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≡ USATF NATIONALS ≡
There were other events, but the focus of Friday’s session of the 2025 USA Track & Field nationals in Eugene, Oregon was the 100 m finals. Conditions were good, starting with 87 F temperatures for the semifinals, with the men’s races first, in front of a modest crowd at Hayward Field.
Just as on Thursday, the first race had T’Mars McCallum and two-time Worlds bronze winner Trayvon Bromell, and the outcome was almost identical, with McCallum taking it in 9.99 (wind: +0.1 m/s) and Bromell second in 10.03 and into the final. Georgia prep Maurice Gleaton – 18 – got third in a lifetime best of 10.05; NCAA winner Jordan Anthony was fourth in 10.13 and did not advance.
Courtney Lindsey, the 2023 NCAA winner, took semi two in 10.06 (+0.6), ahead of Lawrence Johnson (10.12) and Brandon Hicklin (10.13). Semi three had 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman and Grand Slam star Kenny Bednarek, who won all three races on the circuit. And with 2.1 m/s wind, Bednarek won his fifth straight race of the year in 9.90w, with Coleman a solid second in 9.94w, followed by Ronnie Baker at 9.97w.
The women’s semis were next, with Jacious Sears looking great again with a 10.95 win (+0.7) in the first race, well ahead of Jenna Prandini (11.08) and Hayward Field favorite English Gardner (11.10), now 33, who made the final on time. World leader Melissa Jefferson-Wooden showed she is the favorite, steaming to a dominant win in 10.84 (-0.3), with Aleia Hobbs a distant second in 11.10. Wow.
Semi three had heat winners Kayla White and TeeTee Terry, and they were close at the line, going 1-2 and both timed in 10.92 (+1.1), and then Tamari Davis at 10.96.
(World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who has a direct entry in the 2025 Worlds, skipped the semis after running a seasonal best of 11.07 in the heats. It came out today that Richardson was arrested for an altercation with Coleman on Sunday at SeaTac Airport; Coleman declined to press charges, but police charged her with 4th-degree assault after seeing security video of the incident.)
About 1:50 later, the men were in the blocks for the final – with 86 F temps – and McCallum reacted best, but Coleman and Lindsey got to the front with the field all close. But at 40 m, Bednarek cut in another gear and stormed to the line clearly in front in a lifetime best 9.79, no. no. 2 in the world for 2015 (+1.8) and equal-12th all-time!
The race behind him was fabulous, with Lindsey getting a lifetime best of 9.82, then McCallum at 9.83 (lifetime best) and Bromell at 9.84 … in fourth! Those times rank 2, equal-3rd, equal-5th and equal-7th in the world this season! Coleman ran 9.86 and was fifth, then Gleaton, equaling the U.S. prep record at 9.92! The top seven all ran 9.92 or faster. Wow.
The women’s final came 1:38 after the end of their semis, and while Hobbs had the best reaction, Jefferson-Wooden was gone and ran away from the field after 40 m and was unchallenged, setting a lifetime best and world-leading time of 10.65 (+0.4)!
She’s now equal-5th all-time and equal-third all-time U.S. with Marion Jones (1998) and Richardson (2023). White got a lifetime best of 10.84 to finish second (world no. 4), running just to Jefferson-Wooden’s right and Hobbs was third in 10.92. Terry (10.94), Davis (10.97) and Sears (11.00) followed and are likely on the plane in the relay pool for Tokyo.
Spectacular! There were other finals, of course:
● Men/Long Jump: Things got cooking when 2017 national champ Jarrion Lawson took the lead at 8.12 m (26-7 3/4), then Will Williams got out to a wind-aided 8.14 mw (26-8 1/2) in round four to take the lead.
Finally, Isaac Grimes, no. 21 in the World Athletics rankings, came through in round six and stole the event with a 8.15 m (26-9) jump, to win his first national title! None of the top three have the Worlds standard, but should be in the mix to get in depending on the other entries.
● Women/High Jump: Five cleared 1.88 m (6-2) and then the jumping really started. Only six-time U.S. outdoor champ Vashti Cunningham, 2024 Trials fifth-placer Sanaa Barnes and Emma Gates cleared 1.91 m (6-3 1/4) and then Gates missed three times at 1.94 m (6-4 1/4), while Cunningham cleared and Barnes got her second lifetime best of the day!
The bar went to 1.97 m (6-5 1/2), with Cunningham clearing for the win on her second try, with Barnes missing her attempts and settling for second. Cunningham also got the Worlds entry standard with her 1.97 clearance, equal-fifth in the world this season.
Both of the multi-events concluded with impressive wins for the top American stars:
● Men/Decathlon: Kyle Garland had made two U.S. World Championship teams, but did not have a national decathlon title … until today. Already leading after five events, he won the 110 m hurdles in 13.78, won the discus at 50.93 m (167-1), cleared 4.80 m (15-9) in the vault for fourth and won the javelin at 65.52 m (214-11). All that gave him a 8,277 to 7,694 lead over 2024 Olympic Trials winner Heath Baldwin going into the 1,500 m.
The final event went off in 87 F temperatures, and Garland sauntered through in 4:54.50 to score 8,869, a lifetime best (prior: 8,720 ‘22), and no. 2 in the world this year. He’s now no. 10 all-time in the event worldwide and no. 3 all-time U.S.
Baldwin held on for second at 8,407, followed by fellow Olympian Harrison Williams (8,223) and Austin West (8,162).
● Women/Heptathlon: The 2023 Worlds runner-up, Anna Hall, rolled through day two, second in the long jump (6.32 m/20-9) and first in the javelin (47.32 m/155-3), entering the 800 m with a 206-point lead on Paris Olympian Taliyah Brooks, 5,854 to 5,648.
Hall won the 800 m in 2:04.60 and finished with 6,899, her no. 3 score ever! Brooks finished 10th in the 800 m, but got a lifetime best, and met the Worlds qualifying standard at 6,526 in second; Allie Jones was third at 6,164.
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There were a limited number of preliminary events on Friday, with most of the favorites moving through, but some big names left out of the finals:
In the men’s 400 m, 2023 USATF champ Bryce Deadmon took the early lead, but was passed by world no. 2 Khaleb McRae on the turn. But Deadmon fought back on the straight and won in 44.34, and Demarius Smith passed McRae to get second, 44.45 to 44.47.
Two-time Olympic relay gold medalist Vernon Norwood got out quickly in semi two, but was passed by Florida’s Jenoah Mckiver. But Norwood came on in the straight to win in 44.78 to 44.92 for Mckiver and 45.06 for Will Sumner. Prep star Quincy Wilson, the world no. 4 at 44.10, was fourth in 45.39 and did not advance to the final.
Jacory Patterson, the World Indoor bronzer this year, was only fourth at 200 m in the third heat, but moved up on the turn and then passed World Indoor winner Chris Bailey on the straight to win in 44.63, with Bailey at 44.81. USC’s William Jones was third in 45.88.
In the men’s 800 m first semi, Paris Olympian Brandon Miller took the lead just after the bell and led down the backstraight, while 2019 World Champion Donavan Brazier – in a comeback year – moved from sixth to third. Miller was not headed and won in 1:44.25, with Brazier passing Isaiah Harris on the straight to get second in 1:44.39 to 1:44.53, a seasonal best for Harris.
The second semi had American Record holder Bryce Hoppel going for the lead after 200 m, leading at the bell and staying in front to win in 1:45.31, with national prep record-setter Cooper Lutkenhaus storming into second from fifth on the home straight in 1:45.57 – his second-fastest time ever – ahead of Tokyo Olympian Isaiah Jewett (1:45.62).
World Indoor champ Josh Hoey wanted to be in front and stay out of trouble in semi three and he did just that, leading from start to finish in 1:44.47. He was shadowed by Abe Alvarado for most of the race, until Northern Arizona’s Colin Sahlman grabbed second on the final straight, 1:44.80 – a lifetime best – to 1:45.11, but both advanced to the final.
In the women’s 400 m, two-time Olympian Quanera Hayes came off the turn and dueled down the straight with world no. 3 Aaliyah Butler and won at the line, 50.76 to 50.77, with Arkansas star Rosey Effiong a clear third in 51.01. In heat two, NCAA Indoor champ Bella Whittaker had control of the race from 200 m on and won in 50.07, with former Arkansas star Britton Wilson second in 50.25 – her fastest since 2023 – and World Indoor runner-up Alexis Holmes third in 50.42, making the final on time.
Heat three had Olympic 400 m hurdles star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and she was in front all the way, winning easily in 49.51, with Paris Olympian Lynna Irby-Jackson a decisive second in 50.59.
The loaded first semi of the women’s 800 m had Tokyo Olympic champ Athing Mu-Nikolayev, 2022 World Indoor champ Ajee Wilson and 2024 Trials winner Nia Akins all in, with BYU’s NCAA third-placer Meghan Hunter taking the bell at 57.39. Akins moved from fourth to second on the final turn, then surged home to win in 1:58.09. Wilson also jumped Hunter on the run-in to get second in 1:58.30, with Hunter at 1:58.42 and Mu-Nikolayev able to manage fourth in a seasonal best of 1:59.79, but did not make the final.
Tokyo Olympic bronzer – and Hayward Field favorite – Raevyn Rogers got out to the lead early and took the bell in 58.14, then was passed by Sage Hurta-Klecker on the backstraight. Rogers fought back and led into the final straight, but Hurta-Klecker and Maggi Congdon both passed her and went 1-2 in 1:58.40 and 1:58.42. Rogers was a strong third in 1:58.78 and made the final on time.
World no. 6 Addy Wiley was in semi three along with NCAA winner Roisin Willis, but Wiley and 2023 NCAA champ Michaela Rose led at the bell in 56.98 and 57.09. Willis was third by 600 m, then blew by everyone on the straight to win in 1:59.60, with Wiley at 1:59.71 and Skylyn Webb shooting up to third in 1:59.81 as Rose faded from third to sixth in 2:01.32.
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The Saturday schedule begins with the 20 km walks at 7 a.m. Pacific time, then field events at 11:20 and the running events at 11:22 a.m. The NBC television window begins at 1 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern) and continues to 3 p.m. on the network and then for another hour on Peacock.
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