Grant Fisher vs. Matthew Maton
It's an exciting year in high school track and field when one prep breaks four minutes in the mile. 2015 was the first year to see not one, but two teenage studs break the historic barrier.
Matthew Maton did it first at the Oregon Twilight on May 8. Grant Fisher followed suit a month later at the Nike Festival of Miles in Missouri.
The clincher? Both seniors ran the exact same time -- 3:59.38, third-fastest in the prep record books, though Maton gets the nod over Fisher on the All-Time standings due to date.
Who was the faster sub-four prep miler? And could they go even faster? Unfortunately, track fans would not see a showdown at the adidas Dream Mile. Maton pulled out of the race, citing Achilles soreness from his sub-four. Fisher defended his title at the Dream Mile.
The showdown nearly came to fruition at USATF Jr. Nationals, where both were entered in the 1500m. Days before the race at Hayward Field, Maton scratched from the 1500m to focus on the 5K -- which he won at both USATF Juniors and Pan-Am Juniors. Meanwhile, Fisher took third in the 1500m behind Oregon redshirt freshman and NCAA champion Blake Haney and Drew Hunter of Loudon Valley, Va.
The 2015 track season ended without a race between the two history-making milers but luckily, track fans can follow the storyline to the NCAA. Maton and Fisher run for the University of Oregon and Stanford, respectively, where they both compete in the PAC-12 Conference. Fisher, a Michigan native, came out on top at both PAC-12s (11th to 17th) and NCAAs (17th to 85th) in cross country this fall.
- Read: Matthew Maton Goes Sub-4!
- Read: Grant Fisher Matches Matthew Maton, US No. 3 All-Time 3:59.38
- Read: What is Grant Fisher's Secret?