By 605 Sports

ARCADIA, CA — Rapid City Stevens senior Simeon Birnbaum got his outdoor season off to a blazing start. 

Having not competed in a single outdoor meet, Birnbaum lined up with some of the best high school runners in the country Saturday in California. The future Oregon Duck won the race with a time of 8:34.10.  

In many of his races against elite competition Birnbaum has been content to run from the back of the pack. On Saturday he came out with the lead group, stayed with a group of five on the final few laps before unleashing a sprint that pushed him past two runners in the final meters of the race for the win. 

The 8:34.10 was an Arcadia Invitational record. Saturday’s time shaved almost 21 seconds off Birnbaum’s South Dakota state record (8:55.22) set last May at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays.