A week after graduation from Highland High in Arizona, Washington-bound Daschbach achieves season goal, becomes first prep runner since Brown in 2017 to accomplish feat and first since 1967 to eclipse barrier on California soil

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Leo Daschbach closed one chapter of his career May 15 by participating in virtual graduation from Highland High in Gilbert, Ariz.

RESULTS

The Washington signee added another brilliant story to his resume Saturday night by becoming the 11th prep athlete in history to run a sub-4 minute mile during a special event at Oak Ridge High in El Dorado Hills, Calif.

Daschbach clocked 3 minutes, 59.54 seconds, highlighted by a 56.81-second final lap, to become the first prep standout to achieve the feat since Reed Brown, a former star at Southlake Carroll High in Texas, eclipsed the barrier June 1, 2017, by running 3:59.30 at the Festival of Miles in St. Louis.

Read SOLO SZN Story on Daschbach by Dave Devine

Daschbach is the first individual from Arizona to produce a sub-4 performance, breaking the 2012 state record of Cibola graduate Bernie Montoya, who ran 4:01.32. He is also the first prep athlete to run a sub-4 race on California soil since Marty Liquori, a graduate of Essex Catholic High in New Jersey, clocked 3:59.8 at the AAU Championships in Bakersfield in 1967.

Daschbach improved to the No. 9 all-time outdoor prep performer, knocking Liquori out of the top 10.

Stanford signees Cole Sprout of Valor Christian High in Colorado and Thomas Boyden of Skyline High in Utah took second and third, running 4:02.42 and 4:04.50, respectively.

Boyden led entering the final lap at 3:02.46, just ahead of Daschbach in 3:02.74, with Sprout coming through 1,209 meters at 3:02.95. Pacer Evan Heckle paced the group through the first 409 meters in 59.44 and brought them through the midway point in 2:02.15.

Sprout broke his own Colorado state mile record, lowering his mark of 4:04.19 from last year.

In addition to Brown and Liquori, Daschbach joins Alan Webb, Jim Ryun, Drew Hunter, Matthew Maton, Grant Fisher, Tim Danielson, Michael Slagowski and Lukas Verzbicas as prep athletes to achieve a sub-4 race in the mile.

Daschbach’s performance was the 19th overall sub-4 effort by a prep runner, including the 16th on an outdoor track. His previous best was a 4:03.7 effort in a time trial April 11 in Arizona.