Florence senior sprinter Patrick Milan, at right, outruns the field, including one of his own teammates with the Northwoods Storm — a combined team for Florence and Niagara high schools — during a heat in the 100-meter dash at the Bobcat Track and Field Invitational at Florence County High School on April 21. Last Thursday, Milan broke a 51-year old FHS record in the 200-meter dash by running a 22.74, .36 seconds faster then the previous record set by Mike Weber in 1971. (Dennis Mansfield/Daily News photo)

FLORENCE, Wis. — Last Thursday, Florence High School sprinter Patrick Milan felt good.

The weather at the Niagara Invitational was about as good as he could hope for given the cold rainy spring of 2022. His warmup went well and Milan knew he had a chance to do what he’s wanted to do since he was a freshman.

Milan had his sights set on breaking the Florence High School 200-meter dash school record — a mark that has stood since 1971. Think of all the things that have taken place in the world since Mike Weber set that benchmark. A long, long time has transpired with Weber’s name on the record board.

But Milan has had everything it takes to mark his own mark. At 5-foot-10 and fluctuating 165 and 170 pounds, the senior has natural speed, quick-twitch muscles and a body honed through weightlifting, either with dumbbells at home or in the Florence High School weight room.

With all that in his favor, Milan stepped into the blocks at Badger Field that day and 22.74 seconds later, he was the new record holder.

“There was a little bit of a headwind, but it was still a good day, and I was feeling good and I ran my 100 (meter dash) good,” said Milan, who finished sixth in the WIAA Division 3 state finals in the event last year. “It was definitely cool, something that I was looking forward to. And for me, I expected it to happen this year.”

“He’s competitive, so as a freshman he saw (the record) on there and that has been a goal of his,” Florence head track coach Pam Jensen said. “So as a senior and getting that record, that’s awesome for him, and now he’s hungry for the 100 record, too.”

Milan is just .09 seconds off the school 100 meter record of 10.9. Ironically, his 10.99 personal best time was also set at the Niagara Invitational last week.

“I would love to break the 100, too,” said Milan, whose ambition and confidence is not borne of arrogance, but more is matter-of-fact. “After that, my goal at the beginning of the year was to win state in the 200.”

Presently, Milan stands at the top of the state Division 3 rankings in both the 100 and the 200 with his times at the Niagara Invite.

Milan, who was born in Iron Mountain before his family moved to Florence five years ago after stops in host of states, clearly has natural athletic abilities. He played football his freshman and junior years (his sophomore season was interrupted by COVID-19) before giving up the game because of two serious concussions.

Milan also played four years of basketball at Florence and showed an amazing ability to battle on the interior against players far taller than him. He was also able to get out on the break because of his speed and quickness and could finish hard at the rim.

Track-wise, Milan’s journey started with a pep talk of sorts.

“At first he wasn’t sure he wanted to do track,” said Jensen, who has been head track coach since 2019. “And then we were like, ‘C’mon give it a try, you’ve got some real talent.’ He stuck with it, and now he has been getting better and better every year.”

Milan attributes his improving performances through the years to his physical training and to zoning in on what he wanted to accomplish.

“I wasn’t running a sub-11 in my 100 and I wasn’t running a sub-23 in my 200 back then,” he said. “My freshman year, I got to regionals but I had a stress fracture in my foot, so I didn’t run super fast there and I didn’t move on.

“But after that happened, and I kind of watched the whole thing, I realized that I have to put in work to get faster and to get stronger.”

“A lot of his (improvement) is strength, and this year he’s been putting in a lot of extra effort,” Jensen added. “He comes in and does some weightlifting with open gym and stuff, and I mean, he does have a lot of natural talent. He’s a good athlete.”

Milan’s knowledge has also progressed along the way. Like many top track athletes, Milan studies videos of his races, breaking his performances down to subtleties.

“I watch how my hands are, I’m looking at if I’m relaxed and what my stride length is, see if I can open it up a little more,” he explained.

Milan still has plenty of time to fine tune his fundamentals, work himself to peak performance before his final state track run. The regional round is set for Monday, May 23, with the sectionals slated for Thursday, May 26.

The 2022 State Track & Field Championships will be held on June 3-4 in La Crosse.

“He’s hungry for it and he wants it,” Jensen said. “I think he’s got a real shot in both the 100 and the 200 this year.”

Jerry DeRoche can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 247, or at jderoche@ironmountaindailynews.com.