EUGENE, Ore. — Rapid City Stevens graduate Simeon Birnbaum played a key role in the University of Oregon’s 2025 Big Ten outdoor track and field championship on May 18. 

The Ducks scored in 13 of 21 events on their way to 110 points, completing a sweep of the conference indoor and outdoor championships. 

Birnbaum won the 5,000-meter run and placed third in the 1,500-meter run. After a third-place finish earlier in the day at 1,500 meters (3:35.38), Birnbaum was back on the track to run the 5,000 meters. 

He responded with his first Big Ten title in meet-record fashion, stopping the clock in a time of 13:31.87 to replace the previous mark of 13:41.06 run by Wisconsin's Mohammed Ahmed in 2012.

Birnbaum is the seventh Oregon Duck to win a conference title at 5,000 meters and the first to do so since Cole Hocker in 2021.

"I got out-kicked in that 1,500, and that got me fired up and ready to go for this race," Birnbaum said in an Oregon press release. "When I was getting ready for the 5K, I look at our team score and saw we were doing pretty well. On paper, we weren't supposed to be ahead—we were ranked around seventh among the teams. I knew I could put us ahead with this race, so I told myself 'I'm going to go out there and win and ice this meet for us.'"

Birnbaum will now compete in the NCAA West First Round (May 28-31) in College Station, Texas. The top 12 in each event at the regional meets will then advance to the NCAA Championships (June 11-14) in Eugene, Oregon.