By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The following is a list of 10 storylines to follow Feb. 16-17 at the USATF Indoor Championships at Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico. The event is being held in Albuquerque for the second year in a row and the 10th time overall since its debut in 2010, and is a qualifying meet for the World Athletics Indoor Championships on March 1-3 in Glasgow, Scotland:

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Nation’s best back for more

There are 19 returning champions – 10 women and nine men – from last year’s USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque scheduled to compete at the two-day event, looking to not only defend their titles, but also qualify to represent the Americans at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 1-3 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Returning men’s winners on the track include JT Smith in the 60-meter dash, Freddie Crittenden III in the 60-meter hurdles, Bryce Hoppel in the 800, Sam Prakel in the 1,500 – he also won the 3,000 last year but is not defending his title – and Nick Christie in the 3,000 race walk.

Female competitors seeking repeats on the track include Aleia Hobbs in the 60-meter dash, Alaysha Johnson in the 60 hurdles, Nia Akins in the 800, Nikki Hiltz in the 1,500 and Miranda Melville in the 3,000 race walk.

Among the male athletes pursuing another title in the field events, Sam Kendricks looks to follow his memorable pole vault victory from last year, along with Shelby McEwen in the high jump, Will Williams in the long jump and Daniel Haugh in the weight throw.

Vashti Cunningham highlights the defending women’s champions in the field events, along with Tara Davis-Woodhall in the long jump, Keturah Orji in the triple jump, Chase Jackson in the shot put and Katie Moon in the pole vault.

Sandi Morris, the two-time World indoor pole vault champion, is also scheduled to compete.

Hobbs, who won the World Indoor Tour last year in the 60-meter dash, is also expected to race, as well as Grant Holloway, who captured the 60 hurdles gold medal in addition to being the defending World Indoor Tour winner.

Holloway has not lost a 60 hurdles race in a decade.

Reigning World Indoor 800 champion Ajee’ Wilson is not scheduled to participate in Albuquerque.

Also absent from competition in New Mexico is five-time men’s triple jump champion Donald Scott, who won the past four titles in a row.

Additional American records in store?

Six current American records for female athletes have been achieved in Albuquerque, along with a pair of U.S. all-time marks for male competitors.

Aleia Hobbs ran 6.94 in the 60-meter dash last year to win the championship, in addition to DeAnna Price producing a mark of 85-4.50 (26.02m) in the weight throw and Anna Hall accumulating 5,004 points in the pentathlon.

Britton Wilson established the 400 record by running 49.48 for Arkansas at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships last year in Albuquerque.

Tori Franklin achieved the U.S. triple jump all-time mark with her 48-0.50 (14.64m) performance at the 2020 indoor championship meet, with Chaunte Lowe clearing 6-7.50 (2.02m) in the high jump at the 2012 indoor final.

Christian Coleman won the 60-meter title in 2018 by running an American record 6.34 seconds.

Noah Lyles achieved the U.S. all-time effort in the 300 meters by clocking 31.87 at the 2017 indoor championship meet. The event is not being contested at this year’s meet, with Lyles racing in the 60-meter dash instead.

Another Crouser conquest?

Ryan Crouser had won three consecutive men’s shot put titles in 2019, 2020 and 2022, with the championship meet not being held in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crouser decided not to compete in Albuquerque last year, participating in a special shot put showcase instead at the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho, where he achieved the U.S. all-time mark of 76-8.50 (23.38m), although the effort was not ratified as a world record based on the ring not meeting certain qualifications in order to be considered for record eligibility.

The recognized world indoor record for Crouser is 74-10.50 (22.82m) from 2021 in Arkansas.

Crouser captured the indoor shot put crown in Albuquerque in 2020, along with titles in New York in 2019 and Spokane, Wash., in 2022.

Crouser has produced 13 all-time outdoor 23-meter performances, but is still seeking his first record-eligible indoor mark surpassing the historic barrier.

With Joe Kovacs, the reigning U.S. indoor champion, not scheduled to compete Saturday in Albuquerque, it provides opportunities for Jordan Geist, Adrian Piperi and Roger Steen to potentially join Crouser in qualifying to compete in Scotland.

Cunningham aiming for elite eight

Vashti Cunningham, who placed second Feb. 11 at the 116th Millrose Games in New York behind Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh with a 6-5.50 (1.97m) clearance, is pursuing an eighth consecutive high jump title Friday, including her fifth career championship in Albuquerque.

Cunningham, 26, cleared 6-6.75 (2.00m) to win last year’s title, the second time in her career she achieved that height in indoor competition.

The last American female athlete to win at least eight consecutive indoor championships in any event was Jillian Camarena-Williams in the shot put from 2005-12.

The high jump field is also expected to include Illinois commit JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, a junior at Emerald Ridge High in Washington, as well as BYU standout Cierra Tidwell, in addition to 2013 and 2014 national indoor champion Inika McPherson.

Chaunte Lowe set the meet, facility and American records with her 6-7.50 (2.02m) clearance in 2012.

Coleman motivated to be first to four

After the national indoor championship sprint race was contested over the 55-meter and 60-yard distances through 1990, before the first 60-meter dash final in 1991, Christian Coleman, Marvin Bracy and Mike Rodgers have all captured three titles in their careers.

Coleman set the world indoor record of 6.34 in 2018 in Albuquerque and prevailed again in 6.37 in New Mexico in 2020, in addition to clocking 6.45 in 2022 in Spokane, Wash.

Coleman also triumphed Feb. 11 in 6.51 at the 116th Millrose Games in New York.

JT Smith, a former Texas A&M-Commerce standout, captured last year’s title in Coleman’s absence by clocking 6.53 in the final. Smith is also scheduled to race in Albuquerque, in addition to 2019 champion Demek Kemp and 2017 winner Ronnie Baker.

Coleman secured the 60-meter gold medal in 6.37 in 2018 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England, followed by a silver in 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia, being edged by Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs by a 6.407 to 6.410 margin in the final.

Noah Lyles, who won the 300-meter indoor crown in 2017 in Albuquerque, is seeking his first career 60-meter indoor championship after clocking a personal-best 6.44 on Feb. 4 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.

Dominick Corley, a senior at Mead High in Washington representing Spokane Speed Academy, is also expected to race in Albuquerque.

Looking to interrupt pole vault podium dominance

Sandi Morris and Katie Moon have combined to win the past seven women’s indoor national pole vault titles since 2016 in Portland.

Morris is also the two-time reigning World Athletics Indoor Championships gold medalist in 2018 in England and 2022 in Serbia, with Moon capturing the Olympic title in 2021 in Tokyo, along with the past two World outdoor crowns in Eugene, Ore., and Budapest, Hungary.

Bridget Williams, who has cleared a personal-best 15-9.25 (4.81m), has the potential to not only qualify for the World Indoor Championships for the first time after competing at the global outdoor meet in Budapest last year, but also challenge for her first career national crown in Saturday’s competition.

Morris has cleared 15-9.75 (4.82m) this season, with Moon achieving a mark of 15-5 (4.70m).

Another potential contender has emerged in Roberts Wesleyan junior Brynn King, who achieved the NCAA Division 2 record with her 15-1.50 (4.61m) clearance Feb. 10 at Grand Valley State. King is coached by seven-time U.S. indoor champion Jenn Suhr.

Emily Grove, Kristen Leland, Gabriela Leon and Rachel Baxter are also scheduled to compete.

Another spectacular distance sweep will be tough to achieve

Cole Hocker won national indoor titles in the men’s 1,500 and 3,000 meters in 2022 in Spokane, Wash.

Sam Prakel achieved the impressive distance double last year in Albuquerque.

Another sweep is not likely this year, especially with American mile record holder Yared Nuguse entered Friday in the 3,000 and 20-year-old standout Hobbs Kessler as well as 2020 indoor champion Josh Thompson scheduled to compete Saturday against Cooper Teare and Hocker in the 1,500.

Teare captured the men’s 10-kilometer title Jan. 20 at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Richmond, Va., but indicated his priority during the winter was to qualify to compete at the World Indoor Championships in Scotland, instead of the World Cross Country Championships on March 30 in Serbia.

Teare, who won the U.S. outdoor 1,500 title in 2022, is still seeking his first career indoor national championship. He was part of Oregon’s distance medley relay victory at the 2021 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships in Arkansas, but has yet to secure an individual indoor crown in his career.

Nuguse, along with Abdihamid Nur, Morgan Beadlescomb, Olin Hacker and Dillon Maggard, are potential challengers in the 3,000 final, in addition to Hocker and Teare.

Bryce Hoppel is pursuing his fourth straight indoor 800 title and Nick Christie is seeking a sixth consecutive indoor 3,000 race walk championship in the other men’s distance events.

Hurdling highlights set to unfold

Although she took third in the women’s 60-meter hurdles Feb. 11 at the 116th Millrose Games in a race that showcased Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas producing a world record by clocking 7.67 seconds, 23-year-old Tia Jones ran 7.79 in New York after achieving a personal-best 7.72 on Feb. 4 to win the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston.

Whether Jones can challenge Charlton’s all-time mark or the American record of 7.68 by Susanna Kallur or the 2018 meet standard of 7.70 by Sharika Nelvis will be determined Friday.

But the women’s 60 hurdles field is strong again, including reigning champion Alaysha Johnson – who ran 7.83 last year in Albuquerque to prevail – as well as 2018 and 2019 winner Nelvis, in addition to Christina Clemons and Masai Russell, who have eclipsed the 7.80-second barrier in their careers.

Grant Holloway, who boasts the men’s 60 hurdles world record at 7.29 seconds, in addition to his gold medal in 2022 in Serbia, is entered to race in Albuquerque. Holloway captured his lone U.S. indoor crown in 2022 in Spokane, Wash.

Dylan Beard, a former Howard standout who won the 116th Millrose Games race Feb. 11 in New York in 7.44, is also scheduled to compete, along with Daniel Roberts, Trey Cunningham, Cordell Tinch and reigning champion Freddie Crittenden III.

Deepest men’s pole vault difficult to determine

With seven entries in the men’s pole vault final Friday boasting personal-best clearances of at least 19-4.25 (5.90m), the competition has the potential to be the strongest final in meet history.

And they all have a tough act to follow after Sam Kendricks’ dramatic victory at 19-4.75 (5.91m) to secure his first indoor crown since 2017.

Kendricks won three in a row from 2015-17, but five different athletes prevailed from 2018 to last season, including Chris Nilsen and Matthew Ludwig, who are both expected to compete Friday.

KC Lightfoot, Zach Bradford, Austin Miller and last year’s runner-up Jacob Wooten have also cleared at least 19-4.25 during their careers.

Nilsen earned bronze in 2022 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. He is also the American indoor record holder at 19-10.25 (6.05m) from 2022 in France.

Kendricks captured silver in both 2016 and 2018 at the World indoor finals in Portland, Ore., and Birmingham, England.

The last American male pole vaulter to secure a World Indoor title was Brad Walker in 2006. Walker now coaches two-time World outdoor gold medalist and reigning Olympic champion Katie Moon.

Finding middle ground

Ajee’ Wilson dominated the women’s 800 meters at the indoor championship meet for a decade, winning titles in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022, in addition to securing a 600-meter crown in 2017 and a 1,000-meter championship in 2019.

Wilson also captured the 800 gold medal in 2022 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Serbia.

But Nia Akins triumphed in last year’s indoor final in Albuquerque, and is looking to become the first female athlete outside of Wilson to capture back-to-back national 800 titles since Nicole Teter in 2002-03.

Akins is expected to be challenged by Allie Wilson, who won the 800 in 2:01.61 on Feb. 11 at the 116th Millrose Games in New York, as well as Olivia Baker, Sammy Watson and Addy Wiley, a first-year adidas professional athlete after competing last year for NAIA Huntington University in Indiana.

Wiley is also entered Saturday in the 1,500, an event she placed fourth in last year in Albuquerque. She is expected to square off against defending champion Nikki Hiltz, along with American indoor mile record holder Elle St. Pierre, in addition to Emily Mackay.

St. Pierre is scheduled to race Friday in the 3,000, seeking her second championship in the event along with 2022, and will match up against Elly Henes, Josette Andrews, Ella Donaghu, Rachel Smith and Katie Wasserman.