Taylor Advances to Final, McManus Nabs All-American Honors in Eugene
6/5/2024 11:32:00 PM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
Levi Taylor punches ticket to Friday night's men's steeplechase final, while Rob McManus finishes one spot out and Owen Smith places 24th at NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field
EUGENE, Ore. -- In typical fashion, Levi Taylor's race came down to one last kick.
Taylor used a manic late push on the last straightaway to keep his season alive, out-leaning Northeastern's Alexander Korczynski by two one-hundredths of a second to secure the last bid handed out from the first semifinal on Wednesday.
Taylor will race again in Friday's final in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships from Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
The veteran, who his coach Lyle Weese said on Tuesday "seemed to be unphased by anything," sat seventh going into the last water barrier at the turn, but turned on his trademark kick to jump two spots into fifth and Friday's final.
In Taylor's third straight trip to the outdoor NCAA Championships, the redshirt senior from Laurel, Montana, will now be headed back to the steeplechase final for a second time after making it in Eugene in 2022 and missing it in 2023 in Austin.
"It was great to have Levi get through and make it to the final," Weese said. "He closed that race really well. I'm so excited about what he can do in the final--hopefully position himself a little bit better earlier in the race so that if he runs under 60 seconds his last lap in the final, he'll be right in it to place really well."
Taylor's closing split of 59.98 seconds was the fastest lap of any man in the 24-athlete field across the two sections, and saw the Laurel native use long strides to make up big ground and just get across the line to earn a spot in Friday's 12-athlete final, crossing the line in 8:33.11.
After a ninth-place finish in Eugene in 2022 behind teammate and national runner-up Duncan Hamilton, Taylor was on the wrong side of qualifying last season, placing 15th in Austin.
On Friday, that heartbreak was put in the rearview mirror on the back of a heroic last kick--one that gives the two-time Second Team All-American a chance to wrap up his outdoor collegiate track and field career with a bang.
"There was a little bit of concern for Levi in the prelims today when he was so far back," Weese said. "I think if it was someone else, I would have been really panicked. But Levi always can find his way and work his way through a crowd and finish a race really strong. For the final on Friday, if he can position himself a little higher up but not waste a whole lot of energy, not be super anxious or pushing too soon, when he has that strong finish, he is not working from tenth to fourth or whatever, but maybe sixth to first, to second, to third."
Rob McManus, a junior from Cashmere, Washington, finished just one spot outside of qualifying for the final, placing 13th.
"It was definitely a little bit of a heartbreaker especially for Rob because he was so close and he had been running so well all year," Weese said. "I think also, he demonstrated that he had the ability to make the final and do really well in it—but those are the things that can happen in NCAA meets. He still ran a really solid race, it just wasn't quite enough today. That was definitely difficult not getting Rob through."
McManus ran smooth in giving himself a chance to make the final, and held the last qualifying time of 8:33.43 in seventh position heading into the second section of the event—but was passed by Notre Dame's Tom Seitzer's time of 8:32.46 to leave the Big Sky champion on the outside looking in.
McManus earns Second Team All-American honors for the second year in a row, after placing 16th last year in Austin at the outdoor NCAA Championships.
Owen Smith, the third member of Montana State's trio competing in the first semifinal of the steeplechase on Wednesday, placed 23rd to earn honorable mention All-American honors in his first trip to the NCAA Championships.
"For Owen, it was a great experience," Weese said. "To qualify through to NCAA's, get honorable mention All-American—it's pretty special for Owen. He works so hard and puts so much into it and is a great teammate. He supports everyone. It was great to see that pay off with a trip to NCAA's, and we're always just so appreciate of him and his efforts."
Montana State's three qualifiers among the 24-competitor field were the most of any program in the country.
It marked the second consecutive season that 'Steeple U' had sent three athletes to the NCAA Championships in the event.
Montana State and Eastern Kentucky are the only two programs in American to qualify multiple athletes in the men's steeplechase for the NCAA Championships each of the last three seasons.
UP NEXT
Levi Taylor advances to Friday night's men's 3,000 meter steeplechase final at Hayward Field in Eugene.
The race is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. PT/7:24 p.m. MT and will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and streamed online on ESPN+.
Taylor's advancement to the final marks the fourth straight year the Bobcats will be represented in the national championship race, with Hamilton placing fifth in 2021, second in 2022, and second in 2023, and Taylor placing ninth in 2022.
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