Presenting the 2024 Mercanator Awards!
With the 2024 season now in the rear view mirror, it’s time to officially close out the year with the annual Mercanator Awards for the top performers and performances of the year.
This year, our site covered meets at the University of Washington, as well as meets in Tacoma/University Place, Boston, Spokane, Tucson, Boulder, Colfax, Portland, Eugene, Bellingham, and Madison, Wisconsin.
With the University of Washington now a member of the Big Ten Conference, the site felt that it was important to cover the Huskies' first ever championship appearance, so we traveled to Champaign, Illinois for the conference's cross country championship on November 1st, with the four newest members--Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA in the field.
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And now, the 2024 Mercanators!
Here are the disclaimers: Mercanator Awards are limited to athletes who have affiliations with the state of Washington—either they were born in this state, trained for a significant time, currently reside in the state or attend(ed) school in the state. Also, not all event categories from previous editions were awarded...publisher's decision.
With the World Athletics (formerly IAAF) rankings now a standard part of the qualifying process to the world championships in September in Tokyo, the two numbers next to an athlete's name signifies their world event ranking in 2024, followed by the number of points accumulated.
The baseline for athletes to be considered for the top performer in their event category and the Mercanator Award is a world ranking in the top 100, AND a world ranking score of at least 1000 points (the exception in 2024 was in the marathon and half-marathon, where a ranking of 125 and 1100 was the baseline).
For a thorough explanation on how the World Athletics event rankings work, here's a link. The World Athletics rankings used for the purposes of the Mercanators were released on December 24, 2024, the penultimate Tuesday of the year (we will revise the rankings should a change happen on December 31st, the final Tuesday of 2024)
World Athletics releases its world rankings every Tuesday.
WOMEN:
Top Performer--MIDDLE DISTANCE (800-1500)
Six women received consideration for the top performer in the middle distance group: Nia Akins (15, 1297) of the Brooks Beasts, Washington's Carley Thomas (50, 1222) and Wilma Nielsen (76 1193) in the 800; and Washington alum Eleanor Fulton (70, 1183), current Huskies Sophie O’Sullivan (73, 1175) and Wilma Nielsen (93 1161) in the 1500.
Nielsen is the only newcomer in the group, as the others have received consideration in the last two seasons.
Despite a post-Olympic performance drop-off partly due to her decision to leave the Brooks Beasts for a new training situation, Nia Akins gets the nod.
Akins won the US Olympic Trials, and advanced to the semifinals of the Olympics, where she finished third, one position out of a spot in the finals. In that race, she ran 1:58.20 to get the world championship standard.
In addition to Akins, O'Sullivan has the world championships qualifier for Tokyo, when she ran 4:00.23 in the first round of the 1500 at the Olympics, finishing seventh.
Top Performer--DISTANCE (3000 steeple-marathon)
This was the toughest group to give the top performer to.
In the steeplechase alone (note we moved this group to the distance; in 2023, they were in the middle distance category), there were five women under consideration: Woodinville native Olivia Markezich (17, 1277), former Seattle Pacific standout Kaylee Mitchell (24, 1243), Pasco native Marisa Howard (40, 1215), former Brooks Beast Allie Ostrander (43, 1214), and current Beast and Washington alum Kayley DeLay (68, 1170).
In the 5000m, Washington alum Izzi Batt-Doyle (37, 1231), Allie Buchalski of the Brooks Beasts (54, 1190), Washington alum Amy-Eloise Neale (75, 1161), and Lake Stevens native Taylor Roe (89, 1153) received consideration.
In the 10000m, former Brooks Beast and Olympic team alternate in both this event and the marathon Jessica McClain (37, 1190) received consideration.
McClain (149, 1207), along with Batt-Doyle (88, 1245) and last year's top performer in this event category, Washington alum Lindsay Flanagan (131, 1211) all received consideration from this event group.
From this group, arguments could be made for Markezich for running three times under 9:20 in the steeple; Howard for coming through in the meet that counted, where she ran 9:07.14 in perhaps the greatest women's steeplechase race in American history to get the third and final spot on the Olympic team at the Olympic Trials in Eugene; and Batt-Doyle for dropping down and qualifying for the Australian Olympic team in the 5000 after getting bypassed in the marathon, then coming back to run the third fastest mark in the marathon a few weeks ago in Valencia.
In the end, I went with Batt-Doyle, just for the fact that she ran world class marks in two distinctly different events, the 5000 and the marathon in 2024, though an argument could be made for Howard before Batt-Doyle's performance in Valencia.
Batt-Doyle's time of 2:22:59 in Valencia is under the world championships standard of 2:23:30.
Top Performer--HURDLES (100/400H)
In this category, Washington State's Maribel Caicedo (22, 1275), former Coug Charisma Taylor (24, 1273), and Coug Michaela De Mello (66, 1207) in the 100 hurdles, along with Washington alum Gianna Woodruff in the 400 hurdles (56, 1184) were the women receiving consideration for the Mercanator in this category.
Long time Mercanator top performer in the hurdles Gianna Woodruff, who has had a stranglehold on this event category since the 2017 season, finally gets knocked off of the perch by Maribel Caicedo, based on six marks under 12.70 seconds, including a Ecuadorian national record 12.49 at the NCAA West Regionals.
Caicedo also finished second at the NCAA championships in Eugene, and advanced to the semifinals at the Olympics.
Caicedo (12.67) and Taylor (12.63) both are under the Tokyo world championships standard of 12.73.
Top Performer--POLE VAULT
Moon, who has been the dominant figure worldwide in this event over the last four years, gets the nod here based on another podium finish at the Olympics, despite fighting through a series of injuries that slowed her down in 2024.
The former Pullman resident has an automatic bye into the world championships as the defending world champ from Budapest 2023.
Top Performer--OTHER EVENTS
Emerald Ridge HS standout JaiCieonna Gero-Holt (83,1105), who finished sixth at the US Olympic Trials in the high jump, and set a personal best of 6-2.25 (1.89m), the fifth best mark in the country this season, along with former Washington State All-American Charisma Taylor (17, 1206), who made the finals in the triple jump at the world indoor championships in Glasgow where she set a season best of 46-3.5 (14.11m), and finished ninth in her flight at the Olympics, were the only others with Washington ties to rank in the top 100 in their events, so they receive top performer designations.
As a side note, Vancouver native Kara Winger had the 19th best mark in the world in 2024, throwing the javelin 207-5 (63.22m) at the USATF New York Grand Prix, and finished second at the US Olympic Trials with a throw of 206-6 (62.94m).
However, Winger, who came out of retirement in June in an attempt to make her fifth Olympic team, did not accumulate enough world ranking points and compete in enough meets for eligibility.
(the only changes in the world rankings between December 24th and December 31st in the women's rankings came in the 5000 and 10000, where the order of several athletes who were tied with the same number of world ranking points was changed, which in our opinion, was not significant).
MEN
Top Performer--MIDDLE DISTANCE (800-1500)
In the 800 meters, four men received consideration: US Olympian Brandon Miller (29, 1252) of the Brooks Beasts; Sam Ellis (52, 1213) of Andy Powell's pro group; and the Brooks Beasts duo of Isaiah Harris (58, 1208) and Brannon Kidder (59, 1208).
The 1500 meter group consists of Olympic silver medalist Josh Kerr (6, 1379) of the Brooks Beasts; Sam Prakel (38, 1255) and Kieran Lumb (39, 1255) of Powell's pro group; Henry Wynne (43, 1252) and Waleed Suliman (59, 1221) of the Brooks Beasts; Nathan Green (71, 1205) and Joe Waskom (73, 1202) of the University of Washington; former Husky Sam Tanner (93, 1179); and Johnny Gregorek (94, 1179) of Powell's pro group.
Miller finished third at the US Olympic Trials in the 800, and advanced to the semifinals at the Olympics.
Kerr, Lumb, and Tanner all competed at the Olympics, with Kerr making the finals, and finished second in arguably the best individual track race of the entire Paris Olympics.
Kerr gets another Mercanator in the event category.
Miller holds the Tokyo world championships standard, after running 1:44.21 in the repechage round at the Olympics, while Kerr is automatically in the world championships field as the defending world champion from Budapest 2023.
Top Performer--DISTANCE (3000 steeple-marathon)
Five men received consideration in the distance category: steeplechasers Kenneth Rooks (10, 1321), a native of Walla Walla; Parker Stokes (74, 1165) of the Brooks Beasts; and Washington alum Ed Trippas (88, 1150).
Washington alums Brian Fay (46, 1205) in the 5000 meters, and Jack Rowe (100, 1132) in the 10k road-half marathon category were the others considered for a Mercanator in the distance category (after the December 31st rankings came out, Rowe dropped from number 100 to 103, with the same number of points, accounting to some road races contested between December 24th and 31st).
After snagging an unlooked for silver medal in the finals of the Paris Olympics in the steeplechase, there was no way Kenneth Rooks was going to be denied. Rooks gets his second straight Mercanator in the distance category.
His 8:06.41 run in the Olympic final is easily under the qualifying standard of 8:15.00 for the Tokyo world championships.
Top Performer--HAMMER THROW
Two athletes were considered in this event: Ridgefield native and NCAA scorer Trey Knight (41, 1160), who finished sixth in the event for Cal State Northridge, and Washington State alum Brock Eager (43, 1156), who qualified for the US Olympic Trials.
Knight gets the nod based on his one head-to-head meeting with Eager at the US Olympic Trials, where he made the finals, while Eager didn't.
Top Performer--OTHER EVENTS
Former Washington State standout Louie Hinchliffe (16, 1301), the NCAA champion at 100 meters, easily gets the nod in this event.
In addition to winning the national title, he won the British title in the 100, just missed making the final at the Olympics in the 100, and earned a bronze medal as part of the British 4 x 100 meter relay.
Hinchliffe, who turned pro this summer, has the world championships standard in the 100, after running 9.97 in the Olympic semifinals.
Washington State alum CJ Allen (9, 1364), who finished second at the US Olympic Trials, fourth in the semifinals at the Olympics, and fourth at the Wanda Diamond League finals in Brussels in the 400 hurdles, gets the Mercanator in this event.
Allen has the world championships standard in his event, after running 48.20 at the Diamond League meet in Zürich.
Washington State and Washington alum Jacob Englar (95, 1135) who competed at the Olympic Trials, gets the top performer award in the pole vault, despite a limited outdoor schedule.
Washington State's Lee Walburn (98, 1108), who finished seventh at the NCAA championships with a personal best score of 7816 points and was on pace to eclipse the mark at the Olympic Trials before tearing his Achilles tendon in the pole vault, receives the Mercanator in the decathlon (in the December 24 rankings, Walburn was ranked number 98).
WHO GETS THE MERCANATOR AS WASHINGTON STATE'S TOP MALE AND FEMALE TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF 2024?
WOMEN
Former Pullman resident and two time world outdoor champion Katie Moon gets the nod as the 2024 Mercanator Award winner.
While she would probably not admit that here 2024 season was as good as her previous three seasons, Moon gets the award on the basis of winning the US indoor championships, a third place finish at the world indoor championships, a second place finish at the US Olympic Trials, and a silver medal in the finals of the Olympics.
In her four appearances in Wanda Diamond League competition, Moon was second at the Nike Prefontaine in Eugene; fifth at the Herculis in Monaco; eighth in London; and third in Zürich.
Moon receives her fifth career Mercanator, winning the award in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023 along with a Top Box award from the COVID truncated 2020 season.
Moon ties Kara Winger with her fifth career Mercanator Award.
MEN
Unlike the women's Mercanator Award, this came down to a two man race between Josh Kerr and Kenneth Rooks.
If you go by the metric of wins against the opposition, Rooks' wins came against domestic competition, coming out victorious at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles; the Portland Track Festival; and the US Olympic Trials.
There's no question that his silver medal, in which he also set a personal best of 8:06.41 was one of the best moments from an American perspective of the entire Paris Olympics.
The question of whether or not he could have backed up his fantastic run in Paris in the final few meets of the 2024 season will never be answered after he fell and injured his arm in the Diamond League meet in Silesia, Poland.
While Kerr limited his racing during the outdoor season, he did win the mile at the Nike Prefontaine Classic over Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, running 3:45.34, and finished fifth in the 1500 at the Diamond League meet in Zürich, running 3:31.46 after the Olympics.
In the final of the Olympic 1500 meter race, it can be argued that had Ingebrigtsen held his line on the inside over the final fifty meters, that Kerr probably wins the race, or at least forced eventual winner Cole Hocker to go around the Norwegian. Nonetheless, Oregon alum Hocker won the biggest race of the year, while Kerr finished second.
Kerr (photo courtesy Brooks Running) set a world best in the two mile at the Millrose Games in New York, running 8:00.67, and won the 3000 at the world indoor championships in Glasgow.
Kerr's overall body of work during the 2024 season gets him the Mercanator for the fourth time in his career. Josh has won it previously in 2019, 2021 and 2023. He is second in career Mercanator Awards, behind Devon Allen's five career Mercanators.
This is the third time that Katie and Josh have won it outright together (Josh shared the 2021 men's Mercanator with Devon Allen).
Before ending the Mercanators, here's the all time list of Mercanator Award winners:
2024--Josh Kerr, Katie Moon
2023--Josh Kerr, Katie Moon
2022--Devon Allen, Kara Winger
2021--Devon Allen/Josh Kerr, Katie Nageotte
2020--(Top Box) Katie Nageotte
2019--Josh Kerr, Katie Nageotte
2018--Devon Allen, Katie Nageotte
2017--Devon Allen, Kara Winger
2016--Devon Allen, Andrea Geubelle/Kara Winger
2015--Garrett Heath, Kara Winger
2014--Bernard Lagat, Katie Mackey
2013--none (we forgot)
2012--Bernard Lagat, Ginnie Crawford
2011--Jeshua Anderson
2010--Kara Patterson
2009--by event category
2008--by event category
The 2025 collegiate indoor track and field season is already underway with some notable marks set by Washington's Nathan Green in the 3000 in Boston, and Eastern Washington's Egypt Simmons in the long and triple jumps in Spokane. Both the NCAA and the USA outdoor championships will be within driving distance of the state of Washington, as Eugene, Oregon will once again play host to both meets.
The 2025 track and field season ends in mid-September with the World Athletics Outdoor Championships in Tokyo.
With that, we look forward to following and chronicling this season for you.
NOTE: World Athletics, USA Track & Field, Track & Field News, TFRRS, and the media relations office of Brooks Running contributed to this report.
Unless noted, all photos used © Paul Merca. All rights reserved
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