Toyota USATF Championships begin in Eugene Thursday...
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| Ex-Pullman resident Katie Moon owns a wild card as co-defending world champion (Paul Merca photo) |
If you are planning to compete for Team USA at the World Athletics Championships in September, the road to Tokyo goes directly through Eugene for the Toyota USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon, which begins on Thursday and runs through August 3rd.
Assuming all of the top three finishers have the world championships standards, those athletes will be on the plane to Tokyo. Those who don't have it have a three-week window between August 3rd and the end of the qualifying window on August 24th to either get the standard outright or pick up enough world ranking points.
Going into the national championships, the USA will have four wild card spots for the defending men's champions from Budapest in the 100 & 200; the 110 hurdles, and the shot put.
On the women's side, wild cards go to defending world champions in the 100, shot put, discus and pole vault (former Pullman resident Katie Moon), and heptathlete Michelle Atherley, who won the Combined Events Tour last year. Additionally, hammer thrower Brooke Andersen has a wild card to the worlds for winning the Continental Tour in her event last year (the hammer isn't contested as a scoring event on the Diamond League circuit).
There is a scenario where the winner of the Wanda Diamond League finals in Zurich can give the USA a fourth entry, as this year's Diamond League finals occur before the world championships.
Going into the national championships, Hana and Amanda Moll (Paul Merca photo) & Katie Moon (pole vault); Kaylee Mitchell and Olivia Markezich (steeple); Brandon Miller (800); CJ Allen (400H); and Kenneth Rooks (steeple) are the only ones with Washington ties holding the world championships standards.
Lake Stevens native Taylor Roe has the standard in the women's 5000, but she's only contesting the 10000.
Fifty athletes with ties to the state of Washington are entered in the championships, with 38 alone competing on Thursday.
Seattle's Brooks Beasts has eleven athletes in the field, led by Paris Olympian Brandon Miller (Paul Merca photo) in the 800, who has the world championship standard.
Of the nine Washington Division I and II schools, seven are represented at the national championships, with only SeattleU and Saint Martin's missing.
The University of Washington has 15 current or former Huskies competing, led by NCAA champs Nathan Green in the 1500, and the Moll twins in the women's pole vault. Hana Moll is looking to make her second world championship team, having done so two years ago, where she finished ninth in Budapest.
Washington State has three alumni, led by Paris Olympian and 2023 world championships semifinalist CJ Allen (Paul Merca photo) in the 400 hurdles. In addition, Parker Duskin, who just transferred to Arizona after WSU wiped out its sprints, hurdles, and field events from its team, is entered in the 110 hurdles.
The Zags will also have Rosina Machu in the field in the women's 10000.
Eastern Washington's Egypt Simmons (Paul Merca photo) is entered in the women's triple jump.
Reigning NCAA Division II high jump and triple jump champion Emy Ntekpere (photo courtesy GNAC) of Central Washington gets the opportunity to go up against the nation's best in her specialties. Western Washington alum Jeret Gillingham, who used his final outdoor season of eligibility to compete at Northern Arizona, will run in the men's steeplechase.
Finally, Seattle Pacific alum Turner Wiley, who represented the USA in the marathon at the Pan Am Games, drops down in distance to contest the men's 10000. Kaylee Mitchell, who spent one season at SPU where she was an All American before transferring to Oregon State, will run in the steeplechase where she looks to make her first national team.
Here's who's competing Thursday:
10:30 AM DECATHLON (100m) Lee Walburn
11:00 AM HEPTATHLON (100H) Kiana Davis
11:20 AM DECATHLON (LJ) Lee Walburn
12:15 PM HEPTATHLON (HJ) Kiana Davis
12:20 PM DECATHLON (SP) Lee Walburn
1:20 PM M JAVELIN (final) Dash Sirmon
3:07 PM M 800 (1st round) Brandon Miller
Isaiah Harris
Kyle Reinheimer
Brannon Kidder
Cass Elliott
3:30 PM W JAVELIN (final) Erin Tack
3:37 PM W 800 (1st round) Valery Tobias
Kristie Schoffield
4:30 PM M HAMMER (final) Trey Knight
5:07 PM W STEEPLE (1st round) Kaylee Mitchell
Olivia Markezich
Allie Ostrander
Maggie Liebich
5:39 PM M STEEPLE (1st round) Kenneth Rooks
Parker Stokes
Rob McManus
Jeret Gillingham
Julius Diehr
5:45 PM DECATHLON (HJ) Lee Walburn
6:10 PM M 1500 (1st round) Sam Prakel
Luke Houser
Nathan Green
Waleed Suliman
Sam Ellis
Henry Wynne
Joe Waskom
6:20 PM HEPTATHLON (SP) Kiana Davis
6:32 PM W 1500 (1st round) Eleanor Fulton
Chloe Foerster
Claire Yerby
Teagan Schein-Becker
6:54 PM W 10000 (final) Taylor Roe
Jessica McClain
Rosina Machu
7:36 PM HEPTATHLON (200) Kiana Davis
7:52 PM DECATHLON (400) Lee Walburn
8:08 PM M 10000 (final) Wil Smith
James Mwaura
Turner Wiley
Name in GREEN signifies that they have the world championships standard.
Days 1 and 2 of the Toyota USATF Outdoor and Para National Championships will be streamed on USATF.tv ($), along with dedicated field event streams all four days.
NBC and Peacock ($) will televise the meet on both Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 3 pm Pacific each day.
NOTE: USA Track & Field, World Athletics, Brooks Running, and the sports information offices of the GNAC, University of Washington, Washington State, Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, and Central Washington contributed to this report.
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