Dream Comes True For NJ's Colin Daly, Goes SUB 4 in Boston

Colin Daly threw his arms in the air and had a look of absolute astonishment on his face!

The senior at UPenn and former All-State stud at NJ's River Dell High had just joined one of the most prestigious clubs in track and field by blasting a SUB 4 mile on Saturday night at the David Hemery Valentine Invit. at Boston University!

Daly, a 2016 grad of River Dell, achieved the magical milestone when he stopped the clock at 3:59.74!!!!!!!! That's a huge drop of nearly four seconds from his previous PR of 4:03.65 that he ran on the same track last year at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational. Daly's best mile this season prior to Saturday was 4:04.60 at the Villanova Wildcat Invit. at Ocean Breeze on Feb. 1.  

Watch the sub-4 mile right here! 

After UPenn grad Elias Graca rabbitted the field through the half in 1:58.5 and 1K in 2:12.1, Daly found himself in fourth place. But he made a huge late charge to rally to place second in his heat and dip under 4!!! Charlie O'Donovan of Villanova placed first in the heat in 3:58.95.  

Daly, just the 27th NJ High School grad to break the 4-minute barrier, had splits of 59.45, 1:59.94, and 3:01.35 before he banged out a final quarter of 58.39,  including a 28.94 final lap  

Daly, the fifth runner in Penn history to go under 4 and the third to do it indoors, said this is a moment he'll never forget!

"Breaking the barrier itself is a surreal moment itself,'' said Daly, whose high school PR of 4:10.19 came when he was third at the 2016 New Balance Indoor Nationals. "Seeing your name with a 3:59xx next to it is special, something you won't forget for the rest of your life. The best part, though, is having the family, friends, teammates, and coaches at the meet itself and from afar reaching out to you. I've received many congratulatory messages from all the people who've been on this journey with me, and it's a great reminder of how awesome this sport is, and the people who are in your corner.'''

Daly said the journey to reach this milestone is what he'll remember most.  

"I think I ran 6:20 in my first mile in middle school track,'' said Daly, who along with twin brother, Will, helped River Dell win several state team titles indoors and outdoors.  "So it's been a long journey to 3:59, but all the times in between have been building blocks and lessons to get to this point. Once again, another reminder that although breaking the 4 minute barrier is a tremendous feat, the process of getting to this point is what I'll cherish the most.''