FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Montana State graduate distance runner Rob McManus booked his return trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Friday, finishing in the top three in his heat to advance at the NCAA West First Round meet.
McManus clocked a time of 8:40.57 to place 15th overall at John McDonnell Field, securing his spot in Eugene thanks to his top-three time in the third and final heat of the day. McManus has three All-America honors to his name in the event and will look to add a fourth as he competes in his final meet as a Bobcat in two weeks.
McManus ran consistently in the top three throughout the race, placing nearly seven seconds between himself and Minnesota’s Sam Scott for the final automatic qualifying spot in his heat. McManus earned second-team All-America honors in 2023 and 2024 before placing eighth in Oregon in 2025 to snag the first first-team All-America honor of his career.
He enters nationals ranked 15th in the nation in the event, with his season-best time of 8:31.85 coming at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April.
The Bobcats will compete in the fourth and final day of the NCAA West First Round on Saturday, with Sydney Brewster kicking off the action in the discus at 12 p.m. Mountain time. Niamh Motley and Hannah Perrin will compete in the 3,000m steeplechase at 4:40 p.m. in the first running event of the day for the Bobcats.
