Freshman Birnbaum out for the season
Simeon Birnbaum’s first season as a Duck has ended early.
The freshman runner from South Dakota, who was the prize of Oregon coach Jerry Schumacher’s most recent recruiting class, announced on Strava earlier this week he has a femoral stress fracture and won’t compete the rest of the spring or summer.
“Sometimes Running Sucks,” wrote Birnbaum, who said he was having adductor muscle pain. An MRI to determine the source revealed the stress fracture. “I am honestly extremely confused on how this could have happened. I am grateful we caught it before it got worse but I will not be able to race this outdoor season.”
Birnbaum’s only race in an Oregon uniform came on March 23 during the Oregon Preview at Hayward Field when he finished second in the 1,500 meters in 3 minutes, 45.27 seconds. He also raced one time unattached in cross country when he was the runner-up in the Bill Dellinger Invitational in September.
He arrived at Oregon following an impressive senior season of high school, one that included a time of 3:37.93 in the 1,500 and 8:34.10 in the two-mile — both second-fastest alltime by a U.S. high school boy. He also ran 3:57.53 in the mile for fourth-fastest all-time.
Though young, Birnbaum brought big goals with him to Oregon. He said he was planning to use his first season under Schumacher to put him in position to wear a Team USA uniform in Paris this summer.
“The timing really is terrible with the Olympics being this year, and before the season started I came in with the mindset of making the team or bust,” Birnbaum wrote. “I have definitely learned a lot about stuff I wish I didn’t have to, but now I know I can hopefully make changes for the better. Hopefully my freshman ‘transition period’ is over, because I am very excited for next year (and) want to get back to doing what I love, racing. But for now I guess I’ll just hang around in the shadows some more.”