Rapid City Stevens’ Simeon Birnbaum is the 2021-22 Gatorade South Dakota boys track and field athlete of the year. 

Birnbaum is the sixth Gatorade South Dakota boys track and field athlete of the year from Stevens High School. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Birnbaum as South Dakota’s best high school boys track & field athlete. He’s now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year award to be announced in July

The state’s 2021-22 Gatorade boys cross-country runner of the year, the 6-foot, 145-pound junior became the 16th high-school-age boy in history to break 4 minutes in the mile run this past year. Birnbaum crossed the line in 3:59.51 to win the mile at the Brooks PR Invitational, setting a state record with a time that ranked No. 5 nationally among prep competitors in 2022 at the time of his selection.