The 116th running of the Penn Relays got its first look at the Black Bears when the 4×100 team of Shaniqua Burgess, Cearha Miller, Jillian O’Brien and Jesse Labreck broke a university record that had stood for less than one week. Their 46.71 second effort was enough for 35th place out of 95 teams competing Thursday afternoon.

“I feel absolutely great breaking the record,” Burgess said. “We are fast and we are a great combination. As far as our conference rivals, [this] is just a statement to them that Maine is here and we are ready.”

“I really enjoy relays. [They] help generate teamwork, patience [and] leadership,” Miller said. “As for the records, I’m very blessed to have received them, but I really don’t like to worry too much about numbers. I just want to run my fastest each time I get on that track.”

Miller, despite being a freshman, is no stranger to the University of Pennsylvania.

“My high school competes there almost every year, so I was fortunate enough to go all four years of my high school career,” Miller said. “Going back there again, seeing past teammates and competitors, along with new people to race as well, was magnificent.”

“[I was] excited to get on the track and run my hardest,” she added.

Miller ran the 400-meter leg of the distance medley team that also featured seniors Jordan Daniel (1,200) and Vanessa Letourneau (800), and sophomore Corey Conner (1,600). The group managed an 11:36.67 finish, just shy of the mark set at the Florida Relays a few weeks ago. In the highly competitive field, the team managed 12th out of 13 teams.

In the late hours of the night following a brief rain delay, junior Allie Conner got a chance at individual success running in the Olympic Development 5,000-meter run. The elder Conner finished with an outdoor personal best of 17:25.79, good for 22nd out of 34 runners.

“I [was] hoping that I [would] get a fast time under my belt, which would give me the confidence to really go after conferences and score some points for the team. Running a faster time can only help put me in a faster heat for ECAC’s,” Conner said.

Not long after Conner stepped off the hallowed ground of Franklin Field, sophomore Riley Masters looked to make something happen at UPenn for the second year in a row. Masters has been involved in a series of tactical races at the national level this season, including his fourth place finish at the Florida Relays. This race proved to be no different, as several runners, including Masters, swapped the lead as the race wore on.

Masters initially appeared to be hanging with the lead pack for the first mile before moving out front to control the tempo of the race. Masters led for the next half mile before falling back momentarily and surging for the lead once more.

Masters led two more laps before dropping to fourth place with about 700 meters to go and watching the runners in front of him open a late gap. A hard charge from the sub-four miler put him back up with the lead pack, but Masters could not catch up with eventual winner Brad Kenimer of Dartmouth College and settled for second place.

In the field, senior Jess Bond finished third in the College Javelin Throw with a 143-10 throw. Senior teammate Alli Krous’ 139-04 heave was good for seventh place, wrapping up UMaine’s action on the first day of competition.

On day two, junior James Berry continued to struggle, failing to record a height in the College Pole Vault with the bar initially set at 15-03.

The relay teams — with Miller back at it for the third time — were able to put together a pair of excellent performances. Miller ran a leg of the record-setting 4×200-meter relay, which earned a spot in the ECAC division finals where UMaine lowered their qualifying time to 1:37.09, earning fourth place.

The women also sent a 4×800 team featuring Letourneau, Conner, freshman Whitney Chamberlain and sophomore Jennie Lucy that finished in 9:06.42

The men’s team fielded a 4×200 team that edged out the school record in 1:29.11, and a 4×400 team that finished in 53rd with a 3:22.37 mark.

“The atmosphere [at Penn] is like nothing I ever imagined,” said freshman Jamie Ruginski, who ran the second leg of the 4×400. “Thousands of people cheering for you while you’re running is simply unbelievable. I have never been so nervous in my entire life for anything.”

A thundering applause from over 54,000 fans shook the arena on Saturday afternoon when Olympic champion and multiple world record-holder Usain Bolt stepped onto the infield with his Jamaican teammates about an hour before he was scheduled to race in the USA vs. The World 4×100-meter relay.

Bolt and his island brethren dominated the event, with Bolt anchoring his team by laying down an 8.79-second split time, adding once more to his overwhelming global persona as the world’s fastest man.

The UMaine athletes who did not attend the Penn Relays headed to Wildcat country for a meet with the University of New Hampshire, the University of Vermont, and the University of Massachusetts. Senior Ally Howatt led the women’s team with wins in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Freshman Danielle Hutchins contributed a second and a third place finish in each event as well.

Sophomore Katherine McGeoghan also added to the Black Bear effort, winning the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump.

The men’s team failed to record a victory in any event, but second place finishes from freshmen Daniel Roukey (200) and Jadrien Cousens (high jump) anchored the team in Durham.

Next Saturday, for the fourth time in as many weeks, the Black Bears will make the trip to UNH for the America East championships. Preseason polls pegged the women’s team to finish fourth after finishing in that position last year. The men, after a seventh place effort last year, are expected to finish sixth. The meet will begin Saturday at 9 a.m.

The prestige surrounding the nation’s oldest and largest track and field competition pushed the women’s 4×400-meter relay team to become the first contingent of Black Bears to compete in a Penn Relay final, where they set the existing record in the event at 3:44.73. In addition, it pushed then-freshman Riley Masters to a seventh place finish in the 5,000-meter run, where his 14:23.25 finish also set a record and gave the rest of the country their first glimpse at the makings of an All-American.

One year later, Masters will return to the 5,000-meter race, where the nation’s top collegiate competition is likely to push him to another memorable performance. It will come one week before the 2009 Conference Rookie of the Meet defends his 5,000-meter crown at the America East championships in Durham, N.H.

In addition to Masters, junior pole vaulter James Berry will compete individually. Berry has struggled in recent weeks, recording no height at UMaine’s home meet and again last weekend at Holy Cross. Berry holds the university record at 15-09.

Collectively, Black Bear sprinters will be on display in the 4×200- and 4×400-meter relays. At last year’s event, no men’s relays were registered.

The Black Bear women have registered several formidable relays, although the 4×400-meter record they put up last year will remain safe for one more week. UMaine will forego the event to showcase their red-hot sprinters in the 4×100 – and 4×200-meter relays. For good measure, UMaine has registered 4×800 and distance medley teams as well.

Three individual female performers will also get a chance to show what they’ve got on the national stage. Sophomore Jessica Bond and senior Alli Krous will compete in the College Women’s javelin throw, while junior Allie Conner will compete in the Olympic Development 5,000-meter run.

“I don’t think it has really sunk in yet that I will be running with such an elite crowd at Penns,” Conner said. “The only thing I am focusing on is making sure I get out with the middle group and work my way up as much as I can to run a PR.”

“This race is going to be very different because they are only doing one heat and there are, like, 50 girls,” Conner added.

Both teams will look to add to the good news they’ve received in the past few days. Sophomore Jesse Labreck earned the conference’s Female Track Performer of the Week for her record-setting heptathlon. Freshman Jamie Ruginski, for his matching victories in the long and triple jumps last weekend, was the conference’s pick for Male Field Performer of the Week a week and a half before all nine teams gather to sort out the final America East standings.

The women’s team may have a legitimate chance to earn a spot on the podium. The Black Bears found themselves ranked seventh in the Northeast according to polls released by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association. That ranking tops the conference. The Penn Relays began on Tuesday with the decathlon and heptathlon. All other events begin Thursday at 10 a.m.

Heptathlon times and distances are calculated using a complex formula that assigns a numerical value to their performance. One thousand points is typically considered to be the benchmark of a good performance, though elite athletes often score well above that number in several events.

Heptathletes generally specialize in one aspect of the competition, but Labreck is highly competitive in both the sprints and the jumps, earning her an advantage over many of her opponents.

Labreck’s hurdle prowess helped her to open a gap on the competition in the 100-meter hurdle race and in the overall scoring, as she came away with the university record in the event after a 13.75 second performance. The time earned her 1,014 points.

Labreck continued her dominance by jumping 5-05.25 in the high jump, good for another victory and 806 points.

The greatest testament to Labreck’s versatility may have come in the third event, the shot put, where despite having limited experience, Labreck managed to place second behind Boston University freshman Allison Barwise with a 31-10.75 foot throw, earning her 511 points.

In the final event of the first day, Labreck returned to form, sprinting to victory in 25.39 seconds, nearly a second ahead of runner-up Barwise,. That performance raked in 851 points to put Labreck’s first day total at 3,182 points, giving her a 229-point cushion heading into the final three events.

The first event of day two played to Labreck’s other strength, as she was able to take second place in the long jump, again trailing only Barwise with a mark of 18-01.5, adding 709 points to her total.

Labreck’s only struggle came during the javelin throw, another event she has only limited familiarity with. She mustered a throw of just 57-04, tying her for 12th place out of 15 competitors and earning just 242 points. Labreck’s lone misstep dropped her out of the lead and left her trailing Barwise by 19 points heading into the final event, the 800-meter run.

Though her time was a far cry from the existing record, Labreck’s 2:22.57 finish was good for a close victory in the event over third place finisher Kelly Thomas of the University of New Hampshire. Labreck added 789 points to her score, which came to 4,922 points — over 300 points ahead of Barwise in second.

The score was good enough to qualify her for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) meet later in the year, and also bested the existing record of 4,705 set by current Black Bear assistant coach Katie Souviney in 2005. Unfortunately for the Black Bears, the rest of the meet was postponed due to inclement weather and did not begin until after press time.

High-profile runner sophomore Corey Conner, who is eyeing more intense competition later in the season, said a break was in her best interest.

“I’m not too sure if there was any specific reason for not going to the meet this weekend other than just to relax a bit,” Conner said.

The Black Bears who did compete performed admirably in all facets of the meet. Facing competition from UNH, Bowdoin College, Quinnipiac University and Colby-Sawyer College, UMaine stood atop the podium several times throughout the day.

The women’s team has owned the sprints all season, and on Saturday in the 100-meter dash, sophomore Shaniqua Burgess led the way for the Black Bears as they claimed the top five spots in the event. Burgess’ time of 11.98 seconds was good for the win, a personal record, and a trip to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship meet later in the year.

Burgess was followed in order by sophomores Jesse Labreck (12.14) and Jillian O’Brien (12.21), senior Ally Howatt (12.26), and freshman Danielle Hutchins (12.43).

The post-grad/freshman combo of Vicki Tolton and Cearha Miller powered their way to a 1-2 finish in the 400, as Tolton finished first in 55.03 seconds, followed by Miller in 58.07.

“My time in the 400 wasn’t exactly what I know I’m capable of right now, but I approached it the way I was hoping,” Tolton said. “My goals are never-ending. I want to run faster, period.”

Labreck and Tolton also earned respective victories in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles. Labreck’s time of 13.89 was just three-hundredths of a second off the school record. Tolton finished in 1:02.72.

“I’m hoping [to run] the 400 hurdles a couple more times this year. It’s a great workout to prepare me for the open 400,” Tolton said. “I actually really like them. The hurdles break up the 400 a bit and they’re fun as long as I don’t fall.”

In the distance events, senior Vanessa Letourneau put down a personal best of 4:41.80 in the 1,500-meter run to earn the victory, and senior Brenna Walsh raced to a win in the 5,000-meter run with an 18:01.83 performance. Senior Jordan Daniel followed in 18:08.50 for second place.

The Black Bear 4×100- and 4×400-meter relay teams claimed matching wins in respective times of 48.08 and 3:55.26.

Field wins from sophomore Katherine McGeoghan (5-03.75 in the high jump) and Alli Krous (132-08 in the javelin), along with supporting performances by sophomore throwers Rylee Rawcliffe and Caroline Curtis, aided in UMaine’s overall team effort.

For the men, their sprint presence was decidedly less pronounced than in recent meets, although they could still count on a 49.95 second victory from senior Skip Edwards in the 400. Senior Jhamal Fluellen earned second in the 100 with a 10.98 second effort as well.

With much of the middle distance crew also sitting out, the Black Bears did not make much noise in the 800 or 1,500-meter runs. The 5,000-meter run was also noticeably lighter, but senior Corey Bean still managed to bring home second place in personal best of 15:30.23.

“I’m running the 10K at conferences,” said Bean, who holds the sixth fastest 10,000-meter time in UMaine history. “We were going to think about getting into a 10K this weekend, but we couldn’t get into one, so we’re just going to stick with the 5K until conferences, because at this point it would just tire us out.”

The men chose instead to load the hurdle events, and it paid off as freshman Jimmy Reed and four other Black Bears took five of the top six spots in the event, including Reed’s 14.57 second triumph, which was also three-hundredths of a second off the existing record. Senior Matt Holman and freshman Paul Kelley went 2-3 in the 400-meter hurdles as well.

With only four runners in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Miles Bartlett faced very little competition. Bartlett finished first in 9:47.83, nearly 31 seconds ahead of second place.

The relay teams were also key for the men, as both sprint relays earned first place in 42.64 and 3:23.54.

Complementary field performances by freshman Jadrien Cousens (frouth in high jump), sophomore Donald Clark (third in shot put), junior James Berry (third in pole vault) and senior Carson Hartman (fourth in long jump) rounded out the Black Bear effort.

The teams will split up next week and again the week after. Some will head to Worcester, Mass. for a meet at Holy Cross, while others will make the longer trip to Baton Rouge, La. for the Louisiana State University Alumni Gold meet. In two weeks, the teams will split for a meet at UNH and the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

The larger contingent earned a string of victories over colleges from all over the northeast, though the meet was not scored. Senior Skip Edwards ran his fastest 400-meter time of the young season with a 48.52, topping his next closest competitor by more than a second and a half.

Hurdlers Jimmy Reed, a freshman, and Matt Holman, a senior, chipped in a pair of wins as well, as the two brought home the 110-meter (15.05) and 400-meter (54.23) races, respectively.

In the field, sophomore Trevor England’s 47’ 9.75” leap was good enough to walk away the winner. Supporting performances from freshman thrower Justin Gagne (third, discus; fourth, shotput) also aided UMaine’s team effort.

The meet marked the first time the Black Bears have gotten a shot at the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Conditions at last weekend’s home meet forced officials to cancel the event. Senior Miles Bartlett jumped back in for his third season running the event, finishing third in 9:43.24. He was joined by freshman Taylor Phillips, who finished just behind him in 9:45.75.

“Miles has been a huge help to me and getting me ready to race,” Phillips said. “Steeple is always going to be a tough race. I’m not sure if I have ever had a race where I wasn’t exhausted after I finished.”

Despite missing sophomore Riley Masters, the Black Bears still managed to claim the 5,000-meter run as freshman Pat Mullarkey finished in 15:22.05. Sophomores Spencer McElwain and Dave Currier finished in the third and fourth positions.

Masters, the lone male representative for the Black Bears at the University of Florida’s Percy Beard Track, ran a tactical 5K just three days before his 20th birthday. The pace for the first few laps lagged behind expectations, but Masters jumped out to the front of the pack early along with University of Alabama runners Moses Kiptoo and Andrew Kirwa.

“I wanted to make sure I was in a good position to cover any moves that were made in the middle of the race,” Masters said. “I tried to stay in contact with the leaders for as long as possible.”

Through most of the race Masters refused to take an outright lead, straddling the first and second lane as he ran alongside Kiptoo. With under a mile to go, Masters tried to make a move, but Kiptoo matched his surges and refused to let him pass.

“The big mistake I made was making my move too early. I felt pretty confident that I would be able to close faster than them,” Masters said. “It was frustrating … looking back, I wish I had waited for the final 200 and gone by him hard at that point.”

Masters faltered a bit near the end of the race, allowing Kiptoo, Kirwa and eventual winner Carison Kemei of McKendree University to move ahead of him as he settled for fourth place.

“He’s a smart runner,” said Flotrack announcer Harrison Holtz. “He’s got a great amount of improvement in his fitness since last year. It’s interesting to see what he’ll do in the 5K given his improvement.”

Back in Durham, the women’s sprint team continued their winning ways as sophomore Jillian O’Brien (12.55 in the 100), senior Ally Howatt (25.54 in the 200) and freshman Mary Fagan (1:00.65 in the 400) all earned first place finishes. Howatt also finished a close second in the 100, and freshman Danielle Hutchins finished second in the 200 as well.

The women’s distance team went 2-3-4 in the 5,000-meter run despite missing several key performers who competed as part of a distance medley in Florida.

Sophomore Katherine McGeoghan had a big day on the track and in the field, taking third in the 100-meter hurdles (15.80) and first in the high jump (5-03.75).

Jesse Labreck, a sophomore hurdler and high jumper, was one of the women that headed to Florida for a competition boost. Her hurdle time of 14.40 was the third-fastest in Maine history, but was only good for 27th place in a highly competitive field. All of the Black Bear women had trouble cracking into the upper echelon individually, even with their impressive times. Freshman Cearha Miller’s 11.95 in the 100-meter dash was good enough to win her heat, but earned her 33rd overall, and senior Vicki Tolton’s time of 55.08 in the 400-meter dash carried her to a tie for 17th place.

UMaine’s greatest success came as a team. The women’s distance medley relay team of senior Jordan Daniel (1,200), Tolton (400), junior Vanessa Letourneau (800) and sophomore Corey Conner (1,600) finished third overall behind the University of Tennessee and the host University of Florida, establishing the UMaine record of 11:36.10.

The Black Bears will gear up for another trip to Durham next week to take on UNH. They will use that meet and a meet at Holy Cross the following weekend to prepare for a trip to the prestigious Penn Relays in three weeks.

Several changes were instituted to deal with the issues created by the body-numbing temperatures. All jumping and vaulting events were contested in the Field House, and the 3,000-meter steeplechase was cancelled because the water jump was frozen.

While the jumpers and vaulters were able to stay a bit warmer in the Field House, the sprinters and distance runners bundled up to beat the cold, hoping that the temperature would not alter their race times significantly.

“We warmed up inside for the most part today, so that was helpful to have the indoor track open,” said returning senior Matt Holman, who won the 400-meter hurdles in 55.12 seconds and competed as a member of a 4×100 and 4×400 relay team. “It’s Maine, so you’re used to the cold and you learn how to manage with it.”

The Black Bears stacked Holman and several others into the event, and were rewarded when freshmen Jimmy Reed and Paul Kelley rounded out the top three. In the 110-meter hurdles, freshman Arthur Von Marschall earned victory in 15.90 seconds.

Senior Skip Edwards ran an impressive 49.94 to win the 400-meter dash. He was joined by senior Troy Harris, whose time of 53.26 was good for third place.

In the field, the team was bolstered by performances from returning senior Jeff Ramos, whose jump of 6-06.75 was good for first in the high jump. Ramos was joined by freshman Jadrien Cousens, who took third with a 6-02.75 showing. UMaine also scored in the long jump when junior Drew Horner took first in the long jump with a 21-07.25 leap.

The 5,000-meter run was also stacked with UMaine runners, who managed to take the top three spots in the race. Sophomore Riley Masters finished in 14:44.22, good for the win and a good start to his highly anticipated second outdoor season. Masters was joined by freshman Patrick Mullarkey (second, 15:11.76) and sophomore Dave Currier (third, 15:13.38).

Good individual showings were not enough for the Black Bears, and the men finished third as a team with 106 points, just behind Bates’ 107 points, and far short of New Hampshire’s 158 points.

The women’s team raced to a team victory by claiming the top spot in several events, including the javelin (Jessica Bond, 144-05); 1,500-meter run (Vanessa Letourneau, 4:41.83); 100-meter dash (Ally Howatt, 12.50); 800-meter run (Corey Conner, 2:19.92); 200-meter run (Shaniqua Burgess, 25.53); and 5,000-meter run (Allie Conner, 17:59.16). In each of these events, Black Bears took second place as well.

“Coach [Dave Cusano] tried to give us a new way to execute the 200, and this was my first time actually trying it,” said sophomore Shaniqua Burgess. “[Work] my first 50 meters and [learn] to be patient, and [know] that if you’re patient, the race will come to you.”

The women’s squad earned victory despite missing sophomore multi-eventer Jesse Labreck, who did not compete this weekend, but would likely have figured into the finish of many of her chosen events. They also put together nearly record-breaking performances even with the poor weather conditions. Multiple-time conference champion Vicki Tolton returned for the outdoor season and missed the 400-meter hurdle record by two-tenths of a second, and the women’s 4×100 relay team was off by just twelve-hundredths of a second.

Field performers were equally important to the team’s success, as sophomore Katherine McGeoghan won the high jump with a 5-05 jump, and throwers including sophomores Rylee Rawcliffe and Katy Grime and senior Alli Krous contributed points to the overall effort.

The women earned 137 points, which was enough to hold off UNH’s 127 points and Bates’ 102 points.

The teams will see action against UNH again next week as they head to Durham for a dual meet with the Wildcats. Some of the athletes will head for warmer weather for the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla. Events at UNH begin at noon Saturday.

The America East preseason polls for outdoor track have been released, and if they are any indication, the Black Bears will have to pull out all the stops to contend for a spot on the medal stand.

The men will need to blaze a trail past several formidable opponents, as they find themselves ranked sixth out of nine teams in the conference after a seventh-place finish at last year’s America East Championships. The University at Albany Great Danes are expected to replicate the dominant performance they put on last year, winning the conference title by more than 80 points. Albany received all eight first-place votes that were available — teams cannot vote for themselves.

Leading the way for UMaine will be sophomore All-American Riley Masters, who is the defending champion at 5,000 meters and a threat to score at several distances.

“I think eventually I’m going to move up to the 5K, maybe the 10K, but this outdoor season I’m going to try to focus on the 1,500 and see how far I can take that,” Masters said.

The Black Bears will also look for major performances from senior distance runner Miles Bartlett, who has been a consistent presence in the 3,000-meter steeplechase over the last two seasons.

Much of the scoring will have to come from the underclassmen, who make up a significant portion of the roster. Two freshmen who emerged as scoring threats during the indoor season, hurdler Jimmy Reed and sprinter/jumper Jamie Ruginski, will be invaluable to UMaine’s efforts.

“The switch from the 55 hurdles to the 110 hurdles is something I am really looking forward to,” said Reed, who set the 55-meter hurdles record during the indoor season. “The 55 hurdles are hard for me because I don’t have that raw speed and ability to get out of the blocks like a lot of people, but with the 110 hurdles I have a lot longer to build up my speed.”

The women’s team enters the season ranked fourth in the conference after finishing in the same position last year. The Great Dane women are also expected to take the title, though not in a runaway. After beating the University of New Hampshire by 23.5 points in last year’s conference meet, the Albany women earned seven out of nine first-place votes. UNH earned the remaining two votes.

“I still feel as though our team gets underestimated,” said senior Jordan Daniel. “We have a lot to show this season. I think we’ll be higher than fourth place, as long as we can [run multiple events].”

The lady Black Bears will look to a defending champion of their own to score often this season, as sophomore 1,500-meter champion Corey Conner is coming off impressive cross-country and indoor seasons. UMaine will have plenty more firepower, though, as sophomore hurdler/jumper Jesse Labreck is the top returning finisher in the 100-meter hurdles and a threat to score in any of the three jumping events.

“At America East for indoor, some girls were telling Corey during the 4×8 that their coaches doubled or tripled them because Maine was the team to look out for,” Daniel said. “Our team wasn’t doubling at all, so if we do that this outdoor season, we’ll gain a lot of points.”

Underclassmen sprinters Shaniqua Burgess, Danielle Hutchins, and Cearha Miller, all of whom had breakout indoor seasons, will also figure into the women’s team success.

Both teams will have a solid base of individual talents propelling them through the outdoor season. While neither team has managed to break through at the conference meet in several seasons, they never fail to put on a spectacular display of athleticism. The Black Bears will kick off the season with their only home meet of the year, a dual meet against UNH. The meet will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday.

In the world of American track and field, “The Mile” is one of the premiere events. Combining the strategy and sense of urgency involved in the 800-meter run with the patience and discipline of longer distances, the mile run may be the most cerebral event in any sport. Four laps around a 440-yard track, the mile stands as a challenge to all; from world class athletes to collegiate competitors, all the way down to recreational joggers.

The imperial mile was defined in 1592 by the British Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Several variations existed at the time, including the Scots Mile (5,920 feet), the Irish Mile (6,790), the Roman Mile (4,851), and the Arabic Mile (6,315).

Foot races of one mile were very popular in Great Britain during the mid-19th century. The earliest recorded mile time is from July 26, 1852, when British professional Charles Westhall finished in 4:28. The first official world record was not recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the governing body of track and field, until 1913. American runner John Paul Jones, a senior at Cornell University, ran 4:14.40.

Four decades later, the sub-four mile, which scientists and athletes long believed to be physically impossible, was first achieved by Oxford University medical student Roger Bannister on a dreary English day in May of 1954. Bannister said of his race into history, “No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never dreamt existed.”

In interviews with the American Academy of Achievement, Bannister spoke at length about the assumed sub-four barrier that existed among scientists and runners of the day.

“Four laps of one minute each, on a quarter mile track. That was really the reason why it had conspired to become a possible barrier, physical or psychological,” Bannister said. “It wasn’t, in my view, physical, but it did become to some extent psychological. And it was really an example — I don’t know whether the word paradigm is correct — paradigm of human achievement in a purely athletic sense. What limits are there to what the body can do?”

Over the course of the 20th century, with improvements in track design and training methods, the men’s mile record has fallen to 3:43.13, set by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999.

Earlier this year, University of Maine sophomore Riley Masters went under four minutes on two occasions, earning a university record and personal best of 3:59.07.

No woman has ever gone under four minutes in the mile. The earliest IAAF ratified time for women came in June of 1967 when Anne Rosemary Smith, a Brit, recorded a 4:37. The current record, set by Russian Svetlana Masterkova, has stood at 4:12.56 since 1996.

Corey Conner, also a UMaine sophomore, broke the university’s women’s mile record twice this season, setting a personal best of 4:43.36.

The main reason why the mile world records have held for over a decade is the increased focus in international competition on the 1,500-meter run, known colloquially as the “metric mile.” The 1,500-meter run has been contested since the first Olympic games. The mile run is now contested mostly in high school and during the collegiate indoor track season.

Training workouts for the mile vary, but a solid base of weekly mileage is generally considered to be a requirement. Speed workouts focus on repeating even 200 and 400 meter splits of 30 and 60 seconds, respectively, with little rest between them. While Bannister’s regimen famously consisted of 48-minute speed work sessions during his lunch hour, El Guerrouj trained exhaustively for five hours a day in the high altitude of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.

While the focus has shifted to other events over the last few years, and no athlete has elevated distance running to the level of prestige it reached under names like Prefontaine, Ryun, Shorter and Bowerman in the late ’60s and early ’70s, the mile run still stands firm, issuing its challenge to all who dare to lace up their spikes. That challenge, beautiful in its simplicity and astounding in its execution, will remain at the forefront of the American consciousness long into the future.

The University of Maine was represented among those competitors by sophomore Riley Masters. The Bangor native put together one of the best individual seasons in the history of UMaine track and field this year, breaking records and earning conference accolades on multiple occasions.

Although he has competed at distances ranging from 800 to 3,000 meters this season, Masters’ signature event has been the mile run. Masters originally broke into the exclusive sub-four minute club at Boston University’s Valentine’s Invitational with a 3:59.97 victory. His personal best time of 3:59.07 came less than two weeks ago at the Columbia Last Chance Meet. This time, a university record, was just shy of the NCAA automatic qualifying time of 3:59.00.  However, Masters still provisionally qualified ninth out of 16 competitors in the event.

Masters described the atmosphere in the arena as “intimidating.”

“A couple of months ago I was looking up to these guys, you know, with them being the top runners in the nation, and then I had to go and compete against them,” Masters said.

“The big goal at first was just to make the finals, and then once I did that I figured, yeah, I could place. I just wanted to put myself in it and give myself a chance. I wanted to make sure I left it all on the track,” he said.

Masters earned a spot in the finals with a 4:03.10 on Friday night, second only to defending champion Lee Emanuel, a senior from the University of New Mexico.

“I knew he was the guy to beat, so it was a little weird being that close to him. Just a couple months ago I wouldn’t have expected that,” Masters said.

In the final race on Saturday night, Masters stayed in the middle of the pack before falling to last place with around 400 meters to go.

“I ended up falling off the pace quite a bit, [but] a couple of guys made some big moves early and I kind of rested a little bit,” he recalled. “At the end I closed hard and was able to pick off quite a few guys.”

The surge brought Masters a fifth place finish with 4:04.29, while Emanuel repeated as champion with a 3:59.26 finish.

Masters’ performance secured him All-American status, the first such honor for UMaine track since sprinter Arel Gordon finished seventh in the 60-meter dash at the 2007 championship.

“It’s an honor, and I’m happy I’m able to represent the university in such a positive way,” Masters said of the award. “My teammates have been very supportive and I really owe them a lot of the credit. They helped me get to where I am now.”

After being named the America East conference’s Most Outstanding Rookie near the end of his freshman season, expectations were high for Masters’ second indoor campaign. A strong start to the cross country season last fall was cut short by a knee injury, forcing him to miss more than half of the meets, including championships. Masters doesn’t think the missed time was all bad.

“I think [the time off] helped quite a bit especially because, you know, the way I ran last year, I just needed some time off to give my body a chance to take a break,” Masters said.

Now Masters will gear up for his second shot at outdoor track, building off the same kind of success that helped him claim the university record at 5,000 meters last season.

“Throughout my running career I’ve thought, you know, how can I get faster, I feel like I’m already going my fastest,” Masters said. “I’m just gonna go with it and keep assuming I’m gonna run faster. I really don’t know when I’m gonna slow down.”

Unlike the NCAA meet, this time he won’t be alone. The rest of the athletes are eager to prove themselves as well. Already in the indoor season, standout individuals have united to emerge as a legitimate threat to larger teams with much more depth in every event. With Masters leading the pack, the future looks bright for head coach Mark Lech and his UMaine Black Bears.

The women finished the first day of competition in seventh place, with every reason to be worried. Sophomore standout Jesse Labreck had been seeded second in the women’s 55-meter hurdles, a chic pick to take home the crown and set the tone for the following day, but she failed to make it out of the qualifying round when she caught a hurdle and got out of rhythm.

The final round failed to break eight seconds, as top-seeded freshman Nikko Brady of Boston University coasted to a win in 8.04 on top of her long jump victory, which earned her the Most Outstanding Rookie award.

As a testament to performances being about how you finish, Labreck came back for day two on a mission. Seeded first in two other events, she brought home first in the high jump (5-08), tying a conference record in the process, and second place in the triple jump (40-02.75), kicking in 18 points to the team effort en route to winning the Most Outstanding Field Performer award, cementing her status as one of the best female athletes in the conference.

The women’s team held its ground on day one and qualified six athletes for finals in four different events the next day, including sophomore Jill O’Brien, who broke the 55-meter dash record with a 7.19 second sprint in the preliminary heats.

The qualifiers did not disappoint, as the lady Black Bears went 5-6-7 in the 55 to score crucial points in a closely contested meet.

In the 200, freshman Cearha Miller ran 24.43, good for second place overall and a new UMaine record.

“To set a school record is exciting and nerve racking all at the same time because even though I set the record I know I can go harder and faster, especially with the former record holder running by my side pushing me to be better in all my races,” Miller said.

Senior Ally Howatt, former dual record holder in the 55 and 200-meter dashes, took fourth in the 400 with her season best time of 56.86.

UMaine’s heavy hitters in the distance events, fronted by sophomore Corey Conner, played a key role in Maine’s impressive showing. Conner laid down a 4:49.67 in the mile run, bringing home the conference crown and besting a school record held by University of Maine director of academic support for student athletes Ann (England) Maxim for the last 25 years.

UMaine ended the day with 106 points, climbing to fourth place, where pre-season polls predicted they would finish.

The men finished day one in fifth place after junior James Berry took second in the pole vault at a record-tying 15-09 and freshman Jamie Ruginski leaped 23-04 to nab third place in the long jump. They also qualified four athletes in three events.

Senior Landis Williams made the most of his qualification, winning the men’s 55-meter dash in 6.46 seconds and keeping the Black Bears competitive.

Riley Masters, as expected, pulled off a major performance following his sub-four mile last weekend. Masters won the 3,000-meter run in 8:14.66, showing the entire conference why he deserved his Most Outstanding Rookie award from one year ago and letting them know the best is yet to come.

“Right now we’re focusing on getting into nationals.  There are a few last chance meets for the people who have hit the provisional times.  Hopefully I can get into a fast race. We are looking at meets in New York, Washington and at Notre Dame.”

Sophomore Jimmy Reed finished second in the 55-meter hurdles in 7.64, tying the record held by his father for the second week in a row.

“Having run 7.64 the past two weeks has been a bit frustrating. I seem to have hit a little bit of a barrier,” Reed said. “I just need to keep pushing and attacking the hurdles and getting my lead leg down quick. If I can do that I think I can hit around 7.5, and with some really good competition at New Englands and IC4A’s, I think it can happen.”

The men’s team reached as high as third place as the meet progressed, buoyed by performances by senior Miles Bartlett (third in the 800, 1:52.00) and freshman Jadrien Cousens (second in the high jump, 6-06), but they were done in by the lack of depth the University at Albany used to claim the men’s and women’s titles. The Black Bears ultimately fell to sixth place with 84 points, where preseason polls also predicted they would land.

“It’s kind of disappointing, but we were right in the mix of things. A few more points and we would’ve had fourth, and we would’ve gotten those points if we hadn’t suffered some freak injuries,” said senior captain Corey Bean.

The Black Bears will be in the mix of things next weekend as they head back to Boston University for the third meet in a row, the New England Championships. The meet begins on Feb. 26 at 3 p.m.