The top place and twelfth place were separated by just .67 hundredths of a second and every little bit counted. Unfortunately, what mattered even more was the .15 seconds between 10^th and 12^th. That less-than-a-split second closed top-seeded Patrick Casey out of the finals of the Mile Run at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The Laurel, Mont. native took an immediate lead as soon as the gun sounded in Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas. He held the lead for most of the race, with impressive and consistent splits along the way, however, the final 60 meters proved pivotal. The field encroached on Casey, as he fell back to sixth place in the second of two heats.

Casey finished the indoor season with a time of 4:01.54, which placed him 12^th overall. The Final race consists of the top four finishers of each heat plus then next two fastest runners. The overall winner, headed into Saturday's final, is Chris O'Hare of Tulsa with a time of 4:00.87.

“There was no lack of effort in Pat's race today,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “Unfortunately he didn't have the snap in the end that he needed. He won't let this keep him down, though, as there will still be opportunities for him down the road.”

Last year, Casey took the bronze medal in the Mile Run with a time of 4:01.87.