Newbury Park High's Colin Sahlman handles 'different experience' at Prefontaine Classic

He was seeded last, spent nearly the entire race trailing the world-class field and it was all captured live on network television.

Nearly everything about Colin Sahlman debut on the world stage Saturday afternoon was new to the “high schooler,” as the NBC broadcast referred to him.

“It was a different experience from what I’m used to,” Sahlman said, “but I feel like handled I well.”

The Newbury Park High senior did not leave the Prefontaine Classic at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field without a victory of sorts.

Sahlman ran a personal-best time of 3 minutes, 56.24 seconds in the Bowerman Mile and he did not finish last, passing 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and former U.S. champion Clayton Murphy at the finish.

“It’s a pretty cool feeling to say that I beat an Olympian and a U.S. champion as a high schooler,” Sahlman said.

Sahlman’s time, his first sub-four-minute mile outdoors, was three seconds away from Alan Webb’s national high school record, set in the same event in 2001.

It’s the third-fastest mile run by a high school student-athlete.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, won the race in 3:49.76. World champion Timothy Cheruiyot, the silver medalist in Tokyo, was third in 3:50.77.

NBC’s cameras caught Sahlman and Ingebrigtsen shaking hands on the track after the race.

“He said, ‘Thank you for the race,’ ” Sahlman said.

He then found some shade to sit down and “throw up a little.”

“I gave it all I had,” Sahlman said.

Sticking out in his highlighter-orange Newbury Park singlet, Sahlman started at the back of the pack and worked hard to stay within touch with the field.

“I just felt like my legs were really burning,” Sahlman said. “We went out fast. I had to dig down deep. Why not give everything you have when you’re on the world stage?”

The NBC broadcast focused on him during one lap, mentioning his attempt at Webb’s record.

“He’s out there breaking barriers and doing things that only the best can do,” Newbury Park coach Sean Brosnan said. “These are really special things these kids are doing.”

Sahlman has now run the fastest high school time in the country in the 1,500 meters (3:39.59), one mile, 3,000 (8:06.99) and 3,200 (8:33.2).

“Our big thing this whole season was giving him more of a portfolio, a resume,” Brosnan said. “That’s what we wanted him to do.”

Newbury Park runners were in three different states competing Saturday. Junior Lex Young ran a 4:01.52 to finish second at the RunningLane Championship Mile in Huntsville, Alabama.

“I was stoked with it,” Young said. “It was a great race. I felt really strong at the finish. I think I just waited too long to start kicking.”

Read more: Ventura's Engelhardt, Thacher's Delvecchio run to state track titles in Clovis

After the race, Sahlman watched online as his Newbury Park teammates ran for CIF State championships in Clovis.

The Gatorade National boys cross country Runner of the Year did not seem to regret his decision to eschew the traditional CIF postseason, and a potential California state championship, to run in an illustrious event against Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalists.

“It was definitely a great experience,” Sahlman said. “I raced against the best in the world and I ran 3:56. I can’t be disappointed with that.”

Sahlman wasn’t the only local competing in Eugene. Agoura High graduate and 2020 Olympian Tara Davis finished third in the Diamond League women’s long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 1 inch.

Although Saturday can’t be topped, Sahlman’s high school career isn’t quite done.

He and his brother Aaron Sahlman plan to run the 800 meters together at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle next month.

Newbury Park senior Sam McDonnell and Ventura freshman Sadie Engelhardt also plan to run the girls mile in the event.

Joe Curley is a staff reporter for The Star. He can be reached at  joe.curley@vcstar.com. Follow him @vcsjoecurley on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Newbury Park's Colin Sahlman runs at '22 Prefontaine Classic