It doesn't take an ardent track fan to appreciate the significance of the 4-minute mile.

Since Roger Bannister became the first man to break that barrier in 1954, it remains one of the most recognizable numerical achievements in sports, like hitting .300 in baseball or running for 1,000 yards in football.

That's especially true at the collegiate level. Despite the storied tradition of distance runners for the University of Wisconsin men's track and field team, only two Badgers prior to this year ran miles faster than 4 minutes — both outdoors: Steve Lacy in 1977 and Chris Solinsky in 2006.