Browsing: USATF

Over the last mile and a half, Weini Kelati (leading) built the nearly 15-second margin on Ednah Kurgat and Katie Izzo that delivered her second USA cross country crown. (KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

PORTLAND, OREGON, December 06 — Weini Kelati won her second U.S. cross country title on a wet, muddy 10K course at the USATF Cross Country Championships, while recent North Carolina grad Parker Wolfe won his first USA crown.

This yearâ€s US championships — run at Portlandâ€s Glendoveer Golf Club immediately following the NXN High School Championships on the same layout — served as the selection event for the U.S. team that will compete at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida (January 10). The top six finishers in the menâ€s and womenâ€s 10K races qualified for the team while the first two finishers in the inaugural menâ€s and womenâ€s 2K races earned places on the mixed relay.

With the upcoming Worlds the first running of that storied event scheduled in the U.S. since the 1992 edition in Bostonâ€s Franklin Park, athletes were excited to contend for positions on the national team. Deeper and more competitive fields than in recent editions were the result.

Following several days of rain, the Glendoveer course was saturated. The two NXN races served to churn up the grass surface yielding sections of the course that were quite muddy and slippery.

Emma Grace Hurley, the 2024 USA XC runner-up, led the womenâ€s 10K race through the first couple of kilometers with a large pack in pursuit including Kelati, Parker Valby, Ednah Kurgat, Emily Venters, Grace Hartman, Katie Izzo, Taylor Werner, Karissa Schweizer, Elise Stearns, and Shelby Houlihan.

By halfway — passed in 16:44 — Kelati and Izzo had taken over the lead with Kurgat, Hurley, Hartman, Schweizer, Venters, and Valby following behind.

Over the next kilometer, Kelati and Izzo began to edge away with Kurgat running alone in 3rd. Then came Hurley, Schweizer, and Hartman, followed by Valby and Venters.

Kelati — the 2023 USA champion — began to pull away from Izzo by 7K and by 8K (passed in 26:52) had opened up a 6 second lead.

Kurgat continued to run alone in 3rd while Schweizer, Venters, Hartman, and Hurley battled for the remaining three team positions.

Kelati, unchallenged for the rest of the race, ran away to win in 33:46, 15 seconds ahead of Izzo in 2nd in 34:01.

“I knew the course was going to be hard when I see the mud, the hill,†said Kelati. “This is real cross country. If I can challenge myself, put myself in a good position on this course, Iâ€m ready to go.â€

Kurgat (34:10) finished 3rd while Schweizer (34:17) claimed 4th ahead of Venters (34:21) and Hartman (34:26).

Rocky Hansen was the early leader from Nico Young, Parker Wolfe and Graham Blanks yet Wolfeâ€s charging finish was decisive at the end of the menâ€s race. (MIKE SCOTT)

Wake Forestâ€s Rocky Hansen — 2nd just two weeks ago at the NCAA cross country championships — went immediately to the front to string out the loaded menâ€s field that included pre-race favorites Graham Blanks and Nico Young as well as Wesley Kiptoo, Wolfe, Paul Chelimo, Ahmed Muhumed, Matt Strangio, Morgan Beadlescomb, and Cooper Teare.

By 5K — passed in 14:28 — the top 6 had separated themselves from the rest of the field. Hansen led Blanks, Young, Wolfe, Muhumed, and Kiptoo running together at least 10 seconds ahead of the field.

The ACC conference duo of Hansen and Wolfe separated themselves from the chase pack by 8K (passed in 23:25), while Kiptoo ran alone in 3rd, then Muhumed, then Blanks and Young.

Wolfe — who finished 3rd in the 2024 Olympic Trials 5000 but didnâ€t have the Olympic qualifying standard so missed out on the Paris Games — surged during the final kilometer. His 2:53 closing 1000 over Glendoveerâ€s Terrace Hill (a two-step steep hill that crests 200m from the finish line) broke Hansen and delivered the win in 29:17.

“I was just trying to stay in contact with him [Rocky],†said Wolfe. “He was ready for this. When we got to 800 left I felt like I just had a little more in the tank going up those hills.â€

Hansen held on for runner-up honors in 29:25, holding off quick closing Kiptoo (29:28) and Muhumed (29:34).

Olympians Young (29:42) and Blanks (29:45) maintained 5th and 6th to claim spots on Team USA.

The 2K events were new at the USA championships and served to select 2 men and 2 women for the mixed relay at World Cross Country. Prior to this year, since the relayâ€s introduction in 2019, athletes self-nominated themselves for the mixed team and were ranked and selected according to their best performance based on World Athletics point among 1500, mile, 3000, 2-Mile (and some years 3000 steeplechase) during a selection window.

With a World Cross Country Championships on home soil this winter, USATFâ€s Cross Country Council decided to hold selection races for the relay.

The menâ€s 2K race was the first event following the morningâ€s NXN races. Liam Meirow led the field through halfway in 2:46, followed by Ethan Strand, Wes Porter, Sam Gilman, plus Craig Engels, Jacob Hunter, and Damien Dilcher.

Tokyo World Championships 1500 semifinalist Strand (5:26) applied pressure during the second half and broke away over the Terrace Hills, holding off a fast closing Porter (5:27) to win as those two earned Team USA slots.

“This place was awesome,†said Strand.†Good atmosphere with NXN. I wanted to come out and test myself today. Today wasnâ€t necessarily about making the World Team, it was more about giving my best effort, try to run hard. NCAA cross country has prepared me to keep my foot on the gas for the whole time.â€

In the womenâ€s 2K race, Gracie Morris led Annika Reiss and Emily Mackay past the 1K split in 3:09 with Tokyo World Championship 800 finalist Sage Hurta-Klecker leading a chase pack a few strides behind.

Morris kept up the pressure and began to pull away from Reiss and Mackay. However, Hurta-Klecker moved well during the second kilometer and passed Reiss and Mackay to run with Morris as the duo approached the Terrace Hill.

Morris charged hard up the Terrace Hill and opened a small gap over Hurta Klecker, winning in 6:20. Hurta-Klecker sprinted home in 6:23 to claim 2nd and the final Team USA position, with Reiss (6:24) closing hard over the final strides to come up just short.

“Honestly I had no idea what to expect,†said Morris of a 2K cross country race. “In the past I havenâ€t been very good at cross country. I just went at it. I felt the field was breaking and I just pressed.â€

The U20 races also served as U.S. national team selection races, with the first five eligible athletes qualifying for Tallahassee — along with the first eligible athlete from each of the morningâ€s NXN races.

Texasâ€s Aidan Torres won the U20 Menâ€s 8K race in 25:11, followed by Tyler Daillak (25:14), Daniel Skandera (25:19), Salvador Wirth (25:21), and Dylan Maloney (25:21). They will be joined on the team by NXN winner Jackson Spencer.

Dukeâ€s Victoria Garces battled with NC Stateâ€s Daniella Scheffler during the second half of the U20 womenâ€s 6K race, before pulling away to win in 21:07 ahead of Schefflerâ€s 21:21. Princetonâ€s Caroline Barton (21:55) finished 3rd, Cincinnatiâ€s Abigail Sewell (22:04) in 4th, and Minnesotaâ€s Norah Hushagen (22:22) in 5th.

Since Garces is too old to be U20 eligible in 2026, Hushagenâ€s Minnesota teammate Avery Marasco-Johnson rounds out Team USA along with NXN runner-up Blair Bartlett. (NXN winner Natasza Dudek is not a US Citizen.)

USATF XC RESULTS

Senior Men

Teams: 1. Swoosh TC 15; 2. Timberline AC 50; 3. Club Northwest 79.

10K: 1. Parker Wolfe (swoosh) 29:16.4; 2. Rocky Hansen (WF) 29:24.8; 3. Wesley Kiptoo (HokaNAZE) 29:27.7; 4. Ahmed Muhumed (HokaNAZE) 29:33.7; 5. Nico Young (adi) 29:41.6; 6. Graham Blanks (NBal) 29:45.0; 7. Liam Murphy (swoosh) 29:59.4; 8. Paul Chelimo (ADP) 30:14.8; 9. Morgan Beadlescomb (adi) 30:15.9; 10. Robert Liking (HokaNAZE) 30:16.1; 11. Camren Todd (unat) 30:17.5; 12. Sean McGorty (swoosh) 30:18.8; 13. Olin Hacker (HokaNAZE) 30:32.0; 14. Dylan Schubert (Asics) 30:33.9; 15. Matt Strangio (BrkB) 30:38.7;

16. Andrew Hunter (Asics) 30:41.2; 17. Drew Bosley (swoosh) 30:42.9; 18. Cooper Teare (swoosh) 30:48.0; 19. Wil Smith (HansB) 30:50.7; 20. Creed Thompson (Brk) 30:52.6; 21. Matthew Wilkinson (DarkSky) 30:53.0; 22. Andrew Colley (ZapE) 30:56.8; 23. Sam Lawler (unat) 31:00.9; 24. Shuaib Aljabaly (HansB) 31:03.9; 25. Aidan O’Gorman (unat) 31:11.4.

2K: 1. Ethan Strand (Swoosh) 5:26; 2. Wes Porter (unat) 5:27; 3. Garrett MacQuiddy (PenDC) 5:34; 4. Sam Gilman (USAF) 5:35; 5. Vincent Ciattei (DSD) 5:36; 6. Kasey Knevelbaard (DSD) 5:38; 7. Liam Meirow (NikeACG) 5:38; 8. Craig Engels (Swoosh) 5:38; 9. Damien Dilcher (UArmMRB) 5:42; 10. Jacob Hunter (unat) 5:47.

Junior Men

8K: 1. Aidan Torres (Tx) 25:10.8; 2. Tyler Daillak (SLO) 25:13.8; 3. Daniel Skandera (unat) 25:19.0; 4. Salvador Wirth (Mn) 25:20.6; 5. Dylan Maloney (NM) 25:20.8; 6. Juan Gonzalez (Or) 25:22.5; 7. Wil Ihmels (Co) 25:43.1; 8. Jack Bidwell (Mi) 25:45.2; 9. Henry Acorn (Va) 25:55.8; 10. Isaac Benjamin (unat) 25:56.1.

Senior Women

Teams: 1. Minnesota Distance Elite 15; 2. Team Red Lizard 44; 3. Santa Barbara Running & Racing 61.

10K: 1. Weini Kelati Frezghi (DarkSky) 33:45.5; 2. Katie Izzo (adi) 34:00.9; 3. Ednah Kurgat (USAr) 34:09.9; 4. Karissa Schweizer (swoosh) 34:16.2; 5. Emily Venters (swoosh) 34:20.7; 6. Grace Hartman (unat) 34:25.7; 7. Elise Stearns (swoosh) 34:33.1; 8. Allie Ostrander (Ois) 34:34.4; 9. Emma Grace Hurley (Asics) 34:40.9; 10. Parker Valby (NBal) 34:48.9; 11. Carrie Ellwood (MamTC) 34:57.8; 12. Makena Morley (Asics) 35:04.8; 13. Elena Henes (adi) 35:10.5; 14. Cailie Hughes (MnDE) 35:10.8; 15. Margot Appleton (NBalB) 35:14.3;

16. Katelyn Tuohy (adi) 35:30.3; 17. Rachael Rudel (FrontRE) 35:32.7; 18. Rachel Anderson (MnDE) 35:33.4; 19. Kasandra Parker (CrownR) 35:34.2; 20. Shelby Houlihan (unat) 35:34.5; 21. Stephanie Bruce (unat) 35:35.8; 22. Annastasia Peters (unat) 35:39.0; 23. Makenna Myler (RunEP) 35:41.1; 24. Taylor Werner (unat) 35:48.3; 25. Amber Zimmerman (unat) 35:52.4.

2K: 1. Gracie Morris (Puma) 6:20; 2. Sage Hurta-Klecker (OAC) 6:23; 3. Annika Reiss (DSD) 6:24; 4. Gracie Hyde (unat) 6:29; 5. Kayley DeLay (BrkB) 6:29; 6. Cailee Peterson (MnDE) 6:32; 7. Emily Mackay (NBal) 6:33; 8. Alexandra Carlson (unat) 6:37; 9. Teagan Schein-Becker (BrkB) 6:37; 10. Addy Wiley (adidas) 6:40.

Junior Women

6K: 1. Victoria Garces (Duke) 21:07.0; 2. Daniela Scheffler (NCSt 21:20.7; 3. Caroline Barton (Prin) 21:54.6; 4. Abigail Sewell (Cinc) 22:03.1; 5. Norah Hushagen (Mn) 22:21.7; 6. Avery Marasco-Johnson(Mn) 22:28.3; 7. Maeve Smith (Vill) 22:52.8; 8. Lillian Dicola (Tol) 23:00.1; 9. Arabella Nelson (OkSt) 23:08.3; 10. Macy Hanson (Mn) 23:09.8.

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≡ USATF BOARD TURMOIL ≡

USA Track & Field is experiencing a golden age of performance by American athletes, who won a sensational 34 medals (14 gold) at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and 26 medals (16 gold) at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Off the field, the federation is navigating significant financial difficulties, ending 2024 with negative net assets of $6.125 million, with $29.730 million in assets and $35.855 million in liabilities.

Now, the USATF Board of Directors is fighting among themselves, dismissing two of its members over the last 10 days:

â— Jere Summers-Hall, a shot and hammer All-American at Louisville and now an operations specialist for large digital firms, was elected as the Chair of the USATF Athletes Commission in December 2024.

â— Kristie Killough-Ali, a Chicago attorney, was elected as an Independent Director to the USATF Board in 2018 and whose term will expire in 2026.

The USATF Board did not simply vote Summers-Hall and Killough-Ali off of the Board, but suspended their USATF memberships, making them ineligible for them to attend the USATF Annual Meeting taking place at Lake Buena Vista, Florida this coming Friday and Saturday (5-6 December).

This is especially noteworthy in view of the fact that Summers-Hall submitted 45 proposals and sub-proposals for consideration by the Law & Legislation Committee and then by the membership or other governance bodies as a whole, and Killough-Ali submitted eight.

Whatâ€s going on here?

¶

Summers-Hall has been, according to multiple close observers, a relentless inquirer about USATFâ€s financial affairs, budgeting, expenditures and how athletes – including Paralympic athletes, now under USATF governance – can be further supported, and also how Paralympic athletes can be more deeply incorporated into the USATF governance structure.

On 25 November, she was sent a letter – seen by The Sports Examiner – from the USATF Board which referred to an Executive Session on 24 November:

“During this discussion, the athlete representatives on the Board spoke candidly about concerns they and other athletes have raised regarding the direction of the Athleteâ€s Commission (‘ACâ€) under your leadership as Chair.

“The Board received detailed reports of several significant concerns. These include, but are not limited to, allegations that you have not fulfilled the duties of your position by failing to work with the AC to ensure all athlete appointments are made to the organizationâ€s committees; that you have exceeded the authority of your position by making certain decisions and appointments without first obtaining the ACâ€s input; and that you have harassed and berated other athletes and National Office staff. The athlete representatives also reported that the AC has been unable to advance any of its initiatives over the past year due to the disruption caused by these behaviors. They expressed that, if such conduct continues, athlete engagement in the AC is likely to further decline. In light of these concerns, they requested that the Board take immediate action.

“Given the risk of substantial harm to USATF, including the AC, and after thorough deliberation, the Board moved, seconded, and voted to direct its CEO to take emergency action under USATF Regulation 21-T. Accordingly, your USATF membership is hereby temporarily suspended. Please note, pursuant to Regulation 21-T, you have the right to a hearing before the Board upon your written notice to the National Office within five (5) days of this communication.â€

A message sent from the eight USATF athlete members of the Board to the USATF Athlete Commission members on 26 November included:

“The concerns raised regarding Jeréâ€s conduct and leadership compelled us to act in what we believe is the best interests of both athletes and the broader organization.

“Over the past year, the relationship between the Athletes†Commission and USATF leadership has deteriorated. After much reflection, it became clear that the Chair’s approach and values no longer align with what athletes need for effective, collaborative representation in our sport.â€

Summers-Hall sent a four-page reply on 27 November, which opened with:

“After reviewing the governing documents and applicable federal law, the Boardâ€s emergency action appears to have been taken in violation of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (the ‘Ted Stevens Actâ€), USOPC Bylaws, and USATFâ€s own Bylaws and Regulations.

“The cited allegations are not safety or integrity related. They lack specificity, evidence, or any indication of immediate risk. They reflect unsupported internal allegations that should have been addressed, if at all, through regular procedures, not emergency discipline aimed at silencing an athleteâ€s advocacy carried out in good faith and in the best interests of both athletes and USATF.â€

She noted the suspension “appears retaliatory†and requested revocation of her membership suspension and asked for future actions to comply with the Ted Stevens Act and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee requirements.

There was an “emergency meeting†online of the USATF athletes on 1 December, which Summers-Hall – now suspended – was invited to join and during which she explained her position. It eventually ended with the USATF Athletes Commission Board – a group separate from those athletes on the USATF Board of Directors – moving to a private discussion of next steps.

What appears true is that the USATF Board will not allow Summers-Hall to attend the General Meeting in Florida and she will remain suspended pending a Board hearing (where her request to be reinstated is unlikely to be reversed).

¶

Killough-Aliâ€s temporary suspension was also delivered in a 25 November letter and involve a defamation suit between former USATF staff member and former Board member Jim Estes and the federation, over his consulting role with Chattanooga, Tennessee as a bidder for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, eventually awarded to Orlando, Florida.

In short, Estes†suit has involved former USATF Board Chair Mike Conley, the 1992 Olympic menâ€s triple jump gold medalist and 1993 World Champion and Killough-Aliâ€s apparent discussions with Conley related to this matter. The 25 November letter included:

“After further consultation with outside counsel, the Board discussed the immediacy of discovery and the likelihood that your position will be adverse to USATF. As a result, the Board holds significant legal and ethical concerns regarding your continued involvement in USATF governance committees and other membership functions while Litigation remains pending.

“Although you offered to discuss the matter further with the Board, you did not take actions to resign from the Board and other committees, nor did you volunteer to suspend your USATF membership. Therefore, the Board remains concerned that your continued participation could be detrimental to USATF both with respect to the Litigation specifically and the organizationâ€s broader mission.

“Given the risk of substantial harm to USATF, and after careful deliberation and thoughtful discussion, the Board moved, seconded, and voted to direct its CEO to take emergency action under USATF Regulation 21-T. Accordingly, your USATF membership is hereby temporarily suspended until the Litigation has concluded. Please note, pursuant to Regulation 21-T, you have the right to a hearing before the Board upon your written notice to the National Office within five (5) days of this communication.â€

USATF President Curt Clausen, also an attorney, send Killough-Ali a prior letter on 20 November, which asked for her resignation and also included:

“At a minimum, it is likely you will be a critical witness in the Litigation – both with respect to USATFâ€s defense of Jim Estes†claims and with respect to USATFâ€s claims against Mr. Conley. We expect your positions may be adverse to USATFâ€s interests in the Litigation.â€

Killough-Ali replied to Clausen on 24 November, a day before the Board suspension letter arrived and noted, in part:

“1. The concerns reflected in your letter suggest that providing truthful information is inconsistent with loyalty to USATF, the organization. In fact, the opposite is true: honesty, transparency, and legal compliance are essential to fulfilling our fiduciary obligations.

“2. The letter conflates and confuses loyalty for our CEO & COO with loyalty to USATF. My fiduciary duty is owed exclusively to USATF, the organization – not to individual executives. Truthful testimony upholds that duty; suppressing it violates it.

“3. If legally required to testify, I will do so truthfully and in full alignment with my fiduciary duties owed to USATF.â€

She called the 20 November letter “the most serious instance of retaliation†and asked for independent legal counsel to help guide the federation through the legal minefield of the Estes case.

¶

Both Killough-Ali and Summers-Hall referred to a non-disclosure agreement that Killough-Ali stated in her reply was from “Attorneys representing the CEO and COOâ€; Estes†action against them was dismissed, but the complaint against USATF has been allowed to proceed to the discovery phase.

The non-disclosure agreement was provided to each of the USATF Board members and asked the signees to promise to “not use, disseminate or in any way disclose or otherwise convey any portion of the Confidential Information furnished to it or such other materials described in (1) above to any person.â€

The “Confidential Information†included a long list of items, such as financial data, transactions, business strategy, potential event locations and many others. Killough-Ali did not sign it and stated in her reply, “I have NOT breached my fiduciary duty,†and “I remain committed to acting in good faith and in the best interest of USATF, consistent with my fiduciary duties, and look forward to discussing this matter with the Board.â€

Summers-Hall also responded on the non-disclosure agreement, noting that the restrictions appeared to limit her ability to talk to Athlete Commission members about information they should know.

She also submitted the non-disclosure agreement to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, which, according to Summers-Hill, “the USOPC sent a letter to USATF leadership, now shared with the full [USATF] Board, stating that: [t]he concerns raised about the NDA are reasonable†and should be clarified and more limited.

Meanwhile, the Estes vs. USATF suit goes on and the drama will apparently continue.

All part of being a national federation which was one of six nominees for the World Athletics Member Federations Award for 2025, and won “bronze recognition for Best NGB or Organizing Body of the Year at the 2025 Sports Business Awards.â€

¶

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