EUGENE, Oregon — On a night that was almost perfect for distance running, four of Team USATF’s entrants from the 2020 Olympic Games secured their berths for the World Athletics Outdoor Championships that will be held at Hayward Field in July for the first time ever on U.S. soil as the USATF 10,000m Championships highlighted the first night of the Nike Prefontaine Classic. Tokyo teammates Alicia Monson (Longmont, Colorado/USATF Colorado) and Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa/USATF Oregon) surged away from the field over the final four kilometers of the women’s race before Schweizer made a decisive move with 190m remaining and held on to win in 30:49.56, the ninth-fastest time in U.S. history. Monson gamely tried to respond to Schweizer’s kick down the stretch but couldn’t match her speed and finished second in a lifetime best of 30:51.09. With her time, Monson took over the No. 6 spot on the all-time U.S. performer list. Natosha Rogers (Denver, Colorado/USATF Michigan) and Emily Infeld (Portland, Oregon/USATF Oregon) were side-by-side coming off the final bend and Rogers gritted it out to edge ahead in the last 10 meters and secure the third World Championships berth. Rogers crossed the line in 31:29.80, with Infeld a heartbreaking fourth in 31:30.04. The early pace was moderate behind Emily Durgin (Flagstaff, Arizona/USATF Arizona), who led the field past the first five kilometer checkpoints, going through 3km in 9:25.32 and 5km in 15:50.43. Tucked in behind her for the first third of the race, Weini Kelati (Flagstaff, Arizona/USATF Arizona), Schweizer, Stephanie Bruce (Flagstaff, Arizona/USATF Arizona) and Monson settled in, with Rogers and Ednah Kurgat (Colorado Springs, Colorado/USATF Colorado) jockeying for position. Hitting 6km in 18:58.65, Monson surged to the lead ahead of Schweizer, Kelati, Rogers and Infeld, and a 71.62 lap from Monson and Schweizer opened up a 10m gap on the chase pack. From there, Monson and Schweizer cranked up the tempo over the earlier pace and pulled away from everyone to set up the duel for the title. The lead duo went 68.23 on the penultimate lap and dropped it to 64.14 on the final circuit. Joe Klecker (Boulder, Colorado/USATF Colorado) used a blazing 54.81 final 400m to hold off fellow Olympian Grant Fisher (Portland, Oregon/USATF Oregon) and win his first U.S. title under the bright lights of Hayward Field in 28:28.71. Fisher would settle for a close second in 28:28.81, securing his second global 10,000m team in as many years and a third straight second place finish at the U.S. championships. The race for the final World Championships spot was won by Sean McGorty (Beaverton, Oregon/USATF Oregon), who sat in sixth coming off the final turn but used an impressive kick to pass Lopez Lomong (Apo, Oregon/USATF Oregon), Dillon Maggard (Logan, Utah/USATF Pacific Northwest), and a drifting Emmanuel Bor (Colorado Springs, Colorado/USATF Colorado) over the final 100 meters and finish third in 28:29.57. The early pace was conservative, with Bor leading the pack through 5,000m in 14:31.27 and nearly the entire field still attached. Not long after the 5k mark, 2021 U.S. champion Woody Kincaid (Portland, Oregon/USATF Oregon) began to grimace and drift behind the lead group, dropping out 200 meters later. Otherwise, all the pre-race favorites remained in the race, with Klecker, Fisher, Maggard, Lomong, and Conner Mantz (Smithfield, Utah/USATF Utah) all staying in the top pack throughout. With just over 500 meters remaining, Klecker surged to take the lead, opening up the race and separating from everyone but Fisher and Bor. Klecker and Fisher ran shoulder-to-shoulder over the final 100 meters, but Klecker would not be denied, holding his lead and letting out a triumphant scream as he crossed the finish line. Behind him, a struggling Bor tried desperately to hold off a fast-charging McGorty, resulting in Bor falling just meters before the line and being passed by the entire lead pack, finishing 8th in 28:32.90. With his third place finish, McGorty makes his first U.S. team and will join Klecker and Fisher at the World Championships in July. Fans can find a full list of results here. Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.