EUGENE, Oregon – A world-leading performance in the women's long jump and a pair of sprint finishes in the men's and women's 10,000s highlighted the opening day of the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Needing a legal jump on her third attempt to earn a final three tries in the long jump, Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall nailed it with a 6.92/22-8.5 that elevated her to second overall. From there it was only up and out for the crowd favorite. Davis-Woodhall improved to a world-leading 7.11/23-4 on her next jump, and added one centimeter to that on her fifth try, leaping a winning 7.12/23-4.5 to claim her third straight U.S. gold. World indoor champion Claire Bryant had the lead at the halfway point with a barely wind-aided 6.97/22-10.5 and that held up for silver, with Quanesha Burks earning bronze at 6.90/22-7.75. Burks took the medal over Alyssa Jones, who scored a lifetime best on her final attempt, on the basis of a better secondary mark.
American record holder DeAnna Price was dominant in the women's hammer throw, capping off her series with a season best of 78.53/257-7. Only she and two other Americans have ever thrown that far, and Price backed it up with a 78.33/257-0 on her opening effort as she won her fourth U.S. gold. 2022 world champion Brook Andersen earned silver at 75.14/246-6, and Rachel Richeson bronze at 74.57/244-8.
Winning his third straight USATF men's javelin title and his fifth overall, Curtis Thompson put together a stellar series with four throws beyond 80 meters, topped by an 83.89/275-2 in the fourth round. All five of Thompson's legal throws were good enough to win as competitors had to navigate a difficult head wind. Dash Sirmon nabbed the runner-up spot on his final attempt, hitting 77.28/253-6, with Marc Anthony Minichello placing third at 76.81/252-0.
Fresh off a silver medal at the World University Games, Evie Bliss won her first national title in the women's javelin with a best of 57.77/189-6. Madison Wiltrout took an early lead with her 55.33/182-2 and improved to 55.88/183-4 on her next attempt before closing out with a 56.46/185-3 to earn silver ahead of Sarah Blake's season best 55.80/183-1 for bronze.
For the past four years Rudy Winkler and Daniel Haugh have traded spots atop the podium in the men's hammer, and this year the title went back to American record holder Winkler. Recording his fourth farthest throw ever with an 81.47/267-3 in round two, Winkler put together a series with four attempts beyond 80 meters to earn his fifth career U.S. title in the event. Trey Knight blasted a big lifetime best on his final throw, going 78.76/258-5 for silver, and Haugh secured bronze at 77.28/253-6.
Using a 65.51 final lap, Emily Infeld sprinted away from the lead group in the women's 10,000 to win her first national title on the track, breaking the tape in 31:43.56. 2023 champion Elise Cranny took the runner-up spot in 31:44.24, and Taylor Roe secured the bronze in 31:45.41. Facing very warm temperatures, the early pace was quite conservative. Cranny paced the field through 3000 in 10:06.18 and 5000 in 16:21.52, and held the front position until Roe took over with 2km to go. At the bell, defending champion Weini Kelati was at the fore, but Cranny and Infeld passed her with 200 remaining and Roe eased past her on the homestretch.
As could have been predicted, the men's 10,000 also came down to a speedy final lap, and Nico Young had the better finishing kick to take gold in 29:02.12, his first U.S. crown. Young outsprinted Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher down the stretch, leaving Fisher with silver in 29:02.37, while Graham Blanks earned bronze in 29:03.66. A pedestrian early tempo saw the field just under 15:00 at 5000 and the fireworks didn't start until a group of five men started to break away in the final kilometer. Ripping a sub-4:00 final mile, Young used a 56.54 final circuit to grab the win.
A marvelous set of events on the first day of the men's decathlon produced the fourth-highest day one score ever for Kyle Garland, who tallied 4,714 points. Garland was second in the 100 at 10.44 and then won the long jump at 7.89/25-10.75, the shot put with a lifetime best of 16.95/55-7.5, and the high jump at 2.14/7-0.25. His 49.29 in the 400 polished off the best day of his career and put him 337 points ahead of reigning champion Heath Baldwin. Only Dan O'Brien (4,747), Canada's Damian Warner (4,743), and Oregon legend Ashton Eaton (4,728) ever had higher first day totals.
Also holding a commanding lead in the combined events, three-time defending national champion Anna Hall put together a 4,097-point first day in the women's heptathlon to put her 199 up on Taliyah Brooks, Hall clocked 13.12 in the 100 hurdles before sailing over 1.90/6-2.75 in the high jump. A lifetime best of 15.02/49-3.5 in the shot put was also the top mark overall, and she finished the day with a 23.56 in the 200. Brooks tallied 3,898 aided by a 13.02 in the 100H.
Starting his quest for a fourth straight USATF crown, last year's world indoor champion and holder of the American record, Bryce Hoppel, led all qualifiers for the semifinal in the men's 800, winning heat one in 1:45.69. Sage Hurta-Klecker was the only woman to dip under 2:00 in the prelims, running 1:59.28 to win heat three. Athing Mu-Nikolayev, the American record holder and 2021 Olympic champion, had a season best of 2:00.06 to take heat two.
Swirling winds were no hindrance for women in the 100 prelims, where six competitors broke 11 seconds. Jacious Sears had a generous +3.2 breeze in the final heat that carried her to a 10.85w, the fastest overall time, while 2022 champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden overcame a -1.5 wind to clock 10.86. Kayla White notched the only lifetime best with a 10.89 to take the first heat. Two-time Olympic Games 200 silver medalist Kenny Bednarek cruised to the only sub-10 clocking in the men's 100 prelims, going 9.95 to win heat two. Reigning Olympic and world champion Noah Lyles also easily advanced with a 10.05 to win heat three.
Unprecedented fast running in the men's 1500 heats saw the slowest qualifier to the final run 3:34.64 as Olympic champion Cole Hocker and bronze medalist Yared Nuguse led all advancers in 3:32.57 and 3:32.66, respectively. Eric Holt also dipped under 3:33 with a lifetime best of 3:32.95 to move on. Emily Mackay was the fastest qualifier in the women's 1500, winning the final heat in 4:04.23, while two-time defending champion Nikki Hiltz was also an easy heat winner in 4:05.99.
Angelina Napoleon led five women across the finish line in the space of one second in heat two of the women's 3000 steeplechase, winning in 9:30.44 for the fastest time overall. BYU's Lexy Halladay-Lowry pipped 2024 Olympic Trials winner Val Constien for the win in heat one at 9:37.53. Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Rooks had the fastest time in the men's steeplechase heats, winning the second section in 8:21.35 to hold off Daniel Michalski, who was second in 8:21.39. Matthew Wilkinson was the first heat winner in 8:22.42.
Full results are here.