Ramapo's Jeremy Hernandez becomes first Division III athlete to break four-minute mile

Ramapo College senior Jeremy Hernandez, a 2014 Clifton High School graduate became the first NCAA Division III athlete to break four minutes in the mile Saturday afternoon when he ran 3:59.01 at the Boston University Last Chance meet in Boston.

Hernandez, a five-time track All-American, who had a personal best of 4:14.36 for the slightly shorter 1,600 meters in high school, destroyed the prior mark of 4:00.41 set by Coby Horowitz of Bowdoin in 2014. Hernandez had run 4:01.83 earlier this month, also in a meet at BU, that was at the time the fifth fastest ever in Division III. His time is more than five seconds faster than any other D-3 athlete in the country this year.

WHAT'S NEXT: Ramapo runner Jeremy Hernandez has even bigger goals now

Hernandez is believed to be the first runner from Passaic County to break the four minute barrier. Ron Speirs of Paramus (1977) and Roger Jones of Ramsey (1982) are the only Bergen County athletes to do so.