The 2025 USATF Outdoor National Championships began Thursday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon with multiple Montanans making an appearance.
Lee Walburn, a two-time NAIA decathlon champion from Whitefish while at Carroll College, returned to competition for the first time since rupturing his Achilles last summer at the Olympic Trials.
Decathlete Lee Walburn threw a personal best in the shot put during the men’s decathlon at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships July 31, 2025 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Walburn started the day by running 11.03 seconds in the 100, jumping 5.94 meters (19 feet, 6 inches) in the long jump and then throwing a personal best 15.28 meters (50-1.75) in the shot put. He closed the first day by high jumping 1.84 meters (6-0.5) and clearing five bars before running 49.5 in the 400 to total 3,734 after the first five events. Walburn will go into the second day in 13th place, 980 points behind the leader Kyle Garland.
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Walburn spent the last year rehabbing in Pullman, Washington after concluding his collegiate career at Washington State as an All-American in 2024.
Duncan Hamilton races during the men’s steeplechase prelims July 31, 2025 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon during the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
A trio of current and former Bobcats continued to extend their legacy in the steeplechase on a national stage.
Montana State’s Rob McManus and former Bobcat Duncan Hamilton (now representing Nike) lined up in the second heat of the men’s steeplechase. While their race started off slow, it eventually sped up to become faster than the first heat with the top five finishers from each of the two heats along with the next four fastest finishers earning a spot to compete in the Saturday final.
Montana State’s Rob McManus comes out of the water jump during a men’s steeplechase heat July 31, 2025 at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Hamilton, a Bozeman High grad who finished sixth at the Olympic Trials in 2024, tucked in behind Kenneth Rooks in second position for much of the race, but had to fend off multiple challengers on the final lap to earn one of the automatic qualifying positions. Hamilton finished in 8:21.49 to finish fourth in the heat and advance to the final on Saturday at 3:49 p.m. MDT. Rooks earned the top qualifying time of the field in 8:21.35.
McManus ran 8:58.04 to finish in 13th in the heat and 27th overall in the field. He placed eighth at the 2025 NCAA championships at Hayward Field in June and then just within the last week, McManus also placed sixth at the World University Games in 8:41.52.
Montana State’s Grace Gilbreth runs during a preliminary heat of the women’s steeplechase July 31, 2025 at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Montana State’s Grace Gilbreth made her debut appearance at the national championships in the second heat of the women’s steeplechase. Gilbreth, a Bozeman High grad and the Bobcats’ record holder in the event, finished in 10:29.32 for 12th in the second heat and 23rd overall. North Carolina State’s Angelina Napoleon earned the top time among all qualifiers in 9:30.44.
In the women’s 1,500, Christina Aragon raced in the second heat. The 2016 Billings Senior graduate finished 10th at the 2024 Olympic Trials.
After the race initially got called back on the initial start, Aragon tucked in behind the leader while searching for one of three automatic qualifying spots. Sinclaire Johnson went on to win the heat in 4:07.54 as the top three pulled away over the final 75 meters dropping Aragon from the pack. Aragon, sporting her Nike singlet, finished 4:08.76 in fourth and had to sit on the bubble of advancing to the finals on time with one heat remaining.
The third heat finishers edged her out as Aragon finished 16th overall. Emily Mackay, winner of the third heat, earned the top overall qualifying time in 4:04.23.
Christina Aragon races during the women’s 1,500 prelims of the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships July 31, 2025 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
In the men’s hammer throw, Kieran McKeag sat in 11th going into this third throw needing to improve to eighth in order to earn another three throws. He improved to 73.31 meters (240-6) on his third attempt, but it only improved his placement by one before getting bumped back down to 11th before the round was over. Rudy Winkler won the event with 81.47 meters (267-3).
McKeag, who moved to Montana a year ago after concluding a collegiate career at Minnesota and Alabama, spent much of the past six months jumping into collegiate meets in Montana and Idaho, but threw a personal best 76.45 meters on June 7 at the Oklahoma Throws Series.
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