Butler senior Drew Griffith sets PIAA, national record in 1,600m

SHIPPENSBURG — Butler senior Drew Griffith wasted no time leaving his mark on the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's track and field championships record books at Shippensburg University.

Or the national record books.

Griffith not only broke a PIAA record in the 1,600-meter run, he also set the record for the nation.

History on the first day of the event.

Griffith completed his four laps in the Class 3A boys portion of the meet at 3 minutes, 57.08 seconds. Not only did that destroy the former state mark of 4:01.56, held by Archbishop Wood's Gary Martin since 2022, but the National Federation of High Schools record of 3:59.51.

Alan Webb of Virginia's Reston South Lakes had held the country's former low since 2001, so Griffith broke a national record held for 23 years on the first day of the PIAA track and field championships.

"I kept telling myself 3:57 was a real possibility," Griffith said in an interview with MileSplit after setting the record. "I like to put these numbers in my head, and if I visualize them enough eventually I can make it happen."

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Butler senior Drew Griffith sets PIAA, national record in 1,600m