It didn’t take long for distance runner Dumisane Hlaselo to set a school record. In fact, it only took him 3:56.84.
Hlaselo ran the first sub-four-minute mile in UF history at the Flotrack Husky Classic in Seattle on Feb. 12.
“The four-minute mile is one of those barriers in track … that regular people walking down the street can identify with,” distance coach Todd Morgan said. “He didn’t just go under four minutes; he crushed it.”
And while Hlaselo’s time was impressive, it was more than just a noteworthy athletic accomplishment.
The native South African not only broke Wesley Maiyo’s school record, set in 1977 (4:00.34), he also posted the best time in the Southeastern Conference this season and the nation’s fourth-best mark in 2011.
The time was also the world’s eighth-fastest this year.
“My teammates came up to me and told me ... I was very, very excited about it,” the junior said. “I couldn’t believe that I had done it … it was joyful.”
As a result of his record-setting mile, Hlaselo was named the SEC Men’s Runner of the Week and automatically qualified for a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Hlaselo will be eyeing a national title when he competes in the mile run in College Station, Texas, but he still has some work to do before then.
Hlaselo finished second among collegiate athletes and third overall in the mile run last weekend, falling short to Nike runner Chris Solinsky (3:54.52) and BYU’s Miles Batty (3:55.79).
In order to best those marks, he will have to improve on his historic performance.
“At this time of the year with our training and where he’s at, he can go even faster than that — absolutely,” Morgan said.
Even if Hlaselo doesn’t overcome his competitors, UF coach Mike Holloway will be pleased with the junior distance runner’s efforts in 2011.
“I don’t put that kind of pressure on my athletes,” Holloway said. “There’s a lot of people out there that want to win national titles, but what I expect of (the athletes) is to be at their very best at the end of the season.”
With SEC Indoor Championships set to take place in Fayetteville, Ark., Hlaselo will most likely be favored to take home the conference title.
He acknowledged that winning the SEC and national championships in the mile run will require some extra work on his part but added that there are some factors beyond his control.
“It depends that day on how it is, how the conditions and how I feel about it,” Hlaselo said. “I believe that I can do it...I can bring the title home.”
