STATEN ISLAND, New York – Middle distance magic was in evidence Sunday on the final day of the USATF Indoor Championships presented by Prevagen as an American record in the men's 800 and a pair of thrilling 1500 races amped up a capacity crowd at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.
The greatest indoor American men's 800 ever produced a stunning national record and three sub-1:45 clockings as Josh Hoey powered to a 1:43.24 that was the second fastest time ever and chopped .66 seconds off the American record he set two weeks ago at the Millrose Games. Behind him, Brandon Miller moved to No. 4 on the U.S. all-time performer list with a PB 1:44.26, and Wes Ferguson took over the No. 6 slot on that list with a PB run of 1:44.92.
Hoey, who already had American record runs in the 800 and 1000 this season, went to the front of the pack right away and hit 200 at 24.73. He went by the halfway mark in 50.36 with Miller a step behind, and was at 1:16.70 at the bell. A 26.54 final 200 put Hoey more than a second up on Miller at the finish, and Ferguson had the speediest final circuit with a 26.10 that sealed the bronze. Only Denmark's WIlson Kipketer, the world record holder at 1:42.67 from 1997, has ever run faster indoors than Hoey.
Indomitable in the distances this weekend, last night's 3000 champion Nikki Hiltz won a third straight U.S. indoor 1500 gold, outkicking a strong field to finish in a season best 4:05.76. Sinclaire Johnson's indoor PB of 4:06.05 gave her the silver, with Heather MacLean taking bronze in 4:06.69, also a season best. Hiltz led at the 800 mark in 2:16.32 and then started to turn up the pace, closing with a 58.62 final 400 to stave off her challengers.
Cranking out a 53.74 final 400, Hobbs Kessler completed the men's distance double with a 3:38.82 to take the 1500 after winning the 3000 in meet record time last night. Kessler is the first man since Paul Chelimo in 2018 to take the 1500/3000 double at the indoor championships. Taking the lead through 400 in 59.11, Kessler never really lost his top spot, going 2:01.34 through 800 and 2:58.72 through 1200. Sam Prakel was stalking him and was very close until Kessler eased away over the last 200. Prakel took silver in 3:39.14, and Luke Houser was the bronze medalist in 3:39.27.
A rapid early pace saw Valery Tobias leading a tight pack of six in the women's 800, and the field passed 200 in just over 28 seconds. Tobias started to pull away in the second circuit, going by the 400 mark with a half-second lead in 59.31, but Kaela Edwards and Nia Akins started to reel her back in over the third lap. At the bell in 1:29.31, Tobias had Akins right on her heels, and the 2023 champion had the fastest finish, using a 29.45 final 200 to finish in 1:59.31, a lifetime best that made Akins the No. 10 all-time U.S. indoor performer. Tobias cracked two minutes, too, notching a PB of 1:59.55 for silver, and Sage Hurta-Klecker was third in 2:00.13, an indoor PB.
Defending champion and meet record holder Alexis Holmes led from gun to tape in the women's 400, speeding to a 50.51 season best to win by almost a second. Rosey Effiong, an Arkansas redshirt, earned silver in 51.43, while Quanera Hayes was the bronze medalist in 51.47. Holmes and Hayes were gold medal teammates on the 4x400 relay at the Olympic Games last summer at Paris.
World leader Chris Bailey, a 4x400 relay gold medalist at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, stamped his authority in the men's 400 with a convincing 45.21 victory that put him .39 ahead of silver medalist Jacory Patterson. Going through the bell in third, Bailey started to ease past the easy leaders and slingshotted off the final bend to win, and Elija Godwin held on for bronze in 46.09.
Rachel Richeson came into the meet with the best throw in the world in 2025, and she yielded no ground on the way to her first national title in the women's 20-pound weight throw as she hit 25.17/82-7 in round five and improved to 25.26/82-10.5 on her final attempt. Erin Reese, last year's champion, grabbed the silver in round six with a 24.91/81-8.75, and Jalani Davis took bronze at 24.80/81-4.5.
Ronnie Baker, the 2018 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist, last won an indoor U.S. sprint gold in 2017, and eight years later he mounted the podium again with a 6.52 win in the men's 60. Baker pulled clear of silver medalist Coby Hilton and bronze medalist Emmanuel Wells in the closing stages, winning by .06. The women's 60 final was almost a dead heat with only .003 separating the top two finishers, and it was Celera Barnes who took the gold in 7.11 (7.104) over Jacious Sears (7.107).
A topsy-turvy men's long jump was up for grabs until the fifth round when 2023 champion Will Williams closed the door on the field with an 8.16/26-9.25 leap that regained him the crown he wore two years ago. At one point in the competition three men sported bests of 8.00/26-3, but the final rounds created some separation and Cameron Crump broke through with an 8.04/26-4.5 to earn silver ahead of bronze medalist Marquis Dendy, who sailed 8.01/26-3.5 on his fifth try.
Using a final round season best toss of 21.50/70-6.5, Tripp Piperi nabbed his first U.S. indoor gold in the men's shot put, going past Roger Steen on his last attempt to relegate Steen to silver at 21.28/69-9.75. 2022 World Championships bronze medalist Josh Awotunde claimed the bronze here, too, with a season best of 21.05/69-0.75.
One crucial miss by Charity Hufnagel at the winning height in the women's high jump made all the difference for Vashti Cunningham, who soared over 1.94/6-4.25 on her first try to extend her streak of U.S. indoor national titles to nine. Hufnagel, who equaled her personal best, needed two tries at that height, and ended up second after both women missed on three attempts at 1.97/6-5.5. Vernon Turner won the men's high jump at 2.25/7-4.5, his first national indoor crown, with Eli Kosiba finishing as runner-up at 2.22/7-3.25.
A steady second day carried Kyle Garland to his first U.S. indoor title in the men's heptathlon, scoring 6,139 points to win by 128 over Hakim McMorris, with Aidan Ouimet placing third with 6,006. Garland led by almost 300 points after the first day's four events, and he used an 8.06 in the 60H, a 4.65/15-3 clearance in the pole vault, and a 2:51.16 in the 1000 to come away with gold.
Olympic bronze medalist Jasmine Moore won the women's triple jump easily, putting almost a foot on her nearest challenger with a 13.90/45-7.25 in round three, the best jump by an American this year. Mylana Hearn was the silver medalist with a season best of 13.60/44-7.5.
A full list of results can be found here.