Matt Busche missed qualifying for the NCAA Division I Regional Track and Field championships by a second.

But the Duquesne sophomore and 2018 Franklin Regional graduate has put the disappointment behind him and is already looking forward to the 2022 season.

What takes away the hurt a little is the fact that Busche won the Atlantic-10 800-meter run and set a school record in the process with a time of 1 minute, 50.21 seconds. The previous school record of 1:50.90 was set by Tim Majewski in 2009.

He edged George Mason freshman Micah Harris (1:50.20) and teammate Collin Ebling (1:50.70) to win the 800 title.

“I gave it all I had,” Busche said. “I leaned so hard because I knew it would be close.”

Busche said it was a photo finish.

Ironically, Ebling edged Busche in the 800 at the 2018 PIAA championships. Busche was the WPIAL champion that year and finished third at the state meet.

“This was my biggest win since high school,” said Busche, who is headed to Tracy, Calif., for his summer internship with Amazon. “It was great to win it, especially missing the 2020 season because of covid-19. It was a combination of two years of training. I believe Collin and I were better prepared more than others.”

The day of the race Busche said he had a feeling it was going to be a good day.

“I felt great and my legs were fresh,” Busche said. “I knew Collin and I would push each other. We had tapered our training.”

Busche said he is ranked 60th in the region and the top 48 advance.

Now he has something to work for next season.

“It’s definitely what I’m shooting for next season,” Busche said. “I’m definitely going to work harder. I was close, but I needed to be around 1:49 to have a chance.”

Busche is studying business at Duquesne.

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