By David Melly and Preet Majithia

The wait is over! Track fans no longer have to begrudgingly turn on basketball or choose sides in the Eagles-Chiefs slugfest this weekend, because it’s indoor season, baby, and the pros are officially heading back to work in the oval office.

Not only was there finally plenty to watch, there was plenty to talk about. From the BU Terrier Classic to the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, plus a handful of races not held in one square mile of Boston, the heavy hitters wasted no time dusting the cobwebs off their spikes and putting eye-popping performances up on the board. 

For some, the message was “I’m back,” as was the case with Will Sumner’s ongoing return to racing after posting no results in 2024, or Melissa Courtney-Bryant’s statement victory in the Grand Prix 3000m after missing the British Olympic team last summer. For others, it was about picking up where they left off: Quincy Wilson lowered his own high school national record in the 400m while beating the pros, Noah Lyles and Julien Alfred won their first races of the year, and Salwa Eid Naser ran the eight-fastest 500m of all time against a bunch of college kids.

If following all these meets across social media platforms, streaming services, and physical facilities around the country felt a little bit like drinking from a fire hose, we can’t blame you. So here’s a quick roundup of the biggest takeaways from a jam-packed weekend:

This year’s meet schedule has a big impact.

One recurring theme coming out of virtually every pro’s mouth in the mixed zone this weekend—whether at BU, NB, or both—is that navigating this indoor season requires serious planning. Whether you are just getting back to racing after a long post-Olympic break, planning to peak at a global championship set for September, or practicing for the two-race Grand Slam race weekends, athlete after athlete was sure to mention that their racing this weekend was carefully slotted into the broader context of the track calendar. 

Because of pandemic-related delays and cancellations, the normally-biennial World Indoor Championships will occur three years in a row, with the 2025 edition (initially slated for 2020, then 2021) set to take place in Nanjing, China, in March. As a side effect, it sure seems like athletes aren’t necessarily circling the date on their calendars. Reigning 800m champ Bryce Hoppel said he’s skipping his title defense and last year’s 60m silver medalist Noah Lyles is limiting his whole indoor season to one race. Distance runners looking to nab a 10,000m qualifier at The TEN on March 29 may not want to make an intercontinental trip two weeks earlier—although Graham Blanks did Harvardly deduce that it’s a shorter flight to China from LA than it is from Boston, so he’s considering it, should he qualify.

Elise Cranny said she specifically picked this weekend in Boston, where she raced the mile on Friday and the 3000m on Sunday (clocking indoor PBs in both), because she wanted to mimic the cadence of GST race weekends and figure out what racing with just 24 hours of rest (compared with back-to-back race days or two days of rest, which are more common in championships) would look like for her. And GST’s first event, set for April 4th, is another reason why athletes may not want to exhaust their race efforts with a full indoor season. It’s an unfortunate reality that even the most ambitious of professionals can’t truly commit to racing every weekend for nine months straight, and it does seem like, when push comes to shove, dropping a few races off the indoor calendar is a common compromise many are making.

Ethan Strand is the real MF deal.

It’s not every day a 22-year-old college student bumps Hicham El Guerrouj back a spot on an all-time list. And sure, you can talk about carbon spikes or perfect pacing or the near-mystical qualities of the BU track, but that doesn’t change the fact that Strand became only the fifth American ever to break the 3:50 mark indoors, picked up his second collegiate record in two months, and took down a field that included two-time Olympian Robert Farken and Euros finalist Adam Fogg. When UNC coach Chris Miltenberg calls Strand and Parker Wolfe “the next two great American distance runners,” it’s starting to sound less like a proud coach fluffing his top guys’ egos and a little more like the guy who guided Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty, and Emily Infeld through their college careers recognizing generational talent as it takes form.

Diljeet Taylor is the real MF deal.

Okay, we didn’t “learn” this last weekend because it’s been self-evident for years. But it was nevertheless thrilling to watch a large cadre of college and professional athletes guided by BYU women’s coach Diljeet Taylor run rampant over the competition at the Terrier Classic. First, BYU senior Meghan Hunter won the 800m in an NCAA-leading 2:00.21. Then, her teammate Riley Chamberlain moved to #6 all-time in the mile with a four-second PB of 4:26.19. But the signature “Taylor Made” performances came in the women’s 5000m, where her athletes finished first, second, fourth, sixth, and ninth, led by Paris Olympian Whittni Morgan’s World qualifying 14:48.41. Despite coming from two countries, three brands, and the collegiate ranks, Taylor’s growing gang clearly shares an ability to train well together and execute flawlessly.

Beyond Morgan’s win, the biggest takeaway was probably Lexy Halladay-Lowry joining the small group of NCAA sub-15 women with her 14:57.63 run. While it’s only the third fastest of the season behind Doris Lemngole and Hilda Olemomoi’s performances on the same track in December, Halladay-Lowry, who finished fourth in the 3000m and fifth in the 5000m at NCAA Indoors last year, has officially entered the national title conversation.

U.S. women’s middle distance stays fascinating.

Over the last several seasons, the incredible depth in American middle-distance (especially in the 1500m) has made for thrilling storylines in virtually every domestic race. And so far, 2025 is shaping up to be more of the same in a good way. But while head-to-head racing is always the most fun to watch in the moment, the chatter coming out of the results this weekend was focused on trying to compare similar results from different venues to get a sense of where things shake out among the country’s best. On Friday, Nikki Hiltz looked phenomenal kicking their way to a new 3000m PB at BU in 8:32.52. Then the next day, Shelby Houlihan returned to racing with an 8:31.56 solo effort in Arkansas. And to cap it all off, Elise Cranny finished the weekend with a 8:29.87 runner-up finish at the Grand Prix on Sunday two days after a 4:20.83 mile across town at BU.

Throw in Heather MacLean’s 4:23.32 win in the mile at New Balance, Sinclaire Johnson’s 4:23.58 on her heels, and Parker Valby’s pro debut with an 8:34.95 3000m PB, and the pecking order is far from determined at the moment. We’ll get a little clarity at next weekend’s Millrose Games as to who comes out on top—Hiltz, Cranny, Johnson, and MacLean are all in the Wanamaker Mile while Josette Andrews and Karissa Schweizer will open up their seasons in the 3000m—but it’s clear the yearlong battle for dominance in these tightly-packed events is just getting underway.

Julien Alfred isn’t a one-trick pony.

Because Julien Alfred is so dang good at the 100m and the 60m (she’s the reigning global champion in both), it’s easy to assume that she’s hanging on for dear life just to get halfway around the track, even as she picks up an Olympic silver in the 200m. But Alfred, thanks in part to the demands of competing for Texas as a collegian, has logged her time on a few 4x400s and is a savvier long sprinter than you’d think. Her range was on full display at New Balance on Sunday as she smoothly outran training partner Dina Asher-Smith to win the 300m in 36.16. The more Alfred builds strength and confidence in over-distance racing, the more nervous Gabby Thomas and Shericka Jackson have to be about Alfred’s potential in the longer sprints.

Grant Fisher isn’t a one-trick pony.

Anyone who has serious doubts about Grant Fisher’s top-end speed probably missed the finals of the distance races in Paris, because the reality is that contending for (and winning) medals in the 5k/10k requires serious wheels. But that doesn’t change the fact that watching the American record holder at 10,000m knock almost a full second off his 1500m PB and take down guys like Commonwealth Games champ Olli Hoare and two-time NCAA champ Joe Waskom in January is seriously impressive. It’s hard to argue that Fisher’s toolbox isn’t already full to the brim with race-winning potential, but if the 27-year-old wants to move up a step or two on the podium next time a global championship comes around, sharpening his speed against a bunch of middle-distance specialists is a good place to work on finding that extra one percent.