Before last week, junior Andrew Bumbalough had never competed in the indoor mile run as a Georgetown athlete. Fortunately, he didn’t let that stop him from giving it a go at Saturday’s Giegengack Invitational at Yale University, where he ran the mile in 3:58.46 to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 14. Even though he hadn’t run the event competitively since high school, he wasn’t surprised by his success.
“The mile isn’t much different from the 1500m run, which I compete in often,” he said. “I felt like I came out of cross country season really strong and fit, and I was confident that I could go under four minutes.”
Bumbalough now holds the second-best indoor time in Georgetown’s history. Only John Gregorek’s time of 3.57.36, set twenty-five years ago, stands between him and first place. “Every second is precious,” Bumbalough conceded. “But as long as I stay healthy and train, there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to hit that mark.”
He will get his first shot this weekend as the track team heads to the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City.
