
Photo courtesy of Citius Mag
Ethan Strand reacts after setting an NCAA record in the indoor mile. The former Vestavia Hills standout has set two NCAA marks this season.
Ethan Strand made track-and-field history — again.
The Vestavia Hills native and University of North Carolina distance star shattered the NCAA indoor mile record Saturday at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic, clocking 3 minutes, 48.32 seconds.
Strand’s time broke the previous collegiate record of 3:50.39, set by Cooper Teare in 2021, making him the first NCAA runner to run under 3:50 indoors. His performance now ranks as the third-fastest indoor mile in world history.
“I didn’t quite know what today was going to be,” Strand told reporters at the meet. “I only wanted to come in and open up the season, get qualified in case I wanted to run the mile at nationals. So to come out here and run that right now is pretty cool.”
Unlike his NCAA-record-setting 3,000-meter race earlier this season, this wasn’t a race where he expected a historic time.
“For the 3K, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re going to do that.’ But this one, I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m ready to do that,’” Strand said. “So no, this time I definitely was not trying to come and get the collegiate record.”
Strand surged past the competition in the final laps, making decisive moves to pass Colin Salmon and Robert Parkin. The race featured professional athletes chasing the world standard, pushing the pace to an unexpected level.
“The two pros up front obviously wanted the world standard, and so they weren’t going to let it go slow,” Strand said. “I just hung tough and tried to win the race.”
A two-time Alabama Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year, Strand was a dominant force at Vestavia Hills High School before joining North Carolina’s powerhouse distance program. His pedigree in the sport runs deep — his father, Scott Strand, ran at Auburn and was the former head coach of UAB’s men’s track team, while his mother, Lori Strand, coached cross-country at Samford.
With two NCAA records in his possession, Strand now faces a critical decision about how to approach the NCAA Championships.
“This opens up so many more opportunities,” he said. “After the 1,500 last year, it was like, ‘All right, I got beat by three collegians — four collegians — in the Olympic Trials final, I was ninth in the 1,500, so maybe I do need to take a step up and focus on the 3K, 1,500 or 3K DMR.’ And now the mile’s an option. I don’t really know, but whatever combination we can score the most points in, that’s what I’ll do.”
Strand admitted this record felt different from his 3,000-meter mark earlier this season.
“I think I was a lot more happy after the 3K just because that was like a finish to almost a perfect season for me,” he said. “This time is kind of kicking off the season, so I mean, I’m obviously super happy, and it’s not something I quite expected today. But I think the 3K was just a little bit more special.”
For now, the former Rebel is enjoying his record-breaking run and gearing up for what promises to be an unforgettable season.