NEW YORK — BYU's Miles Batty set a college record in the Wanamaker Mile at the 2012 Millrose Games on Saturday night. He ran a time of 3:54.54, breaking the old college record of 3:55.02 that was held by German Fernandez of Oklahoma State since 2009.
Batty took second in the race, finishing behind Matthew Centrowitz, a professional runner sponsored by Nike,
Also at the Millrose Games, Bernard Lagat regained his American record in the indoor 5,000 meters.
The 37-year-old Lagat found a new way to make history at the Millrose Games, where he won a record eight titles in the Wanamaker Mile. This time, he raced the 5,000 to try to break the mark Galen Rupp set last year.
Lagat did so convincingly Saturday night, winning in 13 minutes, 7.15 seconds to lower the standard by more than 4 seconds.
While Batty was breaking records in New York, the rest of the BYU men's track and field team was split between the Husky Classic in Washington and the Air Force Invitational in Colorado.
In Washington, the distance runners were able to run against good competition, and some pulled away with top ten finishes.
Rex Shields finished seventh and ran a personal best in 3000m Invite, with a time of 7:53.69, while Alden Bahr pulled away with a first place finish in the 5000m, finishing in 13:58.72.
In the 200m, Jason Hinds and Fan Fan Charles finished top 10, with Hinds finishing third, in 21.84, and Charles taking tenth, posting 22.17.
James McAllister finished seventh in the 400m Invite, finishing in 48.48, and Shaquille Walker secured second place in the 800m, matching his fastest time of 1:51.05.
At the Air Force Invitational, the field events dominated.
Brayden Bringhurst and Tyler Brown took third and seventh in the pole vault, clearing 5.10m (16-08.75) and 4.90m (16-00.75) respectively.
BYU also had two top-ten finishers in the high jump, with Dakota John taking third with a jump of 2.05m (6-08.75) and Russell Nielson finishing ninth, clearing 2.00m (6-06.75).
Kevin Nielsen finished seventh in the long jump, posting 6.94m (22-09.25), the furthest distance of any BYU long jumper this season, and Kyle Mills also finished seventh in the triple jump, with a jump of 14.62m (47-11.75).
BYU women's track
In the final weekend of competition before the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships, the BYU women's track and field team found success at the Air Force Invitational and Washington Husky Classic.
Senior Diana Blauer led the Cougars at the Invitational with a second-place finish in the high jump. Blauer cleared 1.75m (5-8.75) to take second, while teammate Ada Robinson placed fourth with a mark of 1.70m (5-7.00).
In the pole vault, senior Diane McAllister Perry finished third with a season-best jump of 3.90m (12-9.50). SophomoreElizabeth Portanova finished fourth in the event by clearing 3.70m (12-1.50).
Fatima Makakala led the way on the track with a fourth place finish in the 60m hurdles in 8.67. Senior Diane Stewart came in just behind Makakala and finished seventh with 8.73.
Stewart also competed in the 400m alongside teammate Angela Shields. Stewart crossed the line at 57.74 to finish fifth, while Shields snagged sixth at 57.87.
Two Cougars placed in the top eight in the triple jump, with Melissa Keltner leading the way with a season best mark of 11.92m (39-1.25) and a fifth place finish. Elizabeth Wilson finished seventh with a jump of 11.74m (38-6.25).
In Washington, the distance runners competed against top competition in the Husky Classic. Andrea Nelson had a strong performance in the 3000m with a sixth place finish in 10:07.46.
Amy Thornton competed in the 800m and finished 35th in 2:14.86. In the 5000m, Kendra Christensen led the way for BYU in 17:44.67, while Kathryn Vidmar finished in 18:09.48 and Nicole Nielsen crossed the line in 18:10.81.
The Cougars will not compete again until the MPSF championships on February 24-25. It will mark the first time the BYU has competed in the MPSF championships after 12 seasons in the Mountain West Conference.