Brandon Tubby, who starred at NJ's Hillsborough High School, smashed through the magical four-minute barrier when the senior at the University of North Carolina blasted a red hot final quarter to win the mile in record-breaking fashion at Saturday's ACC Championships at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Tubby cranked out a blistering final quarter of 54.87 to stop the clock at 3:57.77 to shatter the facility record of 3:59.01 that Alex Rogers of Texas ran in 2019, and lead a 1-2 finish for the Tar Heels. Thomas Ratcliffe was second in 3:59.26.
Boston College's Sean Sullivan, who starred at Rutherford High, led for the first five laps before Tubby took charge. Sullivan wound up ninth in 4:05.54. Syracuse freshman Gavin Richards (North Hunterdon High) finished 10th in 4:34.40. Richards ran a 4:05.58 in Friday's prelims to qualify for the final.
The 3:57.77 by Tubby places him No. 2 in UNC indoor history in the mile. Only the legendary Tony Waldrop, who ran a world indoor record 3:55.0 as a senior at UNC in 1974, has run faster indoors than Tubby. Waldrop became the first runner to go under 4 at Madison Square Garden when he won the Wanamaker Mile at the 1974 Millrose Games.
Tubby is the first Tar Heel to win the mile at the ACC Indoor Championships since Isaac Presson in 2014.
Tubby, who came into the race with a mile PR of 4:01.11, is the 28th member of NJ's Sub 4 Club, and is now the ninth fastest miler in NJ history! How awesome is that! Here is a look at the history of the boys mile in NJ.
Tubby, the first NJ high school grad to go sub 4 since UPenn's Colin Daly ran 3:59.74 on Feb. 15, 2020 at Boston University, had split of 61.52, 2:02.61, and 3:02.92. So that means he went 1:55.16 for his final 800!! Tubby's final two laps were 27.45 and 27.42.
When he was a senior at Hillsborough High in 2016, Tubby ran a 1,600m PR of 4:09.59 to win the Group 4 Outdoor title, and was fourth at the outdoor M of C in 2016 in 4:11.40.
Here's NJ's updated sub 4 mile list
3:57.77i Brandon Tubby, Hillsborough, Feb. 27, 2021