BOZEMAN — Montana State track and field standout Duncan Hamilton now owns the nation's top time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase following his performance Saturday at Eastern Kentucky's Rick Erdmann Twilight Invitational.
Hamilton, a Bozeman High School alum, finished with a time of 8:25.17 to win the event, holding off Georgetown's Parker Stokes and EKU's Abdelhakim Abouzouhir. Hamilton was the runner-up in the steeplechase at the 2022 NCAA outdoor championships.
Hamilton's time moved him atop the nation's performance list ahead of Minnesota's Matthew Wilkinson (8:29.35) and Washington's Ed Trippas (8:31.40). On Monday, Hamilton was named the Big Sky Conference's men's track and field athlete of the week.
Rob McManus and Levi Taylor also finished in the top 10 for MSU. McManus posted 8:42.93 — the third best mark in the Big Sky Conference this spring, while Taylor clocked a season-best 8:54.85.
The Bobcats' steeplechasers also rank No. 1 in the country as an event group. The rankings take the top four marks from a team and computes an average, MSU's average is 8:44.55. MSU's steeplechase contingent includes Hamilton, McManus, Taylor and Owen Smith. BYU (8:49.13) and Weber State (8:54.07) follow the Bobcats in the national event rankings.
