Rapid City Stevens High School’s Simeon Birnbaum won the 2022-23 Gatorade South Dakota Boys Track & Field Player of the Year. Birnbaum is the sixth Gatorade South Dakota Boys Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen 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. 

Birnbaum is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year award to be announced in July

The state’s returning Gatorade Boys Track & Field Player of the Year, the 6-foot-1, 145-pound senior produced an unbeaten season against prep competitors that left his name all over the national record books. 

Birnbaum won the 3,200-meter run with his 8:34.10 effort at the Arcadia Invitational, which was the U.S. No. 1 time among prep boys in 2023. That 3,200 time set a National Federation of State High School Associations record, eclipsing a 15-year-old mark set by 2007-08 Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year, German Fernandez. 

Birnbaum also won the two-mile run at the Brooks PR Invitational in 8:34.10, which ranked No. 1 nationally among prep competitors in 2023 and No. 2 in U.S. prep history. 

In addition, he ranked No. 1 nationally and No. 4 all-time in the mile thanks to his 3:57.53 clocking that won the HOKA Festival of Miles. Birnbaum cashed in with a national title in the mile at Nike Outdoor Nationals (4:02.22). 

In a 1,500 race against a field of professionals at Nike Outdoor Nationals, he took third with a time of 3:37.93—the No. 2 clocking in U.S. prep history in the event. In his home state, he won the 800 and 1,600 at the Class AA state meet, leading the Raiders to a third-place finish as a team. That winning 1600 clocking of 4:02.78 was U.S. No. 2 this spring. Birnbaum has volunteered locally as part of multiple fundraising campaigns to benefit the Rushmore Youth Thunder Hockey program. He has also donated his time as a youth track mentor. 

Birnbaum has maintained a weighted 3.92 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on scholarship at the University of Oregon this fall.