At Saturday’s Iowa State Classic, hosted by Iowa State, junior Jack Anstey accomplished a feat that had only been done once prior in Illinois State track and field history: run a sub-four mile.
“Jack has been knocking on the door these last few weeks, and he has prepared as well as he possibly could to run a sub-four mile,” said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. “Iowa State had a great mile field, and Jack was able to utilize the fastest close of anyone in the pack to climb through the group in the final 400 meters. I’m extremely proud of him, and he is just scratching the surface of many great things to come as a Redbird.”
Heading into Saturday’s race, the hype surrounding the possibility of a sub-four mile was high, and Anstey did not disappoint. Competing in the hot heat of the race, Anstey crossed the finish line in 3:59.66, placing third among 62 competitors.
With his time, Anstey joins Missouri Valley Conference and Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Famer Christian Goy as the only Redbirds to ever run a sub-four mile. The last time an Illinois State sub-four mile was run, Goy was crowned the 2002 NCAA Indoor Mile Champion with a school-record time of 3:59.43.
Anstey’s mark not only ranks second all-time in Redbird track and field history, but is currently first in the Valley and 16th in all of Division I. He also becomes the 68th Australian to achieve this outstanding accomplishment.
The Illinois State men’s and women’s track & field teams will be back in action on Feb. 15, when they compete in the Badger Red & White Classic for their final tune-up before the 2019 MVC Indoor Championship.
