INDIANAPOLIS — Defending champions Nick Christie and Miranda Melville and American women's record holder Robyn Stevens highlight strong fields for the USATF 35km Race Walk Championships, scheduled for Sunday, January 15, in the Santee Trolley Square in Santee, California. Christie, who set the men's American record of 2:38:16 at the 2021 Irish Championships in Dublin, won last year's USATF title at Santee by almost 11 minutes with a 2:48:48 clocking. He finished second in December at the Irish Championships and was a World Championships qualifier in the 20km and 35km walks last summer at Eugene. Led by runner-up Dan Nehnevaj, the six men who finished behind Christie in 2022 are also back, along with Anthony Gruttadauro, who has the second-fastest entry mark at 2:53:02. Gruttadauro set that mark en route to finishing second behind Christie at the 2021 USATF 50km Race Walk Championships. Nehnevaj is the only other man to have dipped under 3:00 with his 2:59:22 at last year's Championships, and he represented Team USATF in the 20km event at the 2022 World Championships. Former American record holder Melville set that record of 3:00:19 in winning the 2022 title by 1:36 over Stephanie Casey. She competed in the 20km and 35km walks at the World Championships in Eugene after also capturing the USATF 20km crown in April. The woman who took Melville's record, Robyn Stevens, brings in a best of 2:49:29 that she set in placing fifth at the prestigious Dudince, Slovakia, event last April. On her way to that record at Dudince, Stevens also smashed existing ARs at 25km and 30km, and she was the highest-placing American woman in the 20km event at the World Championships. Runner-up at the USATF Championships, Casey followed up with a lifetime best of 3:00:54 to take 24th at the World Championships. That made her the second-highest placing American woman behind Maria Michta-Coffey, who was 22nd with a big lifetime best of 2:58:51. Michta-Coffey has won 20 national crowns in her storied career and was an Olympian in 2012 and 2016 at the 20km distance. She has also represented Team USATF at six straight World Championships from 2011-2022. Subject to USATF, World Athletics, and Pan American Games team selection procedures and qualifying protocols, U.S. men and women who establish a place finish at this event may qualify for the 35km Race Walks at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, August 19-27, 2023, and Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, October 29 – November 5, which will include a new 35km mixed team race walk event. USATF will not send a team to the Pan American Race Walking Cup in Managua, Nicaragua in April. All USATF team selection procedures can be found here. Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.