Absolutely insane!
On a track noted for producing world-leading performances, Boston University’s lightning-fast oval delivered another unforgettable moment this past weekend.
In his first-ever indoor mile, teenage phenom Sam Ruthe of New Zealand set a world U18 record, blazing to an eye-popping 3:48.88 at Saturday’s John Thomas Terrier Classic. That’s not a typo. Read it again. Sub-3:50 — and he’s just 16 years old! Ruthe shattered New Zealand’s longstanding national mile record of 3:49.08, set by the legendary John Walker, and also dipped under the indoor national mark of 3:51.06 run by Nick Willis in 2016.
Not quite the magnitude of Ruthe’s historic effort, but equally impressive in our eyes, was the performance turned in by former Westford Academy standout Jack Graffeo in the 5,000-meter run. Running unattached, Graffeo finished second overall with a massive personal best of 13:29.78, less than three seconds behind winner Simas Bertasius (13:27.10).
Late in his senior year with the Ghosts, Graffeo battled a knee injury that ultimately sidelined him for the remainder of his high school career. Based on his sterling effort at BU, that setback appears firmly in the rearview mirror for the current University of Colorado freshman.
Also making noise in the race was former Nashoba Regional standout Freddy Collins, who placed sixth overall. The Boston University junior was clocked in 13:48.57. Former Plymouth South standout Dylan Brilliant, a junior at Stonehill College, was 55th with a PR of 14:43. A few weeks ago, Brilliant also clocked a 3K best with a winning 8:32.51 at the URI Invitational.
In Ruthe’s historic mile, onetime Marblehead and Virginia star AJ Ernest was among 25 runners that broke the four-minute barrier. He was 22nd overall and just a click ahead of Stanford’s Leo Young with a time of 3:57.76.
Marshfield grad Matt McCabe, a freshman at Providence College, finished 30th in the Open 800m with a strong 1:54.12 clocking.
