The Georgetown University track and field team broke the U.S. national record in the 4-by-one-mile relay at the historic Penn Relays in Philadelphia on April 27.

A relay team composed of junior Lucas Guerra, graduate Parker Stokes, graduate Camden Gilmore and senior Abel Teffra accomplished the record-breaking race for the Hoyas, finishing in a stunning 15:52.56. Each runner finished their respective leg of the relay in under four minutes, with Teffra anchoring the relay with a time of 3:54.26 to secure the record.

Although Villanova and Virginia finished less than a second ahead of Georgetown to claim first and second place, the two teams did not qualify for the U.S. record as Wildcats Seán Donoghue and Charlie O’Donovan, along with Cavalier Will Anthony, are foreign nationals. 

Villanova’s time of 15:51.91 represents the new U.S. collegiate record and is second in world history; Georgetown’s time is fifth. Before 2024, only three teams ever had run the 4xmile in under 16 minutes, and no team had finished with a sub-16-minute time in the 4xmile event at the Penn Relays.

“I’ve seen many great Hoya Penn Relays moments, but not too many rival the Men’s 4xmile Championship of America today,” Director of Track and Field Alton McKenzie told Georgetown Athletics. “To break the American record and finish third is mind-boggling.”

Prior to the Hoyas’ stellar race, no team had broken the men’s American record for the 4xmile since 1984. A relay team from Athletics West, a running program created for athletes to continue running competitively after college which is now under Nike’s jurisdiction, had set the previous record time of 16:08.54 at a meet in Eugene, Ore.

The Penn Relays offered an opportunity for the Hoyas to contest the record at the biggest track event in the country. In its 128th edition, the Relays saw over 15,000 athletes compete in hundreds of events in the three-day competition.

Georgetown had previously won two championships in the Relays for the 4xmile: in 1966, when the Hoyas finished 17:16.3, and in 1991, when the team finished 16:53.34. To challenge for the title once again, the Hoyas returned Guerra, Stokes and Gilmore from the winning 4×800 team at the 2024 Big East Indoor Championships while adding Teffra as the anchor.

Guerra, the youngest member of Georgetown’s squad, ran the first leg and began to gain separation on his third lap as he stuck close to the lead group of runners from Virginia, Villanova, Iona and Notre Dame to finish 3:59.61. Building on top of a successful season that included a top-200 finish in the NCAA 10k cross country championship and a personal-best 3:54.62 mile this February, Guerra’s split had the Hoyas in fourth heading into the second leg.

Two-time All-American Stokes, who recently placed second in the mile at the Big East Indoor Championships, kept Georgetown’s impressive pace. After gaining substantial ground on his third lap, Stokes battled against the Fighting Irish and the Wildcats for the lead position before finishing second with a 3:59.89 mile.

By Gilmore’s third leg, the Hoyas had established themselves as front-runners alongside Virginia and Villanova as Notre Dame and Iona began falling behind. A seasoned veteran for Georgetown’s relay teams, Gilmore added a 3:58.82 leg to an impressive resume that includes a second-place finish in the distance medley relay at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Although Villanova and Virginia built a slight lead in the final leg of the race, Teffra turned in a meet-record 3:54.26 split to keep the race razor-thin between the three teams. Wildcat anchor Liam Murphy managed to pull ahead in the final 100 meters, while Teffra finished third overall in the race just behind the Cavaliers for the fifth-best time ever.

In addition to Georgetown’s record-breaking finish in the 4xmile, other Hoyas picked up podium finishes over the weekend as well. Sophomore Jadah Fitzgerald, senior Rebecca Ochan, first-year Piper Rodgers and first-year Abbie Huey won first place in the women’s 4×100 relay with a time of 45.68, finishing with the eighth-best time in Georgetown history.

The Hoyas will conclude their outdoor regular season at the Maryland Kehoe Twilight Meet in College Park, Md., May 3, before setting off for the Big East Outdoor Championships in Villanova, Pa., starting May 10.