Stars Aligning For USATF Indoor Championships

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The Toyota USATF Indoor Championships begin a three-day run Friday at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island. 

Although there is no IAAF World Indoor Championships to qualify for this year, and many of the country's top tier athletes are primarily focused on peaking later because of an unusual calendar (USA Outdoor Championships, July 25-28 and IAAF World Championships, Sept. 28-Oct. 6), there are national titles at stake. 

WEBCAST INFO

The event will feature the traditional American indoor distances (60 meters, 300 meters, 600 meters, 1,000 meters, Mile and 2-Mile). It is also returning to the hotbed of U.S. indoor track, the East Coast, for the first time since 2015. The last time it was held in New York City was 2002 when the meet was staged at The Armory. 

The championships present a big opportunity for the operators of Ocean Breeze, which opened its doors on Staten Island in October 2015. The week following the Toyota USATF Indoor Championships, the New York state indoor championships are set to return for the third straight year. 

Here are some of the top storylines of weekend. Yes, we're cranking it up to 11! 

1 - Ajee' Wilson Leads a New Jersey Parade. So yes, Staten Island is one of New York City's five boroughs. But it's on the far side of the Statue of Liberty from Manhattan and nestled right up against New Jersey. Staten Island has one bridge to New York and three to New Jersey. Ocean Breeze is easy to get to from New Jersey and it's no wonder that there will be a big moment for the track stars -- and friends and family -- from the Garden State. That list of names begins with American record holder Ajee' Wilson, one of the most bankable and dependable performers in U.S. track and field. At 24, the native of Neptune Township, N.J. is a two-time World silver medalist in the 800 meters, an Olympian, and a five-time U.S. Indoor champion in the 800 meters. 

Although first-year pro Sydney McLaughlin is not on this year's entry list, a bunch of other New Jersey natives are taking advantage of the close proximity to home. Keturah Orji, the 2018 Bowerman Award winner and first-year pro from Mount Olive NJ, faces a big competition with U.S. record holder Tori Frankin. Olivia Baker, the pride of Columbia NJ, is a new pro and entered in the 600 meters. Current high school star Athing Mu, of the Trenton Track Club, will test her mettle against pros in the 600. Union Catholic NJ will be represented by Andrew Ghizzone, a 2014 high school grad, in the men's heptathlon.

2 - Shelby Houlihan On To The Next Thing. The Bowerman Track Club's Shelby Houlihan is less than a month removed from winning the U.S. Cross Country title. Houlihan is eligible to compete for the U.S. at the IAAF World Cross Country championships next month in Denmark. This week, Houlihan is entered in the women's mile and also the 2-mile. It makes sense. In 2018 she won the indoor titles in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters, and then in June she swept the outdoor titles in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. 

In the mile, Houlihan faces the prospect of racing Colleen Quigley and Kate Grace, Bowerman Track Club teammates who finished second and third in the NYRR Millrose Games Women's Wanamaker Mile. In the 2-mile, she faces New Balance's Emma Coburn, the world champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

3 - Tori Franklin vs. Keturah Orji. The women's triple jump has made a considerable climb over the past few years in the U.S. thanks to these two women. Franklin broke Orji's U.S. indoor record Feb. 8 when she jumped 14.57m (47-9.75) in Spain. She smashed the U.S. outdoor record last May when she flew 14.84m (48-8.25), also breaking an Orji record. However, the eight-time NCAA champion from the University of Georgia beat Franklin in Des Moines last June for the U.S. title. And Orji was fourth at the Olympic Games in 2016. This matchup is basically fire. 

4 - Ryan Crouser vs. Joe Kovacs. Two weeks ago at the NYRR Millrose Games, Crouser launched the fourth-best throw in history (22.33m/73-3.25) and Kovacs finished second. Both of these guys have pointedly stated that they are more interested in how they are throwing in September than February, but the competitive juices flow when they are in the same venue. Either one of them is capable of uncorking a big throw at a moment's notice.

5 - Donovan Brazier In The 600. He broke the U.S. record in the indoor 800 meters at the NYRR Millrose Games with his second-place finish in 1:44.41 two weeks ago, going well under Johnny Gray's 1992 record of 1:45.00. That could put the Nike Oregon Project runner in position to go for Casimir Loxsom's 600-meter record of 1:14.91 from 2017 if he so chooses.

6 - Clayton Murphy In The 1,000: Somewhat lost amidst the hoopla of Yomif Kejelcha's near-miss world record attempt in the Wanamaker Mile at the NYRR Millrose Games was the fact that Murphy ran a PR of 3:53.30 for third place. It's shaping up to be a big year, and not only because he is engaged to be married to Ariana Washington. Murphy, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 800 meters, is living up to the promise shown during that meteoric rise from Akron to the U.S. Olympic team less than three years ago. Murphy ran a flat-track world record Feb. 2 in the 800 meters, 1:45.92, at JDL Fast Track in the Camel City Elite Invitational. 

7 - Aleia Hobbs In The 60. She became only the fourth woman to win the NCAA/USA double in the 100 meters in 2018, and the first to do it in 27 years, and now Hobbs seeks to establish her position at the top of American sprinting in the build-up to global events in 2019 and 2020. She ran 7.07 to win the NCAA Indoor title for LSU in 2018. She faces an interesting collection of challengers at Ocean Breeze, inclucing Kate Hall, Candace Hill and NYRR Millrose 60 hurdles winner Sharika Nelvis.

8 - Devon Allen In The 60 Hurdles. Training back home in the Phoenix area, Allen seems like a guy who is enjoying every minute of his track career. He's in a hand-picked training group of hurdlers and friends, and he's dreaming big -- like hoping to put on a high-stakes hurdles race on the Las Vegas Strip. Allen relied on his usual late burst to overtake the field and win the NYRR Millrose Games title two weeks ago and he'd like to go faster than the 7.61-second clocking there. The U.S. record is 7.36 seconds. Last year in this meet Allen finished third (7.49).

9 - Vashti Cunningham In The High Jump. Coming back from an off-season ankle injury, Cunningham had a strong season opener at the NYRR Millrose Games with a clearance at 1.95m (6-4.75). At 21 years old, she is already a World Indoor Champion (2016) and a five-time U.S. champion. She has swept national indoor and outdoor titles in the high jump in 2017 and 2018 and seeks to do it again. Inika McPherson won't let her have those titles easily.

10 - Men's Mile/2-Mile. These are shaping up to be compelling races even without all of the country's A-listers involved. In the Wanamaker Mile two weeks ago, Craig Engels placed fifth in 3:54.18, Johnny Gregorek was eighth and Sam Prakel was 10th. The three of them top a field that also includes Henry Wynne, Eric Avila and first-year pro David Ribich. The 2-mile is also intriguing as Drew Hunter returns to indoor track after making a game effort in the 10-kilometer U.S. Cross Country Championships on Feb. 2. Brooks Beasts veteran Izaic Yorks and newcomer Dillon Maggard are also part of a wide-open event.

11 - Preps Looking To Shine. The weekend presents a big opportunity for some top high school stars to test themselves against adult competition. In the 600 meters, Athing Mu of the Trenton Track Club would love to keep pace with the top women and chase after the national high school record of 1:27.13 by Sammy Watson. Two weeks ago, Mu ran 1:27.36 at the NYRR Millrose Games. Another New Jersey prep, Victoria Vanriele of Governor Livingston NJ, is also in the 600. She ran 2:06.68 for 800 meters to win the New Jersey Meet of Champions last June.

Anna Hall, a Georgia signee, is making her way out from Colorado (Valor Christian) and will compete in the pentathlon with likes of Kendell Williams and Erica Bougard. Hall broke Williams' national high school record in the heptathlon last year and ranks No. 2 behind Williams all-time in the pentathlon (4,068 to 4,054). Marlee Starliper, a junior at Northern PA, won the high school girls mile at the NYRR Millrose Games with a record-breaking time of 4:41.66. High school freshman phenom Kayla Davis from Run U Xpress track club in North Carolina, is entered in the 300 meters and is US#2 among preps this winter. Matthew Payamps of St. Anthony's NY is entered in the men's 1,000. Kenneth Wei, a 25-foot long jumper from Mount Sinai NY, takes a big step up in competition in the men's long jump.