Villanova Univeristy Athletics

For more than half a century, the incredible middle distance runners that have competed for Villanova and represented the university on a worldwide stage have made up a substantial part of the tradition of excellences that defines the Wildcats track & field program.

There is one particular part of the program's history of middle distance greatness which stands out the most and it is the reputation Villanova has for developing world champion milers, as evidenced by the extraordinary number of Wildcats who have won a sub-four minute mile.

Over the years the Villanova numbers for one of running's greatest achievements have simply been staggering. An elite group that consists of 39 runners from the Wildcats program has combined to post sub-four minute times in the Mile or an equivalent time in the 1500 meters (3:42.20) an astonishing 660 times.

The list of Villanovans who have rub a sub-four minute mile spans more than 50 years, beginning with Ron Delany in 1958 and continuing most recently with current team member Ben Malone. The sub-four minute mile has always been a benchmark for middle distance runners and the Villanova milers who have achieved it have used the accomplishment as a springboard in their careers. As a group the sub-four milers to come through the Wildcats program have made a combined 22 appearances in the Olympics.

In the group of world champion milers that have come through the Wildcats program, few can boast a resume that is on par with the achievements of head coach Marcus O'Sullivan, who is one of just three men in history to have broken the four-minute barrier at least 100 times. O'Sullivan ran his 100th sub-four minute Mile in February, 1998 at the Millrose Games and during his racing career accomplished the feat 101 times, plus another 83 races in which he ran sub-four equivalents in the 1500 meters.

During his tenure as Villanova, O'Sullivan has also coached 14 sub-four minute milers, including five runners who have joined this exclusive club in the past five years. Sam McEntee joined the club during the 2012 indoor season at the Penn State National and Rob Denault accomplished the feat during the 2013 indoor season at the Alex Wilson Invitational. Jordy Williamsz ran a time of 3:36.74 in the 1500 meters at Swarthmore on May 14, 2012 prior to beginning his Villanova career, and he also had a time of 3:56.84 in the Mile on February 15, 2014 during his collegiate career.

The two newest members of the sub-four minute mile club are Dusty Solis and Ben Malone, who each ran sub-four equivalents in the 1500 meters during the 2016 outdoor season. Solis, 2015 graduate, posted a time of 3:39.32 on May 16, 2016 at Princeton on June 18, 2016.

Villanova has added nine runners to the sub-four minute club in the last 10 years. That streak had a definitive starting point, as both Bobby Curtis and Michael Kerrigan ran a sub-four minute mile on the same day at the Swarthmore Last Chance Invitational on May 14, 2007. Since then Villanova has added to its legacy with a sub-four equivalent run by Matthew Gibney in the 1500 meters at the NCAA Championships in 2009; Gibney later went on to post a mile time of 3:58.12 at the Flotrack Husky Classic in February, 2011. He was joined on the sub-four list by Carl Mackenzie, who ran a 1500 meters equivalent on May 10.

Mark Belger Fastest Mile: 3:57.40 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:39.30	Adrian Blincoe Fastest Mile: 3:54.40 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:35.50	Dick Buerkle Fastest Mile: 3:54.93 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:39.80
Dean Childs Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:42.10	Eamonn Coghlan Fastest Mile: 3:49.78 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:35.60	Bobby Curtis Fastest Mile: 3:57.20 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:40.25
Ron Delany Fastest Mile: 3:57.50 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:41.20	Rob Denault Fastest Mile: 3:59.39	Ross Donoghue Fastest Mile: 3:55.29 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:36.95
Jan Friedli Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:42.08	Matthew Gibney Fastest Mile: 3:58.12 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:38.34	John Hartnett Fastest Mile: 3:54.70 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:38.10
Ryan Hayden Fastest Mile: 3:58.27 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:39.79	Stephen Howard Fastest Mile: 3:58.80	Jason Jabaut Fastest Mile: 3:57.26 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:40.59
Phil Kane Fastest Mile: 3:55.87 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:39.10	Michael Kerrigan Fastest Mile: 3:59.60	John Keyworth Fastest Mile: 3:59.43 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:41.78
Amos Korir Fastest Mile: 3:59.30	Marty Liquori Fastest Mile: 3:52.20 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:36.00	Carl Mackenzie Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:41.99
Ben Malone Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:39.82	Sydney Maree Fastest Mile: 3:48.83 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:29.77	Chris Mason Fastest Mile: 3:59.90
Sam McEntee Fastest Mile: 3:57.86 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:36.81	Frank Murphy Fastest Mile: 3:58.10 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:38.50	Ken Nason Fastest Mile: 3:58.91 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:48.24
Sean O'Neill Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:38.86	Gerry O'Reilly Fastest Mile: 3:54.63 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:37.40	Marcus O'Sullivan Fastest Mile: 3:50.96 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:34.57
Don Paige Fastest Mile: 3:54.19 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:37.33	Tom Parlapiano Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:41.51	Dave Patrick Fastest Mile: 3:56.80 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:39.90
Louie Quintana Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:40.37	Ken Schappert Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:42.00	Dusty Solis Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:39.32
Brad Sumner Fastest Mile: 3:59.11	Pat Traynor Fastest Mile: 3:59.60	Jordy Williamsz Fastest Mile: 3:56.84 Fastest 1500 Meters: 3:36.74