Butler 4x400 relay breaks 53-year-old record
PHILADELPHIA — No four guys were ever happier finishing sixth.
But Butler’s 4x400 meter relay team of Guinness Brown, Brayden Young, Ryder Kriley and Lucas Slear had plenty of reason to feel giddy following their performance at the Penn Relays Saturday at Franklin Field.
The quartet placed sixth in the relay — trailing two teams from Jamaica, two from the Bahamas and one from North Carolina — while running a time of 3 minutes, 18.43 seconds. Excelsior (Jamaica) ran the winning time of 3:12.55.
The Golden Tornado foursome broke the school record of 3:19.18, set in 1969 by Tom Paserba, Chick Maffei, Ted Bobby and Frank Hilovsky. They ran on a cinder track. That relay was recently inducted into the Butler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame.
“That was one of those records we thought would never be broken,” Butler boys track coach Mike Seybert said. “But these guys have had their eyes on it for a while now. They believe they can run faster yet. They’re not done. They’re still hungry.”
Brown ran the first leg of the relay Saturday. He usually runs the anchor leg.
“We needed to get off to a fast start,” Kriley said. “For that first exchange zone, you need some room to get it and go. There were a lot of teams on the track and it was important to be near the front.”
Young, who ran the second leg, said Butler was among the top three when he took the baton.
“Everyone there was so fast. It was definitely intimidating,” Young said. “We all did what we had to do to break that record. All four of us had to be spot on.
“We still want the school record in the 4x100. There’s still work to do.”
Seybert said all four runners had to run a 400-meter lap in 50 seconds or less to snap that 53-year-old record.
“It’s crazy when you think about it. But those guys did that,” the coach said.
Brown couldn’t remember the last time he ran the first leg of the 4x400.
“It’s been a long, long time,” he said. “I knew I had to get out fast. If you fall into the middle or back of the pack, you have no chance to make a move.
“I love the 4x4. To me, it’s the most exciting event on the track. Everybody gets into it. I’m one of those guys who thought that record (3:19.18) was impossible to beat.I’m so proud of this. Those guys were legends.”
Slear ran the anchor leg of the 4x400 Saturday. The Tornado were sixth when he got the baton and he maintained that position.
“There was nobody near me when I grabbed the baton,” Slear said. “I was in a good spot. Just run my race by myself. Nobody was in front of me that I had to get around, nobody was going to catch me ... It was just about running as fast as I could.”
Kriley said the competition “definitely made us run faster.” He added that Saturday’s performance will provide more momentum for the remainder of the season.
Slear agreed.
“This sets us up pretty well moving forward,” he said. “The WPIAL team championship, the state championship in the 4x4 and team, we want all of those things.”
The team is particularly conscious of winning the PIAA state team championship. Butler finished second in the team standings at the state meet last year.
“Only four teams in the last 51 years have won the indoor and outdoor team championships,” Seybert said. “These guys are very, very aware of that.
“After what they did today (Saturday), these four guys will be going into our Hall of Fame 10 years from now. First ballot, guaranteed.”
