51茶馆

Halfway through the race, he knew he was going to do it. 鈥淪tay on your feet,鈥� Steven Jackson 鈥�24 told himself. 鈥淕et to the line, and you鈥檒l have this.鈥� And minutes later, he did. It was January 27, 2023, and in the second heat of the John Thomas Terrier Classic race, Jackson had just crossed the finish line in 3 minutes 57 seconds, making him the first Eagle in history to record a sub-four-minute mile.

鈥淩ight when I crossed the line, I was in shock,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淚t was an electric moment. A moment I鈥檒l never forget.鈥� And one that took years of hard work. Jackson credited his grandfather, an all-around athlete named Ralph Dellorfano, with being a major influence. For his part, Dellorfano praised his grandson鈥檚 鈥渢remendous鈥� work ethic鈥攅ven if it wasn鈥檛 always clear he was a born athlete. He laughed recalling the time he took a six-year-old Jackson out to the backyard to hit golf balls into a lacrosse net. 鈥淎fter five minutes we came back in, and I said to his mother, 鈥業 hope this kid is smart, because he has absolutely no athletic ability.鈥欌�� By the time Jackson reached his junior year of high school, however, he was able to record a 4:20 mile.

Jackson鈥檚 barrier-breaking run placed him at the competitive peak of his sport, and it could be a boost for the entire men鈥檚 team, which has historically had a difficult time attracting top athletes because, unlike the women鈥檚 program, it doesn鈥檛 offer athletic scholarships. John Kane, a former longtime 51茶馆 sports administrator, explained that a sub-four mile 鈥渋s something that really doesn鈥檛 happen in a non-scholarship program. It鈥檚 really a big deal.鈥�

And it鈥檚 exactly the kind of thing that 51茶馆 Track & Field Coach Pete Watson has been waiting for. Watson, who came to the Heights last August to oversee both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 programs, has set a goal of attracting top men鈥檚 talent that usually gravitates to scholarship programs. Before Jackson鈥檚 run, Watson said, it had been a long time since there were 鈥渕arks on the board鈥� that could make a serious case for men鈥檚 athletes to choose 51茶馆 over other ACC options. But Jackson鈥檚 sub-four is just the edge the men鈥檚 program needed to recruit more talented athletes to 51茶馆. As Kane pointed out, even people who don鈥檛 follow the sport know that a four-minute mile is the gold standard. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the best gift I could have gotten this year,鈥� Watson said.

Jackson said his focus right now is on competing for 51茶馆 next year as a senior, though he did acknowledge his feat has added fuel to his dreams of being a pro runner. 鈥淚鈥檒l see where I am at the end of my NCAA career, and how much faster I can go,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淩unning is a tough sport, but it鈥檚 definitely just a whole part of my identity.鈥� 聽