Hobbs runs 6.94 to elevate to No. 2 all-time global performer behind Privalova, taking down U.S. mark of 6.95 shared by Devers and Jones; Ealey, Hoppel, Moon and Orji all win third career indoor crowns, with Hall and Prakel both securing second titles of the meet on final day in Albuquerque

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – For all the buzz Saturday surrounding Aleia Hobbs producing an American record in the women’s 60-meter dash by clocking 6.94 seconds at the USATF Indoor Championships, it wasn’t until a post-race interview that the adidas professional athlete discovered exactly how close she was to challenging the world record at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

“I was just trying to have a healthy, good indoor season heading into outdoors, but I mean everything was going good and I knew it was right there, I just had to execute the race,” Hobbs said. “I feel like my start has kind of been up and down, but my finish has been perfect. I felt like if I could hit the start, then I just had to finish the race.”

When Hobbs learned that the 6.92 performance first achieved in 1993 by Russia’s Irina Privalova and equaled in 1995 was the next target, she immediately smiled and said, “I’m going to copy this race and just get a little bit faster. But right now, I’m happy with the American record.”

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Hobbs demonstrated she was capable of challenging the shared U.S. indoor all-time mark of 6.95 achieved in 1993 by Gail Devers and matched in 1998 by Marion Jones with her 6.98 effort Jan. 28 at the Razorback Invitational at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

“When I ran that, I knew if I kept going, I could get it,” Hobbs said. “That gave me a lot of confidence.”

Following four consecutive races with times ranging from 7.02 to 7.08, Hobbs pulled away from a field in Saturday’s final that included World Indoor Championship medalists Marybeth Sant Price and Mikiah Brisco, elevating to the No. 2 all-time global competitor.

Hobbs equaled the No. 4 all-time world performance, with Privalova also running 6.93 in 1994 and 6.94 in 1995, securing her first championship since 2018, when she swept the NCAA indoor 60 crown, followed by Division 1 and U.S. outdoor national titles in the 100-meter dash representing LSU.

Sant Price, the World Indoor bronze medalist last year, placed second in 7.09 and Brisco – the silver medalist last season in Serbia – finishing fourth in 7.12, with Destiny Smith-Barnett taking third in 7.11.

“(Aleia) was amazing,” Sant Price said. “I tried to stay with her as much as I could, but she’s had an incredible season.”

Katie Moon, representing Nike, capped another remarkable winter season with a world-leading 15-10 (4.83m) pole vault clearance Wednesday in France, followed by a third career indoor crown Saturday with a 15-9 (4.80m) performance at the same venue where she won her first national championship in 2018.

Emily Grove placed second with an indoor-best 15-3.50 (4.66m) performance and Bridget Williams took third at 15-1.50 (4.61m), followed by Kristen Brown, Hana Moll, Gabbi Leon, Rachel Baxter and Amanda Moll all clearing 14-9.50 (4.51m).

Keturah Orji, representing Mizuno, also won her third career indoor triple jump title and ninth overall with an opening-round effort of 46-11.50 (14.31m).

Imani Oliver placed second at 43-1 (13.13m).

Bryce Hoppel, an adidas competitor, captured a third straight men’s 800-meter championship in 1:45.92, surging in the final 100 meters to surpass Isaiah Harris of the Brooks Beasts, who clocked 1:46.42.

Anna Hall, representing adidas, became the first female athlete in American history to win the pentathlon along with a running event title in the same year, producing a lifetime-best 51.03 seconds in the 400-meter final.

Hall ascended to the No. 2 competitor in global indoor history Thursday by accumulating 5,004 points in the pentathlon.

Erica Bougard was the only other American competitor to win the pentathlon and a second individual title in the same year, also emerging victorious in the long jump in 2017 in Albuquerque.

Chase Ealey, a Nike athlete, also secured her third career indoor shot put championship with a sixth-round effort of 65-2.25 (19.87m). Ealey, a Los Alamos High graduate, returned to New Mexico and earned another title in Albuquerque, where she also prevailed in the 2020 final.

Maggie Ewen, another Nike competitor who triumphed against Ealey last year at The Podium in Spokane, Wash., placed second at 63-8.25 (19.41m) after finishing 10th in the weight throw final Friday with a mark of 68-8.75 (20.95m).

Sam Prakel, an adidas athlete who won the men’s 3,000-meter title Friday, originally believed he placed second in the 1,500-meter final Saturday in 3:42.62.

But Josh Thompson, representing Nike Bowerman Track Club, was disqualified after running 3:42.31 when officials ruled following the race that his hand made contact with the back of a fellow competitor.

Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts, who ran 3:42.90, moved up a spot to place second overall.

First-time champions in the field events included Joe Kovacs in the men’s shot put, Shelby McEwen in the men’s high jump and Will Williams in the men’s long jump.

Kovacs, who has a pair of outdoor national titles in 2014 and 2015, rallied with a sixth-round effort of 70-8.50 (21.55m) to prevail against Arizona senior Jordan Geist at 70-1 (21.36m).

McEwen cleared 7-4.25 (2.24m) in the high jump on his second attempt to emerge from a pack that included fellow Nike competitor Darius Carbin, Jordan Wesner, Justin Lewis and Darryl Sullivan, Jr., all clearing 7-3 (2.21m).

Williams achieved an indoor-best with his third-round leap of 26-11 (8.20m) to elevate to No. 4 in the world this year.

Jalen Seals, a former Texas Tech standout representing Tracksmith, secured second with a mark of 25-2.75 (7.69m).

Alaysha Johnson clocked 7.83 in the women’s 60-meter hurdles final, producing her fifth sub-7.90 performance during the winter season to capture her first national championship, just ahead of Nike athlete Tonea Marshall in 7.85.

Johnson continues to build off a year when she represented the U.S. at both the World Indoor final and World Outdoor Championships, along with winning a NACAC gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles.

Freddie Crittenden III, representing Tracksmith and Phoenix Track Club, edged adidas athlete Robert Dunning in the men’s 60-meter hurdles final by a 7.485 to 7.489 margin to secure his first national title after also winning NACAC gold in the 110-meter hurdles last year in the Bahamas. 

Nia Akins of the Brooks Beasts won her first career national title in the women’s 800 meters, taking advantage of an opening on the inside rail in the final 25 meters to secure victory in 2:00.16, holding off Atlanta Track Club’s Allie Wilson in 2:00.33 and adidas athlete Kaela Edwards in 2:00.52.

J.T. Smith of Texas A&M-Commerce produced a lifetime-best 6.53 seconds to win the men’s 60-meter dash, helping him become the first collegiate athlete since 2013 to capture the crown.

Smith would have produced the NCAA Division 2 record, but Texas A&M-Commerce moved to Division 1 this season and is ineligible for postseason competition, based on the NCAA enforced probationary period following the school’s move.

With adidas athlete Noah Lyles deciding not to compete in the final after experiencing back pain following his 6.56 performance in the semifinals, Kendal Williams took second in the championship race in 6.59.

Arizona State’s Justin Robinson became the first NCAA Division 1 male collegiate competitor since 1990 to capture the 400-meter crown, running an indoor-best 45.40.

Noah Williams, the 2021 NCAA Division 1 indoor champion at LSU, clocked 45.69 to finish second, with CJ Allen taking third in 46.11 and reigning World Indoor silver medalist Trevor Bassitt placing fourth in 46.13.

Bassitt, who competed at Division 2 Ashland University in Ohio, won the title last year in 45.75.