Conneaut graduate McBride wins Midwest Collegiate Invitational 400 meters
Jan. 22—HARPERSFIELD — Coming home to Ashtabula County seems to agree with Matt McBride .
The Conneaut High School graduate ran away with the men's 400-meter event on Saturday during the Midwest Collegiate Invitational at SPIRE Academy.
McBride, running for Mount Union University, ran the 400 meters in 47.93 seconds, beating the nearest competitor by more than 1.4 seconds on Saturday afternoon.
"It was a good day, and I'm happy with the consistency between the two 400 races that I have ran in this season," McBride said.
The indoor meet drew competitors from several states and included competitors from NCAA Division I, II and III.
McBride has a lot of experience running at SPIRE Academy,
He ran indoors and outdoors in high school, and now during numerous collegiate meets at the facility.
In May of 2022, McBride ran down numerous runners in the final lap of the 4x 400 meter relay to earn his relay team an NCAA Division III championship.
McBride, who got off to a blazing start early in the season with a run of 47.39 in the 400, concentrated on relaxation on Saturday.
He said he is excited about the rest of the indoor, and outdoor, seasons and will be reviewing his options to continue his running career after college.
The first item on
the agenda is the Division III NCAA indoor track meet in early March.
He said he hopes to win the indoor national championship 400 meter. McBride said his goal is to break 47 indoors, which would be a real challenge.
McBride finished second in the NCAA Division III outdoor meet running a 46.04 and helped his team to the 4x400 championship at the same meet.
Another item to be reviewed, as the season goes on, is the United States Track and Field Olympic Trial to be held in June in Eugene, Ore.
The qualifying time for the trials is likely going to be around 45.0, McBride said.
He said if he can hit that time he will attend the trials.
McBride said he also must consider whether or not to continue running competitively after college. "I am telling myself if I run 45.5, I might continue to run," he said.
McBride clearly is excited about his team's success as well. He took a brief break from answering questions to encourage his teammates in the later heat of the 400 meters.
