Trevor Dunbar’s illustrious running career at Kodiak High School came to an end Sunday afternoon in Eugene, Ore.

Running in a field of mostly college freshmen, Dunbar zoomed to a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the legendary Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.

Dunbar was the top high school finisher with a time of 14 minutes, 38.30 seconds.

There were 15 college runners in the field of 25.

The departing KHS senior and University of Portland-bound runner ran second for the majority of the race, but was passed by Virginia’s Sean Keveren with four laps to go to finish third.

Oklahoma State’s Colby Lowe jumped out to the lead early and opened up a sizeable gap on Dunbar to take the event in 14:31.27.

Sunday’s race marked an end to a three-week, three-race tour for Dunbar, that, if not already, ranked him as the top running recruit in the nation.

Dunbar began the summer tour placing third in the one-mile at the Portland Track Festival. His time of 4:06.65 ranks fifth in the nation for prep runners.

A week later, Dunbar became a national-title holder by cruising to victory in the two-mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. His winning time of 8:49.79 is the leading time in the nation.

Dunbar’s legacy will live on forever in Kodiak and in Alaska. In his four years as a Bear he became one of the greatest prep runners in the history of the state.

“It’s him and Don Clary,” his father and coach Marcus Dunbar said earlier this season. “They are from such different eras that it’s hard to pick one over the other.”

Clary, though, holds the title of the greatest runner from Alaska as he qualified for the 1984 Olympics in the 5,000.

Dunbar finished his Kodiak career as a three-time 4A cross country champion. He also helped lead Kodiak to three-straight team titles.

His name skyrocketed across the country when his 3,200 time-trial, in the Kodiak snow, spread across the Internet in November.

About a month later, Dunbar finished second in the Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals — the highest placing by any Alaskan.

In February, after running the mile and finishing eighth at the Reebok Indoor Games in Boston, Dunbar signed a letter of intent to run cross country and track at the University of Portland — his mother’s alma mater.

“I feel he is the top long-distance prospect in the nation,” Pilots’ coach Rob Conner wrote in an e-mail to the Kodiak Daily Mirror in February.

Dunbar’s track season solidified Conner’s statement.

Dunbar won the 1,600-and 3,200 at the state meet and came up just shy of winning the 800. He did not set state records at the meet because he was rebounding from strep throat, but all of Dunbar’s times this season bettered official state records.

Mirror writer Derek Clarkston can be reached via e-mail at sports@kodiakdailymirror.com.

USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships

Top 5

5,000 meters — 1. Colby Lowe, Oklahoma State, 14:31.27; 2. Sean Keveren, Virginia, 14:38.30; 3. Trevor Dunbar, 14:43.98; 4. Griffith Graves, Syracuse, 14:50.00; 5. Kevin Burnett, Texas A&M, 14:53.