Binghamton distance runner Eric Holt was just two seconds away from becoming the third athlete in program history to break four minutes in the mile at the Boston/Valentine Indoor Meet last weekend. Holt ran a personal-best time of 4:02.05, to take fourth place of 307 runners.
His time was the 40th-best recorded by a NCAA Division I runner this season.
“A lot of things went right,” Holt said. “One thing in particular was my mindset. In this race, I went with a more patient method and let the race come to me. In the last quarter of the race, I had a lot more energy in the tank and therefore ran a faster time.”
The only other BU runners to achieve this feat were All-Americans Erik van Ingen, ‘12, and Jesse Garn, ’16. In 2010, van Ingen put the BU program on the map by running 3:59.41 at the 2010 Penn State National Open. He bested this time at the 2012 Millrose Games with a time of 3:56.37. After leaving BU, van Ingen began to compete professionally at the Oregon Track Club.
As a junior in 2014, Garn recorded a time of 3:59.37 at the Boston/Last Chance Indoor Meet.
After graduating last May, Garn competed in the 800-meter at the U.S. Olympic Trials before signing a professional contract with the New Jersey*New York Track Club.
Fortunately for Holt, he has a multitude of opportunities to shave off two more seconds and solidify his place in program history.
His next chance to compete against conference competition will be at the America East Championships next weekend, followed by the ECAC/IC4A Championships on March 3-5 in Boston, Massachusetts.