Courtesy Carroll XC
While most UIL athletes were catching their breath between the area and regional track meets, Carroll’s Caden Leonard was 1,500 miles away, once again flirting with high school track’s most prestigious milestone.
Competing at the Nike Jesuit Twilight Relays in Portland on Friday, the University of North Carolina-signee clocked a blistering 4:01.55 in the mile race. In a heat that saw BYU-bound Jackson Spencer move to #7 on the all-time national list with a 3:58.17, Leonard’s second-place finish proved he belongs in the conversation with the country's fastest distance specialists.
For Leonard, the 4:01.55 mile in Portland is the latest entry in a season-long assault on the four-minute barrier. It marks his third time this year finishing within two seconds of the mark:
- A personal-best 4:00.07 indoors at Winston-Salem in February
- A 4:01.02 at the Texas Distance Festival in March
- The most recent 4:01.55 at the Nike Jesuit Twilight
The Carroll record books are familiar with this pursuit; former Dragon Reed Brown remains the only Texan to ever break the ceiling, posting a 3:59.30 back in 2017.
With the out-of-state trip behind him, Leonard now returns to Texas soil to defend his hardware. Having secured UIL permission for the Portland trip during a break in the schedule, the senior will now lock in for the 6A Region I meet on May 1-2.