Galen Rupp breaks 4 minutes in the mile for the first time at Husky Last Chance meet...

Running in his final race at the Dempsey Indoor, University of Washington senior Austin Abbott (center, with Eric Garner (l) and Greg Gibson/photo courtesy University of Washington) picked a great time to set a new school record in the mile run, as he clocked 3:58.23 in finishing second to Oregon’s Galen Rupp at the Husky Last Chance Meet.

Rupp, a 2008 Olympian at 10000 meters, won the race in 3:57.86, the third fastest time in Dempsey Indoor history, to lead Abbott and 2000 Olympian Gabe Jennings under the sub-4 minute mark.

Rupp had help early in the race, as Nike’s Julius Achon, and Joachin Chapa took the early pacing chores to help the University of Oregon senior achieve his goal.

For Rupp, the reigning American collegiate record holder in the 3000, and the American record holder in the 5000, his clocking was his first career sub-4 mile.

The senior from Portland, Ore., now has NCAA Indoor Championships automatic qualifying marks in the mile, 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters. Rupp set the U.S. indoor record at 5,000 meters by running 13:18.12 Feb. 13 in Fayetteville, Ark., and set the American collegiate record in the 3,000 meters by running 7:44.69 Feb. 7 in Boston.

The nine-time All-American is the national collegiate leader at 3,000 and 5,000 meters, while Saturday’s time in the mile is ranked seventh nationally.

For Abbott, who made a late charge down the homestretch to nip Jennings at the line, this was the Washington senior’s second career sub-4 clocking, and in doing so, broke Eric Garner’s former school record in the event of 3:58.93, set in 2002, the first year of the Dempsey Indoor facility. Garner, who was in today’s race, finished fifth in 4:00.66.

Courtesy of media partner runnerspace.com, here is the video of Rupp’s first sub-4 minute mile:



Other highlights of today’s Husky Last Chance meet included Washington junior Katie Follett hitting the NCAA automatic qualifying time of 4:38.00 on the nose in winning the mile, with Ballard High School grad Kailey Campbell close behind in 4:38.51, a mark which should get Campbell into next weekend’s NCAA championships in College Station, Texas.

On the field, Washington’s Scott Roth, who is competing unattached this winter to preserve a season of eligibility, won the pole vault in a new personal best of 18-2 1/2.

Complete results of Saturday’s Husky Last Chance meet are posted here…