Five Bobcats Set to Compete at USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene
7/5/2023 2:21:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Quartet of distance runners highlight Montana State contingent traveling to Hayward Field for 2023 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships and USATF Under 20 Outdoor Championships
BOZEMAN, Montana – Five Montana State track and field standouts are set to compete at the 2023 Toyota USATF Senior and Junior Championships starting Thursday and continuing through Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Four returning Bobcats will represent Montana State at the pair of meets, while program legend Duncan Hamilton will race professionally for Nike's Bowerman Track Club.
Camila Noe (10,000m) will join Duncan Hamilton (3,000m steeplechase) and Levi Taylor (3,000m steeplechase) in the Senior Championships, while Ben Saelens (3,000m steeplechase) and Elijah Jackman (hammer) will compete in the Junior Championships.
The top three finishers in each final in the Senior Championships will clinch a berth in the 2023 World Championships, held in Budapest, Hungary.
Hamilton and Taylor will get things started for the Montana State contingent when they take to historic Hayward Field on Thursday for the semifinal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, scheduled for 7:33 p.m. (MT). The top five finishers from each heat in addition to the next four fastest times total will advance to the 14-man final on Saturday.
Noe, a rising senior competing in her first USATF meet, will race in the 10,000 meter final at Hayward Field on Thursday at 8:51 p.m. (MT).
Saelens, a rising sophomore, will toe the line on Saturday for the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field, with his race getting underway at 12:27 p.m. (MT).
Jackman, a rising sophomore, rounds out the roster of Bobcat competitors in Eugene and will compete in the hammer throw in the Under 20 competition on Friday at 6:30 p.m. (MT).
Hamilton, one of the most prolific distance runners in Montana State history, will look to secure one of three spots up for grabs in Budapest. Last year in Eugene, the decorated Bobcat finished 4th, one spot out of a trip to the World Championships, and finished 14th at the Olympic Trials in 2021. Hamilton is coming off three straight top-five finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the event, including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023. On May 26, the Bozeman High School product clocked an incredible 8:16.23 at the NCAA Outdoor West First Round, the second-fastest steeplechase ever recorded by a collegian. At the time, Hamilton's mark was the fastest in the world in 2023. He now ranks 16th and is the second-fastest American this year.
Taylor, competing in his second straight USATF Outdoor Championships after finishing 7th last season in Eugene, will join Hamilton in the 3,000-meter steeplechase semifinal on Thursday. Taylor clocked an 8:33.82 on May 26 at the NCAA Outdoor West First Round, the 20th-fastest time by an American this year. The Laurel HS product is a two-time All-American, having finished 15th in the steeplechase at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships and 9th at the same meet in 2022.
Noe, competing in her first USATF event, took home the 2023 Big Sky Conference Championship in the 10,000 meters this past season and finished 15th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, to secure All-American honors. On May 26, the Bozeman HS standout clocked a personal-best time of 32:50.17 at the NCAA Outdoor West First Round. Noe owns the Montana State program records in both the 5,000 meters (15:52.02) and the 10,000 meters (32:50.17).
Saelens, a native of Seattle, will compete in the USATF Under 20s 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday. The Seattle native ran a personal-best 9:24.24 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, in mid-April, and finished fourth in the steeplechase the next week at the Montana Open in Missoula.
Jackman, a native of Tigard, Oregon, returns to his home state this week to compete in the USATF Under 20s hammer throw at Hayward Field. The rising sophomore finished eighth at the 2023 Big Sky Outdoor Championships and 14th in the discus to help Montana State secure a runner-up team finish in Greeley.
For heat sheets and a schedule of events for the USATF Outdoor Championships, visit here.
For heat sheets and a schedule of events for the USATF Under 20 Outdoor Championships, visit here.
Players Mentioned
