprised by how well the race turned out.
?I didn’t realize that I had broken the school record,? Bolas said. ?I was pretty shocked that I had won the race, though, and even more so when I found out immediately afterward that both me and my teammate, Brandon Bethke, had broken the four-minute barrier.?
According to head coach Ed Nuttycombe, it wasn?t the record that was surprising, but the timing of the performance.
?The fact that it was [Bolas?] first race of the year kind of surprised me,? Nuttycombe said. ?He?s an awful good runner, and the fact that he is a sophomore bodes well for the future.?
As the Badger track team looks forward to a big phase in the season, they will look for the leadership of Bolas. Despite being a sophomore, the Chapel Hill native has developed into one of the premier performers on the team this year and has been a key component to the Badgers? early success.
During his freshman season, Bolas earned All-American honors as a member of the distance medley relay and qualified for the NCAA regionals in the 1,500 meters.
However, this season Bolas has already shown signs of improvement. In addition to breaking the record, he was a big contributor to the cross country team, despite this being his first year competing with the team. In the fall, Bolas placed fifth on the team at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and eventually earned Academic All Big-Ten honors as well.
This spring, as a member of the track team, Bolas looks to continue the success of the fall and early track season.
?I also wanted to run a NCAA indoor qualifying time for the mile,? Bolas said. ?The record was not one of my goals. My goal, for that race at least, was to compete with the rest of the field. Now I want to focus on staying healthy, helping the team at Big Tens and Indoor Nationals and then get ready for the outdoor season.?
At the NCAA Indoor National Championships in a few weeks, Bolas and the rest of the team will have the opportunity to defend their national title. Last season?s championship is still a moving experience for Nuttycombe.
?It?s kind of a dream come true,? Nuttycombe said. ?We had been at the top echelon of the NCAAs ? but to actually realize that everything came together and everything went your way and you won. It?s still pretty exciting to look back on.?
As the NCAA Indoor Championships approach, Bolas and the rest of the team look ready for the challenge.
?Brandon Bethke is running out of his mind right now,? Bolas said. ?The entire long-distance program is running really well. It should be really exciting to see how the distance medley relay team competes this year because each member, besides the freshman Jager, has a year of experience now.?
If Bethke, Bolas and the rest of the team perform as well as early indications have shown, the team could be celebrating at the NCAA Championships again this year.
