St. John’s sets school records in 4x100m and 4x800m

Two SJU relays broke school records at the Drake Relays.

On April 24, the 4×800-meter relay team, comprised of junior Owen Montreuil, junior Nick St. Peter, sophomore Max McCoy and senior Tommy Allen, placed fifth out of 19 teams with a time of seven minutes, 35.84 seconds. Their performance broke the St. John’s record of 7:38.60, set in 1971 by Brian Racette, Bill Seidl, Greg Cook and Chuck Way.

“It was a great moment; Tommy kind of killed it,” Montreuil said. “We were all watching Tommy, our anchor, and when he finally crossed the line, we were all waiting on the clock because it was a little delayed. When it got released, we all jumped up and down and hugged each other.”

Tenth year head coach Jeremy Karger-Gatzow discussed his confidence in the relay teams.

“I wasn’t surprised; I knew both teams were capable of it,” Karger-Gatzow said. “Definitely exciting to see.”

Montreuil spoke about what the record meant to him.

“I mean the record is a 54-year-old record; there’s been some great names since then so it’s definitely an honor to have,” Montreuil said. Montreuil also noted that the impressive showing is huge for the team as a whole.

“Just for our team, it shows our middle-distance crew is picking up and now we are starting to prove ourselves a little more,” Montreuil said.

Fast forward two days and SJU watched another program record fall on April 26 as the 4×100-meter relay consisting of junior Aidan Morey, senior Kevin Arthur, sophomore Kieran Murnan and freshman Max Reis posted a time of 40.28 seconds to take third place. The previous SJU best was 40.65 seconds, set in 2022 by Jack Young, Arthur, Brady Labine and Ryan Miller.

“The excitement was overwhelming. I mean, I think we had it on our radar all season,” Arthur said. “It was definitely a great feeling knowing that we could do this and honestly, that’s probably why I came back.”

Arthur has been with the Johnnies since 2020.

Track and Field encorporates running together and growing team chemistry.

“We definitely get along and we just all really gel well together,” Montreuil said.

Karger-Gatzow believes Arthur has shown strong leadership.

“We’ve got great leadership with Kevin Arthur. It’s fun when we have a guy like Kevin, who’s been here for several years. Kevin has just been so consistent each year, and the guys look up to him. He’s the one setting the example of what to do in practice and how to conduct yourself outside of practice and prioritizing some of the rest and recovery,” Karger-Gatzow said. “He’s just been a big leader, and the guys rally around that.”

Arthur gave credit to past SJU teammates for his leadership ability.

“I think that leadership piece from Ryan Miller, Jack Young and the other seniors who were on the team at that time — I think they kind of set me up for success because I was looking at what they were doing at that point in their career. It kind of motivated me to be who I am right now,” Arthur said. “So, I think being able to be the same role model for the younger lads is beneficial. I can see a lot of guys staying motivated and doing what they’re supposed to do.”

The record-breaking performances are only the beginning for the Johnnies. With conference meets on the horizon, the team is hungry for more.

“Our team goal is definitely to win conference; I think we have the team to do it this year,” Montreuil said. “Personally, I just want to keep PR-ing every meet. I’m really looking forward to conference coming up in two weeks.”

Arthur agreed that winning the conference remains a key goal.

“Yeah, definitely, hopefully winning the conference, that’s what we are gearing towards now,” Arthur said.

Karger-Gatzow also wants to keep pushing and see if the 4×100-meter relay can finish below the 40 second mark.

“I think see how close we can get to breaking 40 seconds. You know, that does not happen very often even for Division I schools, but we have guys that are capable of it, so I think that would be awesome,” Karger-Gatzow said.

With the MIAC Outdoor Championships approaching, the team’s recent success has set the stage for what could be a historic finish to the season.

The MIAC Outdoor Championships will be hosted by Macalester on May 9 and 10.