Hiltz Wins Third Straight 1,500 Meters Title; Kessler Class Of Field For Second Straight Day At Ocean Breeze

By Oliver Hinson for DyeStat

PHOTOS by John Nepolitan | INTERVIEWS

NEW YORK — Hobbs Kessler and Nikki Hiltz had a blueprint for victory Day 1 of the USATF Indoor Championships, and they both kept the momentum going Sunday, winning the men’s and women’s 1,500 meters finals in tactical fashion.

Kessler led wire to wire in the men’s race, only facing a slight scare in the last lap from runner-up Sam Prakel. He said he had planned on leading from the front — taking inspiration from Jakob Ingebrigsten — and he knew that a few people would try to pass him, but he wasn’t going to let that phase him.

“I kind of made the decision on the start line that I was gonna control the race from the front,” Kessler said. “That’s just, today, what I felt comfortable with and thought was the best course of action… I knew there was gonna be a tax, and I was gonna be ready to counter them. It played out exactly how I expected.”

The race also played out much like last night’s 3,000, with an even more tactical pace. The field clicked off 30-second laps for the first 1,100 meters of the race, and then Kessler split 27.49 and 26.26 for his final two laps. Prakel, Luke Houser and Vincent Ciattei did their best to follow, but Kessler re-proved Saturday's lesson: no one can keep up with the 21-year-old’s kick.

Kessler will not run at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China. Instead, he is going to take some downtime and prepare for the outdoor season, which runs until September this season. He has been a fixture in the American mid-distance scene during his young professional career, but he said he’s going to train more aerobically this year and enter some longer races.

“I need to get stronger,” Kessler said. “I need to be a sub-13:00 5k runner, or at least capable of it. We’ll keep working towards that. That’s the way I’m gonna get to 3:27, being able to run 12:55.”

Prakel had a different impression of the race. He was surprised that Kessler took the lead considering he raced the 3,000 last night, but he agreed it was the best course of action for him. He also said he was waiting for someone to make a move in the middle laps, but that never happened, so he continued to keep his position in the front.

“I knew it was gonna come at some point,” Prakel said. “I knew we were running slow. We definitely settled in in the middle, and indoors, you don’t want to get shuffled to the back because there’s usually no coming back from that.”

Prakel said he will run in China if he qualifies. He does not have the world championship standard of 3:33.50, but he will have two weeks to chase that mark, and he said he may run at the Last Chance National Qualifier at Boston University next Sunday.

Houser, meanwhile, turned some heads with his performance, taking third in 3:39.27. He unleashed a massive — and surprisingly sustained — kick in the last 400 meters; he was the only competitor to record sub-27 splits in each of his last two laps.

Houser, a relatively new pro with the Atlanta Track Club after starring at Washington, had a rough start to his indoor season, but he has picked it up in February, recording three wins in the mile or 1,500 in the last four weeks. Houser plans to run in China if he qualifies.

Ciattei also made a late surge, moving from 12th to third in three laps, and like the rest of the lead pack, he split a sub-27 on his last lap, but Houser’s 26.21 was over half a second faster than his 26.79, and he got barely pushed out of a podium finish.

Benjamin Allen took fifth in 3:40.20, followed by Henry Wynne, who went from ninth to sixth in his last two laps and finished in 3:41.25.

Hiltz wins third straight U.S. 1,500 title

Nikki Hiltz said Saturday they were in better 3,000 shape than 1,500 shape, but their early-season strength work clearly hasn’t taken much from their kick.

Hiltz blazed to the front late in the women’s 1500, taking the win in 4:05.76.

Hiltz was somewhat surprised to see both of their races become tactical affairs, but not disappointed.

“I don’t care how fast I run,” Hiltz said. “I want to win. I loved what Hobbs (Kessler) said. I’m of the same philosophy. It’s about winning and breaking the tape.”

Their two national titles add to what has already been an “A++” season, they said, including a mile PB at the Millrose Games and a 3,000 meters PB at the Terrier Classic in Boston. Hiltz will not run in China.

Sinclaire Johnson took second in 4:06.05, an indoor PB. She said she’s been feeling great in training and that if she was in a fast race, she could beat her outdoor PB of 3:56.75.

“I honestly think I’m in PR shape,” Johnson said. “I haven’t had a race yet to really indicate that, but I think I’m in the best shape of my life right now. It’s exciting.”

Johnson will run in China. While others have expressed the need to stay fresh before an especially long outdoor season, Johnson is looking at the season in a different way; she believes she has a lot of time before she needs to be at the top of her game in the outdoor season, and she sees no problem with fitting indoor Worlds into her schedule.

“I’m definitely not gonna back away from a championship,” Johnson said. “I’m definitely not gonna back away from international competition. That’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to race against the best. I understand it’s far away, but we’ll recover.”

Heather MacLean, meanwhile, looked like she had a shot to win the race, taking the lead with 400 meters left, but she fell to second at the bell and eventually finished third in 4:06.69. MacLean said she will run in China as well if she qualifies.

Shelby Houlihan, who took second in the 3,000 meters yesterday, finished fourth in 4:06.82. She has the world championship qualifying standard, so if Johnson or MacLean don’t qualify, she would take one of their places.

Houlihan’s return to racing after a four-year doping ban was expected by some to carry controversy, but she said yesterday she’s heard mostly positive chatter, and several of her competitors Sunday echoed that.

Johnson said she’s “served her time” and should be welcomed back, while Hiltz said they look at Houlihan as “just another body” to beat.

Behind Houlihan, Laurie Barton and Gracie Morris finished fifth and sixth, setting PBs of 4:08.92 and 4:09.26, respectively. Dani Jones took seventh in 4:09.37 (and she was the next highest finisher with the world championship standard), while Katelyn Tuohy repeated her eighth place finish from the 3,000 on Saturday.