University of Georgia Athletics
Reynaga Running ‘At A Different Level’ This Spring
April 29, 2026 | Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
On Feb. 21, at the USC Invite indoor track meet, Georgia runner Matias Reynaga came the closest a Bulldog ever has to breaking the magical mark in the mile. He crossed the finish line in 4:00.24, with teammate Ryan Olree right behind him at 4:01.59.
Ever since the 1950s, when the spirited chase to be the first person to break 4 minutes in the mile ended with Roger Bannister running 3:59.4 in 1954, going under 4 minutes has been a quest for top middle-distance runners. Since Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, more than 2,200 men, according to the World Athletics website, have also done so, and the world record is now 3:43.13, set in 1999 by Hicham El Guerrouj. The women's world record in the mile is 4:07.64.
On Friday night, at the new UGA Track & Field Complex, Georgia's milers will compete under the lights at the Spec Towns Track as the kickoff to the Torrin Lawrence Memorial Invitational meet. The goal is to break 4 minutes, and there will be a rabbit — a pace-setting runner who will lead the pack through part of the race before stepping off the track to let the racers finish it off — on hand to make sure the runners have the best shot possible at running their fastest times.
"Hopefully it can be a good one," Georgia distance coach Adam Tribble said of the race. "Our guys have been training really hard, and we're really pleased with what they've been doing."
Nobody has been doing better than Reynaga, who originally ran for Tribble at California Baptist before transferring to Georgia this year. After a good cross-country season in the fall, Reynaga has been even better on the track. Along with setting the school record in the mile indoors, he posted the fourth-fastest time in school history in the 3,000 meters and the eighth-fastest in the 5,000.
This indoor season was the first of Reynaga's career, and running on the shortened indoor track took some getting used to, he said.
"It felt kind of weird at the beginning, but the more races we were doing, I was getting more used to it," he said. "Now, switching back to the outdoor track, I'm used to running there already."
And he's never run better than he has this outdoor season.
"I can say that his fitness is just infinitely at a higher level," Tribble said. "His confidence, his motivation, his desire — he's at a different level than he was in February, and that's exciting."
At the Stanford Invitational on April 4, Reynaga set a new school record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 28:25.30. Teammates Olree (28:31.64) and Will Aitken (28:32.25) also broke the previous record of 28:48.78, set by Ian Burrell in 2007.
Two weeks later, at the Wake Forest Invite, Reynaga broke the school record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:32.16, besting the previous mark of 13:43.05 set by Simon Ngata in 2005.
"It's great, to be honest," Reynaga said of setting the school records, "but it wasn't my goal. I knew those times and records could happen, but I didn't come with them in mind. I was just focusing on getting the work done and getting the races done in the best way possible.
"It feels great to put Georgia out there in front, and it feels great to win the past two races and open the season like this."
Knowing this is his final collegiate season before he gives professional running a shot, with an eye on trying to make the Argentinian squad for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Reynaga is giving it everything he's got over the next six weeks.
"I really want this season to end up really good," he said. "I have been putting a lot of work in out there and focusing on the long-term goals and the short-term, as well. It's just nice to have this feeling of finally being able to show what I can do."
The women's mile will be Friday night at 8:30, followed by the men's. The rest of the Torrin Lawrence Memorial will be held on Saturday.
Staff Writer
On Feb. 21, at the USC Invite indoor track meet, Georgia runner Matias Reynaga came the closest a Bulldog ever has to breaking the magical mark in the mile. He crossed the finish line in 4:00.24, with teammate Ryan Olree right behind him at 4:01.59.
Ever since the 1950s, when the spirited chase to be the first person to break 4 minutes in the mile ended with Roger Bannister running 3:59.4 in 1954, going under 4 minutes has been a quest for top middle-distance runners. Since Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, more than 2,200 men, according to the World Athletics website, have also done so, and the world record is now 3:43.13, set in 1999 by Hicham El Guerrouj. The women's world record in the mile is 4:07.64.
On Friday night, at the new UGA Track & Field Complex, Georgia's milers will compete under the lights at the Spec Towns Track as the kickoff to the Torrin Lawrence Memorial Invitational meet. The goal is to break 4 minutes, and there will be a rabbit — a pace-setting runner who will lead the pack through part of the race before stepping off the track to let the racers finish it off — on hand to make sure the runners have the best shot possible at running their fastest times.
"Hopefully it can be a good one," Georgia distance coach Adam Tribble said of the race. "Our guys have been training really hard, and we're really pleased with what they've been doing."
Nobody has been doing better than Reynaga, who originally ran for Tribble at California Baptist before transferring to Georgia this year. After a good cross-country season in the fall, Reynaga has been even better on the track. Along with setting the school record in the mile indoors, he posted the fourth-fastest time in school history in the 3,000 meters and the eighth-fastest in the 5,000.
This indoor season was the first of Reynaga's career, and running on the shortened indoor track took some getting used to, he said.
"It felt kind of weird at the beginning, but the more races we were doing, I was getting more used to it," he said. "Now, switching back to the outdoor track, I'm used to running there already."
And he's never run better than he has this outdoor season.
"I can say that his fitness is just infinitely at a higher level," Tribble said. "His confidence, his motivation, his desire — he's at a different level than he was in February, and that's exciting."
At the Stanford Invitational on April 4, Reynaga set a new school record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 28:25.30. Teammates Olree (28:31.64) and Will Aitken (28:32.25) also broke the previous record of 28:48.78, set by Ian Burrell in 2007.
Two weeks later, at the Wake Forest Invite, Reynaga broke the school record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:32.16, besting the previous mark of 13:43.05 set by Simon Ngata in 2005.
"It's great, to be honest," Reynaga said of setting the school records, "but it wasn't my goal. I knew those times and records could happen, but I didn't come with them in mind. I was just focusing on getting the work done and getting the races done in the best way possible.
"It feels great to put Georgia out there in front, and it feels great to win the past two races and open the season like this."
Knowing this is his final collegiate season before he gives professional running a shot, with an eye on trying to make the Argentinian squad for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Reynaga is giving it everything he's got over the next six weeks.
"I really want this season to end up really good," he said. "I have been putting a lot of work in out there and focusing on the long-term goals and the short-term, as well. It's just nice to have this feeling of finally being able to show what I can do."
The women's mile will be Friday night at 8:30, followed by the men's. The rest of the Torrin Lawrence Memorial will be held on Saturday.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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