By Audrey Allen and Paul Hof-Mahoney

With everything you need to know about the Monaco Diamond League already detailed here, we’re here to plug you with all the rest heading into a weekend that’s essentially the last hurrah of the domestic regular season circuit.

At this point, the excitement of USAs around the corner in three weeks is almost as palpable as the pollen in Eugene, and most athletes are likely looking for one (or all) of three things: to dip below the World standard if they haven’t already; zero in on their event of focus for the rest of the season; or simply have a tune up before the end of July. And if you’re Alicia Monson, it’s to get that rust buster out of the way.

Last weekend’s Prefontaine Classic left impossibly big shoes to fill, but we’re still guaranteed at least some continued American excitement on Saturday at the Sound Running: Sunset Tour and Ed Murphey Track Classic.

How to watch:

Coverage of the Sunset Tour can be streamed on Runnerspace+ ($12.99/month), while USATF.TV (also $12.99/month) will provide a broadcast for the Ed Murphey Classic. The CITIUS MAG West Coast desk will have on-site interviews and live social media updates from the Sunset Tour so be sure to keep up with our channels for more!

You can find a full entry list and results here: Sound Running: Sunset Tour | Ed Murphey Classic

Here’s a preview of the top events to look out for in Memphis and Los Angeles this weekend:

Sound Running: Sunset Tour

Occidental College | Los Angeles, California

Men’s 800m

The main program of the evening kicks off with the men’s 800m at 8:15 p.m. After facing disappointment with his mile at the Pre Classic and a good but not great showing at GST Philadelphia, Hobbs Kessler might be looking for a confidence booster—even if it’s not in the event he chooses to focus on at USAs (the schedule looks a bit too demanding for the mid-distance double this year).

A last minute addition of NCAA indoor champion and outdoor runner up Matti Erickson of Oregon to the start list builds further intrigue. He’s already proven his fitness and the tactics it takes to hang with the pros—we’re optimists that like to think the second-plus breakthrough it will take for him to hit the standard to make Worlds for Canada could play out on Saturday. In a similar but slightly more hopeful spot is Navasky Anderson, who’s coming off a second-place finish at the Jamaican Championships, a mere .11 seconds off the standard to book his non-refundable plane ticket to Tokyo.

Other lanes will be filled by Shane Cohen, as well as Brooks Beasts teammates Isaiah Harris and Brannon Kidder. Cohen, the 2024 NCAA champion and rookie professional for Nike, is coming off an equaled PB of 1:44.65 in Europe a few weeks ago but will need a step up to truly contend at USAs.

Women’s 800m

On the women’s side, most eyes will be on Raevyn Rogers, who just ran her fastest 800m since 2023 in Budapest at the Pre Classic last weekend (1:58.49) and is feeling the momentum mentally and physically at the optimal time. Sage Hurta-Klecker has a history of success over two laps at Jack Kemp Stadium, having taken the win at Track Fest in May, and is probably ready to break the string of 1:59.XX performances that have made up her outdoor campaign so far. Behind her in that race and also back for seconds in Los Angeles is Valery Tobias, who made a name for herself in the indoor season and hasn’t raced a ton yet outdoors.

Call it a trend or not, we’ve seen a lot of recent success with coaching switches at the professional level, and Emily Mackay (now working with Pete Julian) is no exception. She’s fresh off a strong 1500m last weekend (3:57.91) and reaping the rewards of a more strength-based start to 2025, so it will be interesting to see what kind of footspeed she has in her second 800m of 2025.

This race also marks the first in new kits since graduating from the NCAA for Maggi Congdon, in her pro debut for Nike, and Meghan Hunter, who has yet to announce a sponsor.

Men’s Steeplechase

Geoffrey Kirwa might just be coming off his freshman year at Louisville and runner-up finish in the steeple chase at NCAAs, but the guy’s got experience. The 24 year old has already spent time competing on the European pro circuit and national championships stage for Kenya and has only leveled up since then, including running 8:13 and 8:17 in his last two non-qualifying steeples.

Isaac Updike has the top performance of this year in the field, fresh off a 8:13.64 PB at the Portland Track Festival. He’s likely looking for an emphatic showing and second-straight win at this meet to back that up, potentially fueled by the results from the U.S. steeplechasing triad in Kenneth Rooks, James Corrigan and Matt Wilkinson in Monaco.

Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaziri, who had a breakthrough performance to take fifth in the Olympics last year, has had a rough go of it through two Diamond Leagues in 2025, finishing 15th in Rabat and seventh in Paris. Maybe a return to the U.S. and a lower-profile meet could be what the HOKA NAZ Elite pro needs to get back on track.

Newly-signed Asics pro Joey Berriatua is racing for the first time since inking a contract. The Trials finalist from last June has a SB of 8:32 from Portland and may be running with reinvigorated spirit this time out.

Women’s 1500m

Breaking news might strike the second the women’s 1500m field gets on the starting line. It’s not really a matter of “if” or “when” but more “with who” has UVA’s Margot Appleton signed a pro contract? In terms of current NCAA studs, we’ve got Oregon’s Şilan Ayyıldız and BYU’s Riley Chamberlain, who didn’t have the best showing at NCAAs but is on one hell of a summer redemption run with a 4.5-second PB (4:03.98) at the Portland Track Festival.

Katelyn Tuohy will be spiking up for the first outdoor 1500m of her professional career, and just the second race of the outdoor season after a 15:04 5000m win at the Portland Track Festival.

Last but certainly not least to mention here is Josette Andrews, who’s in the thick of a banner outdoor season. Her statement 14:25.37 run at the Rome Diamond League, good for No. 3 in US history, makes the 5000m at USAs her likeliest event, but this shorter distance effort could be another confidence builder, or at least a solid practice of a finishing kick.

Women’s 5000m

“Can Alicia Monson make a USA team this year?” might be one of the biggest questions heading into Saturday. Asking this after just one performance following knee surgery and 16 months off might seem ludicrous in the context of anyone else, but it’s impossible to count out the American record holder in the 5000m and 10,000m. With the qualification process for the 10,000m being what it is, and from returning-from-serious-injury standpoint, it probably makes more sense for her to go all-in on the 5000m this year—that is if Tokyo is even a thought in her (and coach Dathan Ritzenhein’s) minds.

To put it simply, she would need to run 15:05 to auto-Q to USAs. (A couple seconds slower would put her on the bubble.) And she’d then need to make the podium in Eugene, which realistically, is probably going to require dipping below the standard to Worlds anyway. Whether that insane storyline plays out or not, we’re excited to welcome her back to the track.

After running 14:56 at the Rome Diamond League, Karissa Schweizer posted to her Instagram: “Sometimes you need a little reality check to remind you where you want to go.” That right direction might be found at Sunset Tour, and we’ll be sure to keep tabs on the top American in this event last year.

North American steeplechase record holder Courtney Frerichs has yet to tackle the barriers in 2025 but is returning for her second 5000m on the track this season after a 15:13 showing at the Portland Track Festival a month ago. Ella Donaghu ran 15:08 at that same race, following an indoor season and 14:50.89 PB that implies she can be a contender on the USA scene. A good showing this weekend would reaffirm that.

It’ll also be interesting to see how NC State’s Grace Hartman, one of the most dominant distance athletes in the NCAA, stacks up against a professional field, especially with a month of rest between races (after crossing the line 16 times in the first half of 2025 alone).

Men’s 5000m

The American landscape of the men’s 5000m has been dominated by the trio of Grant Fisher, Nico Young, and Graham Blanks this spring, and it’s hard to picture a world where any of those three don’t manage to make the team for Tokyo. However, if a scenario is going to play out where one of them loses their spot, it’ll likely be at the hands of one of the following culprits.

Abdihamid Nur has made three straight national teams in this event, but he’s got a long way to go to extend that streak to four. A fall in the Olympic semifinals resulted in an injury that delayed his 2025 opener to last month, where he ran a so-so 3:43 1500m in the C-heat at Portland Track Festival. Obviously a U.S. final plays out differently from a Diamond League or perfectly paced race at BU, but it’d be tough to have an abundance of confidence in Nur if he can’t manage something in the range of 13:10 this weekend at a minimum.

Rocky Hansen and Dylan Jacobs are among a strong young crop of American distance guys, which includes Young and Blanks, and look to build some momentum on Saturday. Just having finished his sophomore year at Wake Forest, Hansen typically punches above his weight in terms of time and place. This is the best field he’s ever raced against, and it’ll be intriguing to see how he responds. It seems like some of the hype surrounding Jacobs has died down a bit since an amazing indoor season and strong showing at GST Kingston, but maybe that’s what he needs to fly under the radar heading into USAs and put the favorites on upset watch.

Two exciting international entries are Luis Grijalva and Brian Musau. After being forced to pull out of all three Grand Slams, Grijalva opened up in Portland with a 13:27 win in the B-heat. He’s stepping it up a level this week and testing his fitness in a far more competitive race. For Musau, who swept the NCAA 5000m titles this year, he’ll be looking for a fast time and hopefully some good placement points to wiggle into the world rankings quota ahead of the Kenyan national championships.

There’s also something worth keeping an eye on in the B-race, as recent high school graduates and teammates Josiah Tostenson and Tayvon Kitchen will be sharing the track in one of the final races before going their separate ways to Washington and BYU, respectively.

Ed Murphey Classic

University of Memphis | Memphis, Tennessee

Women’s 200m

This race serves as an important marker for two members of the U.S. half-lap squad from Paris, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long. Brown had a late start to the season after undergoing surgery for her endometriosis in the winter, and she currently sits as the 30th-fastest American this year with her 22.72 SB from GST Miami. Long has had a strong season in the 100m, but her SB of 22.48 is over a half-second back of where she was at this time last year in what’s typically her better event. For both, it’ll be important to see a good one get on the board before duking it out for another national team in Eugene.

Tamari Davis (SB of 22.05 at GST Miami), Daejah Stevens (SB of 22.18 on June 14th), and Jadyn Mays (SB of 22.45 at NCAA Indoors) will all have an eye on unseating Brown and Long from their positions in a Red, White and Blue kit, and a strong showing from any of them on Saturday could serve as a strong confidence boost before the big dance.

Favour Ofili will be racing over 200m for the first time since transferring allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey last month. The sixth-place finisher in this event from Paris has a SB of 22.24 and recently ran a 100m PB of 10.87 at the ATX Sprint Classic.

Women’s 800m

After finishing last in a frustrating showing at Pre, Athing Mu-Nikolayev has another chance to get back into the flow of racing before her return to USAs. She looked out of sorts last week, running her first 800m in nearly a year, but this much more low-key setting could serve her well.

Just because this is away from the bright lights of Hayward though doesn’t mean the field is a total pushover. Ajee’ Wilson’s last time out was her fastest race in over two years, running 1:58.76 in New Jersey. After becoming a near afterthought on the USA scene the past two years, a strong showing in Memphis could be a definitive statement that the former American record holder is back. Two-time U.S. champ Nia Akins is also in the mix. After a puzzling 1500m DNF and 2:13 800m at GST Philly, she’s bounced back nicely with wins in 1:59.06 and 2:00.77.

Michaela Rose will be making her pro debut after announcing she signed with Adidas last week. It’s a good opportunity for the NCAA’s sub-2 queen to get a taste of racing pros before USAs. Her aggressive front-running style is great against collegians in the regular season, but it’s ultimately failed her in every championship setting since her win at NCAA Outdoors in 2023. Will we see a tactical shift now that she’s a pro?

The most notable international name in the field is Shafiqua Maloney. After a bit of a down period across the late indoor and early outdoor seasons, the Olympic fourth-placer has rebounded in excellent fashion, going 1:58.00 in Rabat and 1:58.49 at Pre. While all the Americans are locked in a civil war, Maloney is probably the straight-up favorite in this one.

Men’s 400m

Quincy Wilson is done cleaning up against high schoolers for the year and once again sets his sights on the pro scene. He’s tangled with the grown ups a handful of times this year, to mixed results. He took down Jereem Richards and current world leader Zakithi Nene over 400m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, but only finished fifth at US Indoors and a distant fourth over 600m at Millrose. Wilson’s outdoor season hasn’t been as flashy as it was last year, with a SB of “only” 45.27, but that could be a good sign of a more mature, measured plan for the season between him and Bullis coach Joe Lee looking towards USAs and potentially Worlds. That being said, Wilson is the 27th-fastest American this year (as opposed to the 13th-fastest entering Trials last year). We’re always going to be full-steam ahead on the Quincy Wilson Hype Train, but it would be a good sign of things to come if he could get back under 45 on Saturday.

The 17-year-old star will be tested against an excellent field, headlined by Steven Gardiner. The Tokyo Olympic champ has had a tough 2025 since a strong opener at LSU, where he ran 45.18. His following two 400m races were a DNF at GST Miami and a struggle to line at GST Philly in 46.88. His 200m races were solid at both Slams, so it’s not necessarily a matter of him being completely cooked, but eyebrows will certainly raise if he doesn’t put together something respectable this time.

Bryce Deadmon, who Wilson beat to the line at the Holloway Pro Classic last summer, has run great times at smaller meets in Texas this year (44.30 in April and 44.67 two weeks ago), but has somewhat faltered under the brighter lights of GST Miami (45.52, 7th) and the Rabat Diamond League (44.97, 4th). Avenging his loss in Gainesville from last July could be an important step in his path to Eugene.

Women’s 400m

48.70 has gotta be finally wiped off the books this time around, right? Right? The 400m at Pre seemed to be added essentially for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to dip under Sanya Richards-Ross’ American record, but the 400mH GOAT was clearly frustrated with her win in 49.43. This will be McLaughlin-Levrone’s fourth time around the oval without hurdles this season, and without knowing exactly what her plans look like for USAs and Worlds, we’re unsure if it will be her last. One thing is for certain though: A SML that is apparently disappointed in herself sounds like a terrifying thing to deal with a week later.

McLaughlin-Levrone is far from the only athlete of note in this field, however, as she’ll be joined in the blocks by Lynna Irby-Jackson. Seven years removed from breaking 50 seconds for the first time en route to winning the 2018 NCAA title, Irby-Jackson dipped under that barrier twice in a span of five days last month, first at the Paris Diamond League and then the Golden Spike Meet in Ostrava. The 400m picture in the U.S. is fascinating right now, with Irby-Jackson sitting fifth on time behind McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas, both of whom may or may not even race the event at USAs, as well as the NCAA champions from this season, Isabella Whittaker and Aaliyah Butler. At 26 and with two individual U.S. teams under her belt, the combination of experience with this new form Irby-Jackson has discovered could prove vital at nationals.

Britton Wilson is racing again after a 2024 season cut short by injury. She opened up at 51.37 last month at the Star Athletics Sprint Series, which has her barely inside the cutoff for qualifying to USAs. When healthy, Wilson can practically drop a 49-low at will. Fingers are crossed across the nation that this race is another step forward as she hopefully locks in her spot in Eugene.

Men’s Triple Jump

All five American men that are currently qualified for Tokyo are ready to charge down the runway in Memphis, making this a good preview of what we’ll see in the battle to make Team USA next month in Hayward. Salif Mane was the class of the States last year, winning at Trials in a PB of 17.52m and finishing sixth in Paris, but the 2024 NCAA champ hasn’t had the smoothest transition to professional life. He’s only managed a SB of 16.44m and finished seventh and eighth in both Chinese Diamond Leagues. There’s two ways to look at him not competing since then: either he’s been nursing an injury, or he’s been in the lab for two months and is ready to show out ahead of USAs.

Russell Robinson and Donald Scott, the other two members of last August’s American contingent, have had better post-Olympic years. Robinson won the national title indoors and jumped a PB of 17.30m, good for seventh in the world this year, at a meet in Fayetteville in April. Scott, who’s made every outdoor national team since London 2017 and has three top-seven global finishes under his belt, fared better than Mane in Xiamen and Shaoxing/Keqiao and has cleared 16.80m in three of his last four competitions.

Oklahoma junior Brandon Green Jr. is fresh off a dominant NCAA outdoor campaign where he posted the six best marks in the nation. If there’s someone waiting in the wings to capitalize on an Olympian slipping up in Eugene, it’ll be the guy who’s jumped 16.94m and 16.92m in the past two-and-a-half months.

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