High school middle-distance phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus of Texas is entered in the lion's den of the USA National 800m (Kyle Brazeil photo)
This was a somewhat down week in terms of the professional side of things. On the Illinois scene, we had a rain-soaked Detweiler at Dark that took center stage. Below, I will highlight some of the key events from the past week and preview my top five races to watch at the USA National Championships, which take place this week.
1. Detweiller at Dark
Detweiller at Dark was a rain-soaked experience, but some great results were still turned in. A name to watch on the 2A scene, who I think has a legitimate shot at a state title this fall, is junior Ali Londrigan from Chatham-Glenwood. She had a solid race at Detweiler on a sloppy course, and after a phenomenal track season, she looks to have taken the step towards state title contention for the Glenwood Titans. More highlights from Detweiler at Dark are in this excellent article by Tony Jones: https://il.milesplit.com/articles/379934/detweiller-at-dark-goes-on-amid-mother-natures-summer-storm
2. Grand Slam Track Not So Transparent After All
Early this summer, Grand Slam Track announced that it had accomplished all of its goals for the season and decided not to contest its series finale in Los Angeles. They were lamented by track fans everywhere for their lack of transparency in the announcement.
It turns out, those fans and their comments were warranted. It was announced this week that a major investor in the start-up track league withdrew their investment, which was valued at over $10 million in capital. Where does the league go from here? Can they pay the prize money earned by the athletes? If not, can they handle the legal ramifications of not paying the athletes? Time will tell, but I sadly feel as if this is the end of Grand Slam Track. More information on this and the fallout can be found here: https://www.letsrun.com/news/2025/07/the-truth-comes-out-grand-slam-track-facing-financial-trouble-la-meet-canceled-after-investor-reneged-on-eight-figure-term-sheet/
3. USA Nationals is Upon Us
Our national championships are here, and I have decided to discuss the five races at Nationals that I'm particularly excited to watch. Here we go in no particular order:
The Women's 400m Dash: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will not contest the 400 hurdles at the USAs this year and will instead attack the flat 400. Everyone is expecting her to take a shot at the American Record, and it will be fun watching her compete in a different event this year. Can she win the world title? She will have to make the team first, but her decision to only run this event makes this race one of the most exciting of the weekend.
The Men's 1500: What needs to be said about this race? Not much really, but this is going to be an absolute battle and war. Defending gold medalist Cole Hocker, bronze medalist Yared Nuguse, and 5th place finisher Hobbs Kessler are the big three in this event. Can anyone step up and take it to the next level, knocking out one of the big three? The logical choice is one of the collegiates, Ethan Strand or NCAA champ Nathan Green. Can NCAA record holder Liam Murphy rebound from NCAA disappointment? This race has all of the intrigue of a heavyweight boxing match. This will be must-see TV!
The Men's 5k: Fisher, Young, Blanks, Wolfe, and Hunter are the big names. Drew Hunter and Parker Wolfe will enter this battle fresh. Grant Fisher, Nico Young, and Graham Blanks are all going to be doubling back from the 10k. This race will be a barn-burning last mile in the midday heat of Eugene. Watch out for NCAA darkhorse Marco Langdon to take a shot at the top group as well. This will be an incredible race to watch. Also, don't sleep on Illinois' own Dylan Jacobs!
The Men's 100m Dash: Can Illinois' own Marcellus Moore make the team? He has a legitimate shot. Can Courtney Lindsay, the pride of Rock Island, make the team as well? With Noah Lyles having the bye into the world champs, given that he is the defending champion, the USA will be sending four athletes to the world champs. Moore enters the meet as an outside pick to make the team. If he can make the final, he will be in the relay pool. Illinois fans will be pulling for the Illinois great to get the job done on the national stage. Lindsay probably has a better chance of making the team in the 200, but he has a legit shot to make the final as well. Throw in Fred Kerley, Trayvon Brommell, Kenny Bednarek, and Christian Coleman into the mix, and this event is inspiring, even with Noah probably only running the 200 at USAs.
The Women's 200: Will Shacarri Richardson run this race or just contest the 100? Time will tell. Gabby Thomas has been on a tear since winning the gold medal in this event last year. She has become one of the faces of the sport and will be looking to put on a show at this meet. When she steps on the track, the world watches. I think she has a legitimate shot at the American Record in the near future.
That is just a few of the races I am looking forward to this weekend. Of course, Evan Jager racing the steeple again is intriguing for Illinois fans, and there are plenty of University of Illinois athletes at the USAs this year to cheer on. One of the coolest things to ever happen to me as a coach was to watch a former athlete of mine, Robert Williams, run the prelims of the 400 hurdles last year, representing the University of Illinois. To all the Illinois coaches out there with alums racing at the National meet, enjoy it!