Ducks Do It: Collegiate Record in the 4x1: 16:03.24

Oregon did what it set out to do – break the collegiate best in the 4-by-1-mile relay – running 16:03.24 to break a mark established by Michigan at the Penn Relays four years ago.

Three of the Ducks broke 4 minutes on their individual legs, though none by much. It was their balance that carried the day, on a cool, calm evening at Hayward Field. Several thousand spectators lined the track, in lines 5 through 8, to cheer on their heroes.

Only one other team, the Oregon Track Club, finished the race. That squad finished 150 yards back. A third team, the Oregon B squad, ran just the opening leg, lending a hand with early pacesetting.

Matthew Centrowitz led off for the Oregon A team, following teammate James Withers, who began hard with 56.9/1:57.6. Centrowitz, fresh from a surprise 3:36 1,500 a week ago in California, did his job, running 3:59.53 and handing off to Andrew Wheating, the Olympic 800-meter runner.

Wheating ran 3:59.60, finishing with a big sprint and giving the baton to Shadrack Biwott, a senior and the lone non-American on the squad. Because Biwott is a Kenyan citizen, this group could not break the American best, of 16:08. Biwott, running alone, came through the half in 2:00 but struggled home in 4:05.21, leaving it to the senior captain, Galen Rupp, to try to pull out another win for his ‘mates.

Michigan’s record was 16:04.54, and when Rupp received the baton the clock showed 12:04.2, meaning he had to run a 4-minute mile alone. He was up for the task, splitting 57.8-60.2-60.1 en route to the fastest mile of the evening, 3:58.93, giving the Ducks the record by a bit more than one second. The OTC ran 16:25.92.

Oregon’s time also broke the Hayward Field of 16:05.0, set 41 years ago by an Oregon Track Club team of Roscoe Divine, Wade Bell, Arne Kvalheim and Dave Wilborn. That team was not given credit for the world record that May evening because it was not considered an actual race, but an exhibition.