Nike Indoor Nationals Distance Preview

The three-day Nike Indoor Nationals is set March 8-10 at The Armory in New York City.

Here is a look at the distance events to watch for this weekend.

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Friday

For the first time since racing in the sweepstake race at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic on Sept. 16 in California last fall, Jane Hedengren (Timpview UT), Elizabeth Leachman (Boerne Champion TX) will go head to head in a race. Hedengren won a close finish that night in California against Leachman, breaking the tape a tenth of a second ahead in 15:32.5 on the 3-mile course. 

Unfortunately, that was the only time that two of the country's most dominant distance runners were able to race. Hedengren suffered an injury mid way through the season. Leachman went on to win the Foot Locker National title.

Those two and Emily Wisniewski (Crescent Valley OR), the third-place finisher at Nike Cross Nationals, will all toe the line together in the 2-mile for what should be the most anticipated race of the entire meet.

Leachman, who was seventh in last year’s 2-mile championship race, has posted three of the top four all-time outdoor marks in the 3,200-meter in the early portion of her season, highlighted by her recent Feb. 15 effort at the Boerne Greyhound Relays when she lowered her national record again to 9 minutes, 43.74 seconds. She’s the only prep athlete to dip under 9:50 in a 3,200/2-mile race in 2024.

Hedengren, who won the two-mile at Nike Outdoor Nationals last spring, is second to Leachman this season in the 3,200 with her 10:02.42 effort at the Simplot Games on Feb. 17. With an altitude conversion, given the Simplot race was ran at 4,500 feet in Pocatello, Idaho, the time drops to 9:45 for Hedengren. 

Wisniewski, who was third at Nike Cross Nationals last fall, will make her season debut in the 2-mile and race her first one since last year’s Oregon Relays where she ran 10:24.91.

With these three slated in the line-up, a few sub-10-minute efforts are up for grabs, along with a potential national record. Mary Cain’s national record time of 9:38.68 could be in serious jeopardy, especially with how fast Leachman has been running lately in the 3,200.

Joining those three will be the top returner from last year’s championship race in Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island WA), who finished second to Brooke Wilson. 

Nike Outdoor All-Americans Rylee Blade (Santiago Corona CA) and Zariel Macchia (William Floyd NY), New Balance Nationals Outdoor All-American Lily Guinn (Abraham Baldwin GA) and Foot Locker Cross Country All-American Reese Dalton (Covenant VA) add to the already impressive field of competitors.

The boys 2-mile features reigning Nike Outdoor Nationals champion in the 5,000, Byron Grevious (Phillips Exeter NH), set to take on Nathan Neil (Bozeman MT), third at NXN, and Tamrat Gavenas (Andover Phillips Academy MA) and Berkley Nance (Mills E. Godwin VA), third and fourth at Foot Locker, respectively. Tommy Latham (Marist GA) is another NXN All-American in the field.

Will Conway (Floyd Central IN) will bring in one of the top 2-mile times in the country this indoor season, running 8:48.18 at the Alex Wilson Invite at Notre Dame on Feb. 17. 

Ethan Edgeworth (Cold Springs AL) and Keegan Smith (Knoxville Catholic TN) round out the field of top competitors. 

Crater of Oregon, which won the NBNI distance medley relay crown last year, is back to win another national title and could go sub-10 minutes with a lineup that includes Tayvon Kitchen, Caleb Doddington, Nicholas Kube and Josiah Tostenson. 

Another team looking for a sub-10 outcome is Graveyard of Los Angeles (Cathedral CA), which has Manny Perez on the anchor. Buccholz FL, US#4 Ridgewood NJ and St. Xavier TC of Ohio are also contenders. 

Four teams highlight the girls distance medley relay field with South Lakes VA, Hamilton Southeastern IN, Myers Park NC and Dillard FL all set to race.

Saturday

Patrick Koon (Leon FL) headlines the boys 5,000 field with the nation’s fastest time in the country at 14:06.38. The Stanford commit last ran the 5,000 at the BU Valentine Invite on Feb. 10, putting together the No. 5 all-time indoor effort.

Kitchen, who ranks second in the country this year at 14:34.89, will challenge Koon for the individual title, along with Grievous, Perez and Nance, who all will make the turnaround from racing Friday night.

Dylon Nalley (Marion IL) poses as an intriguing entry in the 5,000 coming off a 8:50.47 2-mile effort at the Alex Wilson Invite. 

Foot Locker All-American Ty Steorts (Hurricane WV) and California standouts Evan Noonan (Dana Hills) and Anthony Fast Horse (Ventura) are among other top entries in the boys race.

In the girls 5,000, Leachman, Rodriguez, Wisniewski and Macchia will double back after racing the 2-mile Friday night.

Rodriguez holds the top time in the country at 16:52.05, which was set as a freshman national record at the UW Invitational in Seattle on Jan. 27. 

Wisniewski was last spring’s Nike Outdoor Nationals runner-up in the event, with Macchia right behind her in third. 

Foot Locker All-American Maddie Gardiner (Covenant VA) adds to another talented field.

The reigning NXN boys team champions Herriman UT will feature two relay teams in the boys 4x800 and 4xMile in hopes of sweeping both races.

Herriman ran the fifth fastest 4x800 relay time in the country at the Simplot Games, running 7:49.66. 

Stumptown (Jesuit) OR and Souderton Area PA will have teams in the 4x800 relay. Buchholz FL, featuring 4:04.65 miler Riley Smith, is expected to compete alongside Herriman in the 4xMile.

NXN ninth place team Wilmington (Tatnall DE) is the top entry in the girls 4xMile, featuring Carlita Kaliher, Abby Downin, Katie Payne and Ruby Schwelm, who all ran at NXN.

South Lakes VA and Dillard FL will have teams competing in the girls 4x800 relay.

Sunday

Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College NY) will be the top entry in a heavy-hitter girls mile with a US#6 time of 4:44.19. 

Joining McElhinney will be reiging Nike Indoor Nationals 5,000 champion Lillie Bogdan (Lake View NY), as well as Foot Locker All-American Mary Bonner Dalton (Myers Park NC), Nike Outdoor Nationals runner-up in the mile Rebecca O’Keefe (Skyline WA) and Nike Outdoor Nationals All-American Chiara Dailey (La Jolla CA).

Blade, Rodriguez, Dalton and Guinn are among top entries which will have already raced in the two days prior. 

Chloe Huyler (Lakeridge OR), Lily Alder (Timpview UT), Alyson Johnson (Creekside FL), Ella Cohen (Hunter College NY) Stephanie Bertram (Canada) and San Juanita Leal (North TX) round out the order.

Tostenson makes his way back to the track two days after racing in the DMR for the boys mile as the favorite with the top entry time of 4:03.38. 

Smith (Buchholz FL) follows his 4x800 relay duties with an entry in the mile, along with another U.S. top 10 miler in Owen Powell (Mercer Island). 

Grievous will complete his busy weekend by supposedly racing his third event. Conway, Gavenas and Edgeworth will return from Friday’s two-mile. 

Nate Stadtlander (Meridian ID) will be among those in All-American contention.