by Lia Skoufos, MS
This article is part of a USATF Campus exclusive series to analyze the USATF Individual Tour standings – taking a deep dive into how the overall winners got it done. For more information about the USATF Tour, click here.
The USATF Tour is a collection of domestic track and field competitions that takes athletes around the country, spanning a total of ten states and sixteen meets. Each of these competitions are also part of the World Athletics Continental Tour – meaning they hold either Gold (A), Silver (B), or Bronze (C) labels – providing valuable prize money and World Athletics Rankings points. The 2026 USATF Tour will crown one male and one female athlete as the USATF Individual Tour Champions, each winning a $50,000 grand prize. So far, 14 of the 16 meets have been contested, with a total of 322 male and 316 female U.S. athletes having already competed.
There are three criteria for winning the USATF Individual Tour:
The first two requirements are quite straightforward: compete at least three times and represent the USA. The third is where the math comes in and has a couple of stipulations. If an athlete competes in multiple events or multiple rounds at one meet, only their highest score from that meet can count as one of their top three performances. For example, if an athlete runs both the 100m and 200m at the same meet, only the best score between the two can count towards the USATF Individual Tour standings. However, Results Scores can come from different events, so that same 100m/200m athlete can compete in both 100m and 200m races throughout the season to try to optimize their top three average score as long as they compete in at least three separate meets. In the case of a tie, the grand prize will go to the athlete with the single highest Results Score at a Tour meet. Results Scores are calculated via the World Athletics Scoring Tables, where each mark corresponds to a score from 0-1400. The only potential modifiers to the published point totals are for net downhill road races or for sprinting/jumping events with wind assistance.
With all the rules in mind, we can dive into the details about athletes in contention to win the USATF Individual Tour. On the women’s side, despite there being two more meets on the Tour, the title has been all but determined. Valarie Sion has competed three times on the Tour, boasting a substantial lead over any other athlete who is not mathematically eliminated. Her 73.10m throw at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational is worth 1313 points according to the World Athletics Scoring Tables, making it the highest single Results Score of any performance on the Tour, and the highest score of any female athlete this year in any competition. This mark, paired with her 70.29m at the Iron Wood Classic (1261 points) and her 69.15m at the USATF LA Grand Prix (1240 points), equates to an average of 1271 points. Sion is at the top of a podium potentially swept by throwers, with Rachel Richeson and Brooke Andersen being the next two athletes with at least three performances on the Tour. Richeson threw two personal bests this season on the Tour, with her third best mark on the Tour being her fourth best result of all time. Her top marks were 79.33m, 78.95m, and 78.30m, for an average of 1237 points, and some of the best throws in history. Richeson’s 79.33m at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix made her the sixth best hammer thrower of all time and the third best American. Brooke Andersen, however, is the fourth best hammer thrower of all time and the second best American and tentatively rounds out the podium – also boasting a competition over the 79m barrier in her win at the USATF LA Grand Prix. With four competitions on the Tour, Andersen’s average Results Score sits at 1220 points. Only one meet could potentially change this podium: The Ed Murphey Classic. Pending the women’s shot put, 100m, and 200m, athletes like Chase Jackson or Kayla White could earn their third Results Scores. But without competing a third time, both athletes would fail to meet the minimum requirement to win the USATF Individual Tour.
In contrast to the women’s standings, the men’s competition will come down to the wire at the Ed Murphey Classic, where the 110m hurdles and shot put are among the events contested. The top three athletes with at least three performances on the Tour are 110m hurdlers Jamal Britt and Jamar Marshall and shot putter Roger Steen. Jamal Britt has run 19 races this outdoor season, 3 of which were on the Tour including the 116th Drake Relays, the Miramar Invitational, and the USATF LA Grand Prix. As the season has progressed, his times have dropped significantly. With a 13.07 at the Miramar Invitational and a 12.99 at the USATF LA Grand Prix, Britt scored 1241 and 1256 points, respectively. Potentially holding him back is his third mark: a 13.22 from the 116th Drake Relays, scoring 1214 points. While it was enough to win that race, Britt is certainly interested in hitting a mark closer to his 12.86 from the 51st Prefontaine Classic. Worth 1282 points, a repeat of his most recent performance would hypothetically bring Britt’s average from 1237 to 1259 points and essentially make him the inevitable winner of the $50,000 prize. Jamar Marshall’s top three competitions on the Tour show a smaller range than Britt’s, with scores of 1247, 1223, and 1216 points. He could still stand to improve to the lead position if the conditions are correct. If Britt is unable to improve, Marshall would have to run a wind-legal 13.06 to claim the USATF Individual Tour championship. Marshall’s personal best of 13.04 is from the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix last month, so he isn’t out of the conversation. Rounding out the potential podium and looking to capitalize on Britt potentially not improving his score is Roger Steen, who has competed on the Tour three times this season. Steen’s highlights include a 21.93m to win the 116th Drake Relays (1236 points) and a 21.77m to win the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational (1227 points). Despite consistency on his side, Steen would still need to throw 22.14m in the shot put at the Ed Murphey Classic to win the USATF Individual Tour, which would be a personal best by 3 centimeters. Looking to join this conversation is Jordan Geist, perhaps the most likely challenger to Britt for the grand prize. Geist has competed twice on the Tour so far and is slated to utilize the final three meets hosting a men’s shot put as his three competitions. Beginning his Tour campaign at the USATF LA Grand Prix on June 14, Geist’s first score came on the same day that Britt became eligible to win the USATF Individual Tour. With a 21.76m throw for 1226 points, Geist took second place in the shot put that day. The next weekend at the Iron Wood Classic, Geist threw 22.24m – 1 centimeter shy of his personal best – to score 1255 points. Currently, his two marks have a higher average score than Britt’s three. Should Britt not improve at the Ed Murphey Classic, Geist would need to throw 21.84m – a mark he has surpassed four times this season – to win the $50,000. However, Britt not improving is a big “if.” Even if Geist throws 22 meters on the dot, Britt will only need to run 13.15 to win the USATF Individual Tour. If Geist duplicates his 22.24m throw from Iron Wood, Britt will need to run 13.08 to win. As an added layer of suspense, if the wind reading in the 110m hurdles exceeds +2.0 m/s, Britt’s 13.08 in this hypothetical situation becomes 13.02 – which is significant over such a short distance. To experiment with the possibilities for the USATF Individual Tour winner, click here. With the men’s Individual Tour championship still up for grabs, all eyes should certainly be on the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, TN on July 10.
Lia Skoufos is a Sports Scientist at USATF specializing in throwing events. She holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Chicago and MS in Sport and Exercise Analytics from Marquette University and supports a range of analytics-based projects at USATF. In addition to her work with the throws group, she focuses on creating data-driven visuals and bridging the gap between technical analytics and practical applications by translating complex information into clear, actionable insights for coaches, athletes, and all USATF Campus members.