Simeon Birnbaum Logs No. 2 All-Time 1,500m At Nike Nationals

Jun 17, 2023

* Simeon Birnbaum wins the mile at HOKA Festival of Miles. Birnbaum clocked 3:37.93 for US No. 3 all-time in the 1,500m on Friday at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Photo Credit: Mike Baxter/MileSplit

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Simeon Birnbaum ceases to stop leaving his imprint on U.S. high school distance running history.

The future Oregon Duck and Rapid City Stevens (SD) talent, competing on his future home track in Eugene, added yet another all-time mark to his resume competing in the professional men's 1,500m at Nike Outdoor Nationals.

Just two days after running a US No. 2 all-time 8:34.10 for two miles at the Brooks PR Invitational, Birnbaum earned yet another No. 2 time in the record books with a 3:37.93 performance under the lights at Hayward Field.

The effort earned him third place overall, only behind winner Matt Wisner of Oregon Track Club and Nike-sponsored elite Connor Mantz in second.

Birnbaum finds himself in elite company at the top of the 1,500m outdoor all-time rankings, surpassing national mile record-holder Alan Webb's previous No. 2 time of 3:38.26 clocked in 2008. He now only trails Hobbs Kessler on the rankings, who still owns the best all-time 1,500m effort of 3:34.36 clocked at the Portland Track Festival in 2021.

This season alone, Birnbaum has now logged the second-best performances in history in three separate events -- the 3,200m (8:34.10 at the Arcadia Invitational), 3-mile (8:34.10 at Brooks PR) and now the 1,500m. He leads the country in all three events this outdoor season, as well as the mile with a time of 3:57.53 from the competitive HOKA Festival of Miles.

The South Dakota star burst onto the national scene as a junior when he became one of the youngest Americans to ever break the four minutes in the mile at Brooks PR Invitational in 2022 with a time of 3:59.51. Now, Birnbaum has moved to US No. 4 all-time in the outdoor mile, adding to the long list of accolades to his name to make for one of the most all-around historic distance seasons in high school history.