Wednesday evening saw all three Bobcats at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in action, with Levi Taylor, Rob McManus, and Owen Smith competing in the first of two semifinal races for the men’s steeplechase.
Senior Levi Taylor secured the fifth and final automatic qualifying spot in his heat with a time of 8:33.11, just edging out sixth place by two hundredths of a second. This advancement marks Taylor’s first appearance in the finals after missing the cut last year.
Rob McManus finished in seventh place in his heat with a time of 8:33.43. Despite his strong performance, he narrowly missed qualifying for the finals by three tenths of a second, finishing 13th overall in Wednesday’s preliminary action.
Owen Smith, hailing from Billings, posted a time of 9:04.23, securing 23rd place in Wednesday’s competition, concluding a remarkable junior season for the Bobcats.
The men’s steeplechase finals are set to take place on Friday evening at 7:25 p.m. MST and will be broadcast live on ESPN2, offering an exciting opportunity for these talented athletes to compete for a national title.
