BOSTON, Mass.—On one of the best days for Villanova milers in recent memory, junior Casey Comber (Maple Glen, Pa.) joined the ranks of the world's elite runners by recording the first sub-four minute mile of his career during competition at the David Hemery Valentine Invite on Saturday afternoon.  Comber raced to a time of 3:57.80 at the Track & Tennis Center and was one of four Wildcats who went under 4:05 in the Mile at the same meet.  Junior Logan Wetzel (Saline, Mich.), freshman Charlie O'Donovan (Cork, Ireland) and sophomore Nick Steele (Harvard, Mass.) also had big races on a memorable day of competition.    
 
The time of 3:57.80 puts Comber in prestigious company both on the national scene this season and in the storied history of Villanova distance running.  He surged to third on this year's NCAA performance list in the Mile as of the end of his race and put himself into position to qualify for the NCAA Championships next month.  Comber has been an All-American in the distance medley relay and during cross country season, but has likely punched his ticket to nationals in an individual event on the track for the first time. 
 
For more than 60 years now, there has been no better way to describe the success of Wildcats distance runners than to talk about the number of sub-four milers the program has produced.  The first Villanovan to accomplish the feat was Ron Delany in 1958; current head coach Marcus O'Sullivan is one of three runners in history to go under four minutes more than 100 times.  With the addition of Comber to the list, O'Sullivan has now coached 15 members of the group of 40 in his 21 years as head coach. 
 
How strong a thread is it that binds these runners together through the years?  Comber went under four minutes for the first time while running in the same heat of the Mile as former teammate and now professional runner Ben Malone, who became the 39^th member of the Wildcats sub-four club during his collegiate career.  Malone ran the metric equivalent of a sub-four minute Mile twice during the 2018 outdoor season.  He recorded a time of 3:58.90 for Hoka NJNYTC in Saturday's race. 
 
Comber now ranks fourth on Villanova's all-time indoor performance list in the Mile with his PR of 3:57.80.  The only Wildcats to run faster indoors are Don Paige (3:54.22), Sydney Maree (3:55.5, 3:57.1) and Jordy Williamsz (3:56.84).  Comber ranks eighth overall on the Villanova performance list for times which were recorded during the collegiate indoor or outdoor seasons.  Several other runners recorded lower times during summer seasons overseas while still members of the Wildcats roster. 
 
The depth of this year's Villanova distance group was on full display in Saturday's results.  Only five schools in the country have had at least four runners post times below 4:05 this season; only the Wildcats and Stanford have had four runners do so in the same meet.  Wetzel notched the second-best time of his career with a mark of 4:02.36 in Saturday's race, while O'Donovan and Steele each tallied new personal bests.  O'Donovan was clocked in 4:03.81 and Steele finished in 4:04.68 while running in his hometown. 
 
Freshman Josh Phillips (Belrose, Australia) and senior Zach Swenson (Boulder, Colo.) also ran the Mile in Boston, with Phillips finishing in 4:09.94 and Swenson recording a time of 4:12.86.  Based on readily available records, this is the first time in at least 17 years that Villanova has had four runners post times below 4:05 on the same day. 
 
In other events on Saturday's schedule, graduate transfer Dylan Tarpey (Freehold, N.J.) and senior sprinter Harry Purcell (Dublin, Ireland) were in action in the 3000 meters and the 400 meters.  Tarpey posted a time of 8:21.39 in his fastest race of the season, while Purcell had a time of 48.35 in the 400 meters.  That mark ranks third in the BIG EAST for the season.