Cole Hocker, winner of 1500 titles in ’21 & ’24 and the 5000 in ’25, is one of two men charted to take two events in ’26. (KEVIN MORRIS)
PEERLESS PROGNOSTICATIONS as of June 03 — In a year without an Olympic Games or World Championships, USATF will not be choosing a Team USA, so there will be no Wild Cards. Nonetheless, we expect the national championships (Randalls Island, New York, July 23–26) to be a high-level affair as athletes seek to boost their WA Rankings and enhance their sponsor-contracts.
From the tenuous vantage point before the NCAA, here’s our Top 10 charting for each men’s event at USATF. The listing of an athlete in a discipline doesn’t guarantee he’ll contest that event (or events). The number in the right-hand column represents the athlete’s placing in last year’s U.S. Rankings as compiled by T&FN:
100 METERS
1
Noah Lyles
(adidas)
1
2
Jordan Anthony
(adidas)
8
3
Kenny Bednarek
(Nike)
2
4
Trayvon Bromell
(New Balance)
3
5
Christian Coleman
(Nike)
4
6
Courtney Lindsey
(Nike)
5
7
Jelani Watkins
(Arkansas)
nr
8
Traunard Folson
(Tennessee)
nr
9
Sam Blaskowski
(Nike)
nr
10
Max Thomas
(On Running)
nr
200 METERS
1
Noah Lyles
(adidas)
1
2
Kenny Bednarek
(Nike)
2
3
Jordan Anthony
(adidas)
6
4
Courtney Lindsey
(Star Athletic)
3
5
Robert Gregory
(Nike)
4
6
Jelani Watkins
(Arkansas)
nr
7
Christian Coleman
(Nike)
7
8
Max Thomas
(On Running)
10
9
Kyree King
(Star Athletic)
8
10
Mason Lawyer
(Arizona)
nr
400 METERS
1
Jacory Patterson
(Nike)
1
2
Khaleb McRae
(adidas)
4
3
Chris Bailey
(Nike)
2
4
Bryce Deadmon
(unattached)
5
5
Vernon Norwood
(New Balance)
3
6
Quincy Hall
(adidas)
6
7
Jordan Pierre
(Arkansas)
nr
8
Justin Braun
(Florida)
nr
9
Quincy Wilson
(Maryland HS)
8
10
Michael Norman
(Nike)
nr
800 METERS
1
Josh Hoey
(adidas)
1
2
Cooper Lutkenhaus
(Nike)
4
3
Donavan Brazier
(Nike Swoosh)
3
4
Brandon Miller
(Brooks Beasts)
5
5
Bryce Hoppel
(adidas)
2
6
Colin Sahlman
(Northern Arizona)
10
7
Abraham Alvarado
(Under Armour/Dark Sky)
7
8
Shane Cohen
(Nike)
nr
9
Isaiah Harris
(Brooks Beasts)
6
10
Sean Dolan
(Atlanta TC)
nr
1500 METERS
1
Cole Hocker
(Nike)
4
2
Yared Nuguse
(On Running)
1
3
Hobbs Kessler
(adidas)
6
4
Nathan Green
(adidas)
9
5
Jonah Koech
(Under Armour)
2
6
Simeon Birnbaum
(Oregon)
nr
7
Vincent Ciattei
(Under Armour/Dark Sky)
7
8
Ethan Strand
(Nike Swoosh)
3
9
Luke Houser
(Atlanta TC)
nr
10
Gary Martin
(Virginia)
8
STEEPLE
1
Matt Wilkinson
(Under Armour/Dark Sky)
4
2
Parker Stokes
(Brooks Beasts)
nr
3
Nate Mountain
(Virginia)
7
4
Kenneth Rooks
(Nike)
3
5
Daniel Michalski
(US Air Force)
1
6
Yasin Sado
(Union AC)
6
7
Isaac Updike
(Under Armour/Dark Sky)
2
8
Duncan Hamilton
(Nike/Oregon TC)
10
9
Grant Bradley
unattached
nr
10
Benard Keter
(Nike/US Army)
5
5000 METERS
1
Cole Hocker
(Nike)
1
2
Grant Fisher
(Nike)
3
3
Nico Young
(adidas)
2
4
Parker Wolfe
(Nike Swoosh)
7
5
Cooper Teare
(Nike)
6
6
Drew Hunter
(unattached)
5
7
Graham Blanks
(New Balance)
4
8
Abdihamid Nur
(Nike Swoosh)
nr
9
Dylan Jacobs
(On AC)
nr
10
Tom Ratcliffe
(Nike Swoosh)
9
10,000 METERS
1
Grant Fisher
(Nike)
2
2
Nico Young
(adidas)
1
3
Graham Blanks
(New Balance)
3
4
Drew Hunter
(unattached)
8
5
Ahmed Muhumed
(HOKA Northern Arizona)
4
6
Casey Clinger
(Brooks)
5
7
James Mwaura
(unattached)
6
8
Woody Kincaid
(Nike Swoosh)
nr
9
Sean McGorty
(Nike)
7
10
Anthony Camerieri
(Saucony)
nr
110 HURDLES
1
Cordell Tinch
(Nike)
1
2
Trey Cunningham
(adidas)
2
3
Jamal Britt
(Tracksmith)
5
4
Dylan Beard
(New York AC)
4
5
Ja’Kobe Tharp
(Auburn)
3
6
Kendrick Smallwood
(Texas)
9
7
Grant Holloway
(adidas)
6
8
Freddie Crittenden
(adidas)
7
9
Ja’Qualon Scott
(Texas A&M)
nr
10
Jamar Marshall
(unattached)
10
400 HURDLES
1
Caleb Dean
(adidas)
2
2
Trevor Bassitt
(adidas)
5
3
Ja’Qualon Scott
(Texas A&M)
6
4
Chris Robinson
(adidas)
3
5
CJ Allen
(Asics)
4
6
Kody Blackwood
(Texas)
9
7
Reyte’ Rash
(unattached)
10
8
James Smith
(Nike/US Army)
8
9
Vance Nilsson
(Florida)
nr
10
Isaiah Taylor
(North Carolina A&T)
nr
HALF-MARATHON WALK (by Michael J. Roth)
1
Nick Christie
(New York AC/US Air Force)
1
2
Emmanuel Corvera
(New York AC)
2
3
Jordan Crawford
(Raleigh Walkers)
3
4
Jason Cherng
(US Army)
4
5
Bricyn Healey
(unattached)
5
6
Nathan Limas
(unattached)
6
7
Lucien Beardsley
(Cumberlands)
nr
8
Cole Bennett
(Cumberlands)
nr
9
Mike Mannozzi
(Shore AC/US Air Force)
8
10
AJ Gruttadauro
(Shore AC)
7
HIGH JUMP
1
JuVaughn Harrison
(Puma)
1
2
Tyus Wilson
(unattached)
2
3
Eli Kosiba
(unattached)
4
4
Shelby McEwen
(Nike/New York AC)
3
5
Arvesta Troupe
(Ole Miss)
5
6
Kason O’Riley
(adidas)
7
7
Scottie Vines
(Arkansas)
nr
8
Caleb Snowden
(unattached)
6
9
Vernon Turner
(adidas)
10
10
Aiden Hayes
(Texas State)
9
POLE VAULT
1
Chris Nilsen
(Nike/New York AC)
2
2
Sam Kendricks
(Nike)
1
3
Zach Bradford
(unattached)
nr
4
Jake Wooten
(unattached)
4
5
KC Lightfoot
(Puma)
10
6
Austin Miller
(unattached)
3
7
Matt Ludwig
(unattached)
5
8
Cole Walsh
(R Performance)
6
9
Anthony Meacham
(Kansas)
nr
10
Ashton Barkdull
(unattached)
9
LONG JUMP
1
Jeremiah Davis
(Puma)
5
2
Marquis Dendy
(Puma)
3
3
Jarrion Lawson
(Puma)
4
4
Steffin McCarter
(unattached)
nr
5
Cameron Crump
(unattached)
6
6
Isaac Grimes
(adidas)
1
7
Will Williams
(unattached)
2
8
Tyler Nichols
(Southern Miss)
nr
9
De’Aundre Ward
(Southern Miss)
nr
10
Kennedy Stringfellow
(Oklahoma)
nr
TRIPLE JUMP
1
Russell Robinson
(adidas)
1
2
Donald Scott
(New York AC)
6
3
Salif Mane
(unattached)
2
4
Will Claye
(New York AC)
3
5
Brandon Green
(Oklahoma)
5
6
James Carter
(unattached)
4
7
Hakeem Ford
(Minnesota)
8
8
Sean Dixon-Bodie
(unattached)
7
9
Floyd Whitaker
(Oklahoma)
9
10
Henry Kiner
(Arkansas)
nr
Joe Kovacs, hot off a win in his outdoor opener at the Rabat DL, is favored in the shot. (VICTOR SAILER/PHOTO RUN)
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