Hoey 'Shocked' To See 1:43.24 On Final Day AT USATF Indoor Championships; Nia Akins Wins Women's 800; Vashti Cunningham Wins 15th National Title

By David Woods for DyeStat

PHOTOS by John Nepolitan | INTERVIEWS

NEW YORK – Grant Fisher set two world indoor records this month. OK, he is a two-time Olympic medalist. Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse and Hobbs Kessler ran under world records, too, but they are also global medalists. Collegiate records vanish before ink is dry on the page, but those are college kids these days.

They are not the winter's revelation in track and field. That designation belongs to Josh Hoey.

The one-time wunderkind from Downington, Pa., gave chase to what would have been a fourth world indoor record in a 16-day span in men’s middle or long distances.

Hoey clocked the fastest indoor 800 meters in 28 years, front-running an American record of 1:43.24 Sunday in the USATF Indoor Championships at Staten Island’s Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.

“I was pretty shocked, if I’m going to be honest,” the 25-year-old said.

The world indoor record of 1:42.67 by Denmark’s Wilson Kipketer has stood since 1997. Hoey broke the American record of 1:43.90 he set Feb. 8 at the Millrose Games, and he now has two of the four fastest times ever indoors.

Elsewhere, Hobbs Kessler and Nikki Hiltz completed historic 3,000/1,500 doubles (see other story), Nia Akins overcame obstacles to win the women’s 800, high jumper Vashti Cunningham took a 15th national title, and Celera Barnes and Ronnie Baker were the 60-meter champions.

Top two in each event go on to the World Indoor Championships, set for March 21-23, if they have the standard or ranking. Many winners are opting out, although Hoey intends to race for a gold medal at Nanjing, China.

Brandon Miller, Hoey, Jonah Koech and Shane Cohen went 3-4-5-6 at the 2024 Olympic Trials, so in comparison to other events, the men’s 800 was the deepest on the track.

Hoey, Miller (1:44.26) and Wes Ferguson (1:44.92) all ran PBs, and all three were under the meet record of 1:45.10 set by Donavan Brazier in 2018. Ferguson nearly broke that in Saturday’s heats, running 1:45.24.

Hoey ran the first 400 in 50.36 and passed 600 in 1:16.70 – fast enough to be in the U.S. top 10 at that distance in 2025.

“When you go out in1:16, that’s where I draw the line at the moment,” said Ferguson, a former NCAA Division 2 champion from Nebraska-Kearney.

Hoey, a pro out of high school, has had such a dramatic rise after years of stagnation that he has skeptics. Does not bother him, he said.

“The people who’ve been around me for a long time know what’s going on,” he said.

He asserted progress was made not so much this year as last year. Because he was recovering from an illness, he said, he might have made the Olympic team if the 800 had been a week later.

“I wanted to go out and prove my talent before going out and saying something like that,” Hoey said.

In the women’s 800, Akins moved from third to first on the last 200-meter lap, finishing in1:59.31. Valery Tobias was second in 1:59.55 and Sage Herta-Klecker third in 2:00.13.

Akins, 26, is national indoor champ for the second time in three years after winning last year’s Olympic Trials.

She has elaborated publicly about her Christian faith, panic attacks and sponsorship issues. She left her former club, Brooks Beasts, and recently signed with HOKA. Akins was seventh at the Millrose Games.

“I almost didn’t come,” she said of this meet.

In the high jump, Cunningham cleared 6-4.25 (1.94m)  for a ninth indoor title. No one else has won since 2015.

Charity Hufnagel was second at the same height, equaling the PB she set in winning last year’s Olympic Trials. Hufnagel, who did not compete at Paris because she lacked the standard, is coming off shoulder surgery. Cunningham and Hufnagel both could end up in Nanjing, if they remain in the world's top 12.

In the absence of American record-holder Aleia Hobbs, Barnes won her first national title in 7.11, slowest winning time in the 60 since 2019. She won by .003 over world leader Jacious Sears, 7.104 to 7.107.

“This is just a testament to my work,” said Barnes, a semifinalist at last year’s indoor worlds.

The 31-year-old Baker, an NCAA champion for TCU as long as 10 years ago, won the men’s 60 in 6.52. He had not won a U.S. indoor title since 2017.

Baker, after placing fifth in the 100 at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, said he was “non-existent” from then until 2024. He credited his Christian faith for persevering.

“Deep down inside, I still have what it takes to come out here and perform at a high level. That’s why I’m here,” he said.

Baker had a bye to Nanjing from winning the 2020 World Indoor Tour, so he could be joined there by second and third places, Coby Hilton and Emanuel 'Ray Ray' Wells, both 6.58. Wells is a high school track coach at The Bush School in Seattle.

In a semifinal, Penn State freshman Ajani Dwyer clocked 6.54, making him No. 5 on the all-time under-20 world list. He was sixth in the final in 6.61.

Dwyer, 18, is from nearby Somerset, N.J. The U20 world record of 6.51 by Great Britain’s Mark Lewis-Francis has stood since 2001. D’Angelo Cherry set the U20 American record of 6.52 in 2009.

Bailey comes back in men’s 400

In other men’s events:

>> Chris Bailey, third at 200 meters, navigated traffic to win the 200 in 45.21. Jacory Patterson was second, for the second year in a row, in 45.60. Quincy Wilson was fifth in 46.13, well off his national high school record of 45.66. Oddly, there have been 16 different champions in the last 16 editions of the 400.

>> In the absence of Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs, a first shot put title went to Tripp Piperi with a distance of 70-6.50  (21.50m).

>> Vernon Turner high jumped 7-4.50 (2.25m), also for a first national title.

>> Will Williams took the long jump for the second time in three years, reaching 26-9.25 (8.16m). Americans have one medal in the long jump over the past six global championships.

>> Kyle Garland, in his first heptathlon since breaking the collegiate record with 6,639 points in 2023, won his first U.S. title with a score of 6,139.

Holmes wins women’s 400 again

In other women’s events:

>> Alexis Holmes, a world indoor bronze medalist in 2024, repeated in the 400 in 50.51. Rosey Effiong was second in 51.43.

>> Rachel Tanczos Richeson, fourth in the hammer at the Olympic Trials, won her first U.S. title by throwing the 20-pound weight 82-10.5 (25.26m). Defending champion Erin Reese was second at 81-8.75 (24.91m).

>> Jasmine Moore, a double Olympic bronze medalist, won her first U.S. triple jump title with a distance of 45-7.25 (13.90m). Absent was four-time indoor champ Keturah Orji, a three-time Olympian who recently announced her retirement at age 28.

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.