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.

So, when the Badgers had two runners do it in the same race, at the Meyo Invitational in Notre Dame, Ind., earlier this month, it was startling, to say the least.

Jack Bolas, a sophomore from Chapel Hill, N.C., won the race in 3:59.40, breaking Lacy's UW indoor record of 4:00.4 set in 1978. Brandon Bethke, a sophomore from Lake Forest, Calif., finished third in 3:59.85.

"The 4-minute mile still has a mystique," UW men's coach Ed Nuttycombe said. "It's a great barrier. Any collegian who breaks the 4-minute mile is really exceptional, even by today's standards."

To have two athletes do it so early in their careers is indicative of the young talent on UW, which will attempt to win a record eighth consecutive Big Ten Conference Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday at the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center.

UW won last year's meet with 120 points, then went on to become the first Big Ten team to win an NCAA track title at the Indoor Championships. The banner was unveiled last Saturday.

If that's not enough to motivate this team, the UW men's track and field and cross country programs are hosting a reunion over the weekend that is expected to bring more than 110 former athletes back for a celebration that will center around Nuttycombe's 25 years as head coach.

"I'm extremely proud ... and honored to have been a part of the championship banner that will be on display at the meet this weekend," Nuttycombe said.

In some ways, the timing for playing host to this meet is off by a year. This year's team, ranked No. 13 nationally, is not as loaded as last year's team, which was led by two accomplished seniors, Solinsky and sprinter Demi Omole.

"You want to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to host by competing well at home," Nuttycombe said. "I think we will. I think we're ready. We're as healthy as we're going to be."

Nuttycombe listed five teams — Michigan (ranked No. 22), UW, Purdue, Penn State and Minnesota (last year's runner-up with 93 points) — as having legitimate chances to win the meet.

"I have never, in my many years, seen so many viable teams that have a chance to win it on their given day," Nuttycombe said.

The mile should be a key event for the Badgers, who are strongest and deepest, as usual, in distance events.

Bolas was in fifth place with 300 meters to go, in the race he broke 4 minutes. He took the lead with 150 meters left and fought off a strong kick by the field, then was swarmed by his teammates after the finish.

"It was a shock," Bolas said of his time. "It didn't process with me the fact that I was breaking a record. First of all, I wanted to go for the win and then second of all, I didn't realize that it was even a record."

One thing Nuttycombe won't bring up to his athletes is multiple chances at history. Nuttycombe has 23 Big Ten titles to his credit, which ties him for the most in conference history with men's swimming coach James "Doc" Counsilman, who was at Indiana from 1958 to '90.

"It's never been discussed. Never," Nuttycombe said of eight titles in a row. "I'm sure they can read and I'm sure they're aware of (it), but it's definitely not a topic of conversation.

"The conversation involves rising to the challenge, individually trying to do as well as you can. If you do that, team-wise we'll be fine. I think the streak is what it is, but this year I think the challenge is to see how many of these young athletes are going to be able to contribute earlier than maybe some of the past teams have needed them."