PORTLAND, Ore. -- Michael Kilburg and John Moore are the greatest roommates in Pilot history.
It's a bold claim — but the results make a convincing case.
In the fall of 2003, Kilburg and Moore arrived on the University of Portland campus as freshmen and became roommates in Villa Maria Hall. Neither could have known then that over the next five years, they would become two of the most decorated distance runners in Pilot history.
Perhaps what makes their story most remarkable is that neither arrived at Portland as a highly recruited high school star. Both had good high school careers and showed plenty of potential, but neither was among the most sought-after distance runners in the country. Their college options were limited, and there was little at the time to suggest that either would eventually become an NCAA All-American, school-record holder, or Olympic Trials qualifier.
What happened next became a testament to development, consistency and an extraordinary amount of work.
Kilburg and Moore didn't arrive at Portland as great runners. They became great runners at Portland.
Over the next five years, the two roommates would log thousands of miles together, push one another through countless workouts, and steadily transform themselves into two of the best runners in school history. Their careers would take them from the trails of NCAA cross country to national championships, record-setting nights at Stanford, All-America performances and ultimately to one final starting line together at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Michael Kilburg
Recruited out of O'Dea High School in Seattle, Michael Kilburg arrived at UP as a Physics major and steadily developed into one of the best distance runners in program history.
In cross country, Kilburg earned NCAA All-West Region honors twice and helped the Pilots qualify for three NCAA Championships, where Portland finished ninth, 14th and 18th nationally. His best regional performance came as a senior in 2007, when he finished fifth at the NCAA West Regional.
Kilburg's career was defined by consistency, toughness and an extraordinary willingness to work. By the spring of his senior year, he had built his training to an incredible 120–130 miles per week, and the results followed.
That spring became one of the greatest individual track seasons in Pilot history.
Kilburg broke the school record in the indoor 5,000 meters, running 13:49 to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. There, he finished sixth and earned All-America honors.
Just two weeks later, he returned to the track at the Stanford Invitational and produced another historic performance, running 28:20 for 10,000 meters to set a University of Portland record that would stand for 18 years. The mark still ranks No. 2 in program history.
He capped the season with another trip to the NCAA Championships, finishing 12th nationally in the outdoor 10,000 meters.
John Moore
John Moore arrived at Portland in 2003 as a life science major and put together a career whose consistency remains unmatched in Pilot history.
Moore is the only University of Portland runner to qualify for four NCAA Cross Country Championships and four NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
In cross country, he earned NCAA All-West Region honors all four years and never finished worse than 10th at the regional championships.
His breakthrough on the national stage came in 2005, when he finished 29th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to earn All-America honors.
He was equally consistent on the track.
Moore qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships four consecutive years and set the Portland school record in the 10,000 meters as a junior. As a senior, he lowered his personal best to 28:28 at Stanford, a mark that still ranks No. 3 on the Pilots' all-time list.
His best NCAA outdoor performance came with a 10th-place All-America finish in the 10,000 meters.
From Villa Maria to the Olympic Trials
The numbers tell part of the story.
But what makes Kilburg and Moore's careers particularly fitting is how often their paths came back together.
They started as freshmen roommates in Villa Maria in 2003. Over the next five years, they trained together, logged thousands upon thousands of miles together and helped elevate Portland into one of the country's premier distance-running programs.
And on some of the biggest stages of their careers, they found themselves right next to each other.
At the 2007 NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championships, Moore and Kilburg crossed the line fourth and fifth, helping send the Pilots back to the NCAA Championships.
Then came one final race.
In the summer of 2008, both qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meters in Eugene, Oregon. In a field filled with many of the best distance runners in the country, Portland remarkably had two of just four collegiate athletes on the starting line.
It was their fourth 10,000-meter race of the season. Twenty-five laps, under the lights, in front of a capacity crowd at Hayward Field.
Five years after first showing up as freshmen and roommates at Villa Maria, Kilburg and Moore came around the track one final time.
And fittingly, they finished side by side.
They hadn't arrived at Portland as can't-miss prospects. They weren't expected to become All-Americans, school-record holders or Olympic Trials qualifiers.
They simply kept getting better.
From overlooked high school recruits to two of the most accomplished runners in University of Portland history, Michael Kilburg and John Moore showed what can happen when talent meets opportunity, belief and years of relentless work.
And they made a pretty strong case for the title:
The greatest roommates in Pilot history.
