Pitt Runner Nails First Sub-4 Minute Mile in School History

Over Valentine's Day weekend, the Pitt Panthers track and field team participated in the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational at the Boston University Tennis and Track Center.

At the invitational, long distance runner Luke Simpson broke school records by running a 3:57.40 minute mile. Though he finished sixth in the meet, Simpson now stands at the top of school records, being the only Pitt athlete to run a mile under four minutes while representing the Panthers.

The previous school record was a time of 4:00.16, set in 2006 by Sam Bair and then tied in 2024 by Finn Walsh. While Simpson was only able to beat this time by less than three seconds, his new record shows how every second matters and can make a huge difference in distance running.

"I definitely knew I could break the record based on my training," Simpson said. "It was just a matter of doing it on the day."

Simpson, a senior who is a native of Mars, PA, has been on the Pitt track and field team since 2022. He has participated in both indoor and outdoor seasons for the Panthers. He set a personal best in the same BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational in 2024 with a 4:05.53 minute mile. Simpson was able to shave off eight whole seconds since then.

Outdoor Season Aspirations

As the indoor season ends and the weather starts to warm up, there's still a lot of new records to chase in the outdoor season.

"The indoor season is nearly over so my next time oriented goal will be on the outdoor track in the 1500," Simpson said. "My other goals are to compete well in the ACC Championship and keep the distance program moving in the right direction."

Duke men's and Virginia women's won 2025's ACC track and field championship. Pitt saw just six events with top three finishers during the championship, and none of them were distance contests.

With Pitt men's and women's basketball teams not in the greatest of places currently, it's important to remember the sports with less attention but still have athletes training and preforming at very high levels.

Pitt baseball, softball and women's lacrosse have also started their seasons recently. All three teams have recent wins to start spring off right. ACC Indoor Track and Field begins on February 26 and runs through February 28. The NCAA Indoor Championships take place next month at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, AR.

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