| May 13, 2026 by John Davern |
| This Marco Langon and Simeon Birnbaum rivalry is feeding families. They weren’t even on the track at the same time this weekend, and somehow both still managed to make headlines. Let’s start with Marco At the APU Franson Last Chance meet, Langon soloed the final 500 meters of his 1500m and ran 3:32.79 – the second-fastest time in collegiate history. Second to, of course, Simeon Birnbaum, who ran 3:31.69 earlier this year at the Oregon Team Invitational. Langon had the statement 1500m. Birnbaum still owns the collegiate record. Meanwhile, Birnbaum was up the coast at Oregon Twilight dropping a 1:44.67 to win the 800m. A casual three-second PR from his previous best of 1:48.05. I guess he’s working on that closing speed, which he’ll probably need in June. The head-to-head We’ve already seen these two clash twice this year at Penn Relays, where they split titles. First, Oregon won the men’s DMR with Birnbaum outkicking Langon in the final 100 meters. Then Langon returned the favor in the men’s 4xMile. And if last year’s NCAA 1500m final taught us anything, it’s that this thing can get crowded fast. Eleven men finished within one second of one another, with names like Ferenc Kovacs, Jack Crull and Damian Hackett all landing inside the top eight. Birnbaum has the collegiate record and the home-track advantage in Eugene. Langon has answered just about every bell this season. But what if we’ve been so locked in on this beef that we’re discounting someone else entirely? Are we too low on Colin Sahlman? The dude just won two NCAA indoor titles. His loss in the Penn Relays 4xMile against Langon and Birnbaum may have hurt his stock a bit, but that was a late-April relay. Not an NCAA final. He sits second in the 800m, 12th in the 1500m and 15th in the 5K this season. So will it be one of the Big Three, or someone else entirely? |