STATEN ISLAND, New York — The premier event on the United States indoor track and field calendar returns to Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex this weekend as the USATF Indoor Championships bring a galaxy of top talents to compete for berths on Team USATF for the World Athletics Indoor Championships, as well as prize money and valuable rankings points.
Last year's meet saw an American indoor record in the men's 800 along with a Championships meet record in the men's 3000, and this year's lineup could produce even more record-setting performances.
Here's an event-by-event look at some of the top names scheduled to compete:
Women's 60
Losing out on the gold by a hairsbreadth last year, Jacious Sears returns to try and move atop the podium. Sears has the fastest time coming in at 7.03 and her PB of 7.02 makes her the No. 8 all-time U.S. performer. Last year at Tokyo she ran the leadoff leg on the Team USATF 4x100 in the heats, helping her squad to advance easily and earning a gold when the U.S. was victorious in the final. Her closest rivals on the entry list are relative unknowns Jaslyn Gardner, a 7.13 BYU grad who hasn't competed outside Utah this year, and Texas high school sensation Mia Maxwell. Maxwell set her PB of 7.20 to win the Millrose high school race. 2025 fourth place finisher Jada Mowatt and fifth-placer Semira Killebrew also return, with Olympians and Tokyo 200 finalists Anavia Battle and McKenzie Long stepping down to the shortest sprint.
Women's 400
After a World Indoor 4x400 relay gold and a sixth place finish in the 400 in 2025 Rosey Effiong has her eyes on a move up one step on the podium here. Effiong was the runner-up last year and leads the entries with a best of 51.88. That is less than a tenth ahead of her college teammate at Arkansas, Paris Peoples, who was a silver medalist at the World Relays last year and has run 51.95 so far in 2026. Bailey Lear, fourth the past two years at this meet, was on the 2025 World Indoor 4x400 gold medal team with Effiong and also earned silver in the event at the 2024 edition. One other veteran to watch for is Shamier Little, a two-time World Championships silver medalist in the 400 hurdles who is just as comfortable without the barriers. She earned gold on Team USATF in the 4x400 at the 2024 Olympics and silver in the mixed 4x400.
Women's 800
Get yourself a good seat for this one, because it will be a barnburner. Five women in the field have already cracked the 2:00 barrier this season and the meet record of 1:58.41 is under threat. That record was set 31 years ago by legendary Maria Mutola of Mozambique in the era when foreign athletes were allowed to compete in the U.S. indoor nationals. Coming off a fifth place finish at the World Championships last year, Sage Hurta-Klecker has continued her hot streak with an indoor PB of 1:58.78. She clocked an outdoor best of 1:55.89 at Tokyo to put her third on the U.S. all-time performer list and her indoor mark makes her No. 6 on that version. Valery Tobias was the runner-up in 2025 with a then-PB of 1:59.55 and she has trimmed .25 off that this season, while Olivia Baker notched a PB of 1:59.18 recently. The other two sub-2 entries are Heather MacLean, who was seventh in the 1500 at the World Indoors last year and has run 1:59.59, and former BYU star Meghan Hunter, who ran 1:59.70 in January. Other names of note? Surely we can't omit seven-time champion and American record holder Ajee' Wilson. Wilson was the 2022 World Indoor champ and has a best of 1:58.29 to go with an outdoor PB of 1:55.61 that was an American record at the time. Another Wilson, Allie, won in 2024 and is back to seek another title.
Women's 1500
One of the remarkable stories of the year, Elle St. Pierre gave birth to her second child last May and has already stormed back to the top of the ranks, not just nationally but on the global stage. St. Pierre opened with an 8:26.54 win in the 3000 at the New Balance GP and then bettered the American record in the 1500 with a 3:59.33 en route time at Boston University on Feb. 14, finishing first in the mile at 4:17.83. She has never won the metric mile at the USATF Indoors, but Nikki Hiltz certainly has. The last three times in a row Hiltz has crossed the line first, a feat that will make them tough for anyone to beat this time around. One of the savviest racers in the game, Hiltz was the silver medalist at the 2024 World Indoors, seventh at the Paris Games, and fifth at the 2025 World Championships. 2025 runner-up Sinclaire Johnson was sixth at the World Indoors and lowered her indoor PB to 4:01.30 this year, while Heather MacLean placed third last time around and is the holder of the ratified American indoor record at 3:59.60. Barring any argy bargy or a tactical affair, the meet record of 4:03.08 must be teetering on the brink.
Women's 3000
Maybe the stronger of St. Pierre's two events here, she holds the American indoor record of 8:20.87, set in winning the 2024 world title at Glasgow. That time also ranks her as the fourth fastest woman in history indoors. Her 8:26.54 in January puts her more than 10 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor on the entry list and only she knows how hard she will run given that it is the first race of her anticipated double. The top returnee from 2025 is Emily Mackay, who was fourth. Mackay was a World Indoor bronze medalist in the 1500 in 2024 and boasts a PB of 8:35.35 from last season. A two-time Olympian and thrice a World Championships competitor at 5000, Elise Cranny is another veteran racer and has an indoor PB of 8:29.87 from 2025.
Women's 60 Hurdles
Age clearly is of no consequence to Christina Clemons, who has enjoyed a very solid campaign thus far in 2025 at age 35. Clemons, seventh at the World Indoors last year, has a best of 7.82 and her PB of 7.73 makes her the sixth fastest American ever. She earned silver at the 2018 World Indoors and claimed her first international medal at the 2011 World University Games. Right on her heels is Alaysha Johnson, who raced extensively in Europe leading up to the Championships and had a best of 7.85 last week in Poland. Johnson was seventh in the 100H at the 2024 Olympics. Destiny Huven and Alia Armstrong are the two other women who have dipped under 8.00 this season. Huven set her PB of 7.96 at Arkansas in January, while Armstrong has run 7.97 and was fourth in the 100H at the 2022 World Championships. Last week's winner of the pentathlon at the USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships, Anna Hall, is also scheduled to run with an eye to improving her 8.19 season best.
Women's 5000 Race Walk
Lauren Harris is an exciting up-and-coming talent in the walks, setting a national record in the 10K walk in January and capturing the 20K title outdoors last summer with an American record. She will defend her title from last year against, among others, the winningest woman in the event's history at this meet, Maria Michta-Coffey. Michta-Coffey has 10 indoor golds on her award shelf and won her first in 2010. The 39-year-old won the USATF Mile Race Walk title at the Millrose Games and also took the inaugural Marathon Race Walk crown earlier this year. Another youngster who could contend for the podium is Ruby Ray, who was fifth last year at age 20.
Women's High Jump
Undefeated at this meet since she was a teen in 2016, Vashti Cunningham is the undisputed current queen of American high jumping. She has nine straight victories, an indoor PB of 2.00/6-6.75 that puts her third on the all-time U.S. performer list, and was the World Indoor champion at age 18 in 2016. Cunningham has not yet competed this year and she goes up against the woman she beat on countback in 2025, Charity Hufnagel. Hufnagel has three straight European wins in 2026 and upped her PB to 1.96/6-5 at Madrid on Feb. 6. She was fifth at the 2025 World Indoors and won the 2023 NCAA outdoor title. 2025 World Championships qualifier Sanaa Barnes and multi-talented Anna Hall are also contenders for the podium, but take notice of 39-year-old Inika McPherson, still competitive and the winner of the 2013 and 2014 crowns.
Women's Pole Vault
2025 runner-up Gabriela Leon, fifth at the World Indoors last year, is the top returnee in a wide-open field. Leon has a PB of 4.70/15-5 that earned her bronze in 2024 and has cleared 4.60/15-1 this year. Topping the entry list at 4.63/15-2.25 is Emily Grove, who was ninth at the World Indoors behind Leon. 2024 NCAA champion Chloe Timberg was fourth here last year and has a PB of 4.72/15-5.75. She is fresh off a swing through France where she had four solid competitions.
Women's Long Jump
All three medalists from last year return to duke it out again for bragging rights. Claire Bryant was the runner-up at this meet but then had a stellar performance to capture World Indoor gold in Nanjing with a huge 6.96/22-10 PB leap that moved her to No. 7 on the all-time U.S. indoor performer list. Defending champion Monae' Nichols was the World Indoor silver medalist in 2024 and has a best of 6.85/22-5.75 this year, while Jasmine Moore leads the entries at 6.86/22-6.25. Moore, third in 2025, famously earned bronze in the long jump and triple jump at Paris in 2024, the first American woman to do that at the Olympic Games.
Women's Triple Jump
Defending champion and American record holder Jasmine Moore has the top five and seven of the top 10 all-time U.S. indoor performances... but doesn't lead the entry list. That honor goes to Agur Dwol, an emerging talent who won the 2025 NCAA indoor title for Oklahoma and who has bounded 14.28/46-10.25 this season. Dwol's mark makes her the No. 4 all-time American performer. Moore has a best of 14.21/46-7.5 and is a clutch competitor. Another newish talent to watch is former Oregon Duck Ryann Porter, who has spanned a PB of 13.94/45-9 in 2026.
Women's Shot Put
American record holder Chase Jackson has won the last three in a row and five of the past six USATF Indoor golds, compiling an impressive record of big throws. Her AR of 20.24/66-5 added three centimeters to Michelle Carter's existing record, and Jackson has seven of the 10 farthest throws in U.S. history. That being said, she has had a very brief indoor season thus far – one meet, a third place throw of 18.94/62-1.75 in Germany. That opened the door for Abria Smith to claim the best entry mark at 19.19/62-11.5, thrown at a January meet at Illinois. Smith was the World University Games silver medalist last year. Jessica Ramsey, third last year, and Adelaide Aquilla, who was fifth, are strong contenders for podium spots, as is Jaida Ross, who was fourth at the 2024 Olympics and fifth at last year's World Championships. Ross has an outdoor PB of 20.13/66-0.5 but hasn't yet cracked 19m indoors.
Women's Weight Throw
A very small field of four should be dominated by Jalani Davis. Davis was third last year but has improved significantly to 25.47/83-6.75 and jumped up to No. 8 on the all-time U.S. performer list. No other entrant is within two meters of that mark.