Women’s High Jump

Who made the team last year: Vashti Cunningham, Rachel Glenn, Rachel McCoy

Contenders: After missing the World final last year, 2019 bronze medalist Vashti Cunningham is looking to be in the mix at Budapest. She shouldn’t have a problem making the U.S team to get there as she has the top four jumps by an American this season. The other two spots are quite open, as 2021 NCAA Champion Rachel McCoy has not jumped at all this year and Rachel Glenn is absent from the start list. The only other American jumper to clear 1.90m this season is NCAA Champion, Kentucky’s Charity Griffith. A few other collegiate jumpers have a shot at the top three including Kansas’s Rylee Anderson, Nebraska’s Jenna Rogers, and BYU’s Cierra Tidwell. Also in the mix are two teammates from a team with arguably the coolest name in track and field, the Nevada Gazelles' Taylor Beard and Jelena Rowe.

Storyline to watch: Although finishing top three this weekend will still be an accomplishment for most, it may not mean a bid for the World Championships. Cunningham is the only American jumper to clear the 1.97m standard, and the only one with a world ranking high enough for her to qualify that way. If no one else exceeds that high bar - literally - this weekend Cunningham may be traveling to Budapest alone.

Men’s Pole Vault

Who made the team last year: Chris Nielsen, Luke Winder, Andrew Irwin

Contenders: Three names make up the top seven vaults by Americans this year. Only Mondo Duplantis has jumped higher than K.C Lightfoot’s American record set last month, last year’s World silver medalist Chris Nielsen will look to defend his national title, and two time World Champion Sam Kendricks is back after COVID and a knee injury derailed his last two major championship cycles. Anyone outside of that top three making the team would be somewhat of a surprise.

Underdogs to watch: If any of the three names above bow out early, the resulting spot will be wide open to a number of vaulters. The other American with multiple vaults over 5.80m this season are Texas Tech’s Zachery Bradford and Austin Miller. Last year’s second and fourth place finishers at this meet Luke Winder and Jacob Wooten might have a shot but will need better performances than a year ago where the winning height was only 5.70m

Women’s Pole Vault

Who made the team last year: Sandi Morris, Gabriela Leon, Katie Moon

Contenders: Last year’s silver and gold medalists from Eugene, Sandi Morris and Katie Moon, make up seven of the top nine spots on the U.S leaderboard this year. They are the third and fourth highest vaulters of all time and, barring disaster, should already be booking flights to Budapest. Gabriela Leon made the team last year based on World Ranking, and hopes to do so again as the only American to hit the standard besides Morris and Moon is Bridget Williams. The other vaulters to clear 4.60m this outdoor season are Emily Grove and Rachel Baxter.

Storyline to watch: In the mix with the names listed above are two that are very similar to each other. Twins Hana Moll and Amanda Moll have rewritten the national and even world junior record books in the women’s pole vault. Hana is the reigning U20 World Champion, and the American high school outdoor record holder, a record she took from her sister Amanda - also known as the American high school indoor record holder. Amanda does hold bragging rights with the higher personal best of 4.61m. The two 18 year olds might not make the team this year, so the rest of America should take advantage of that while they can, because we are entering the “Moll Age” of women’s pole vaulting sooner rather than later.

Men’s Long Jump

Who made the team last year: Steffin McCarter, Marquis Dendy, Will Williams

Contenders: Last year Marquis Dendy fell well short of a top three finish at USAs but made the team as one of only two jumpers at the meet with the world standard already under his belt. He is in a similar position this year as the only American to jump farther than the 8.25m standard outdoors. Steffin McCarter, the man who finished one spot ahead of Dendy for fifth last year in Eugene, doesn’t have a legal jump anywhere near his best this season but shouldn’t be counted out. Both Will Williams and Kemonie Briggs are just a few centimeters short of the standard and have jumped the second and third farthest of any Americans this summer. Collegians like Mississippi State’s Cameron Crump and Florida State’s Jeremiah Davis will be hoping to replicate far indoor jumps from back in March when they nearly measured 8.40m. And multi-event star JuVaughn Harrison has only jumped 8.07m in the horizontal jumps this year, but if he can get back near his PB of 8.47m he'll be a contender to make the team in multiple events like he did in 2021.

Underdog to watch: The sport is called track AND field for a reason, but once most athletes move beyond high school, they stick to track OR field. Those who excel at both can usually continue splitting their talent at the college level, but rarely on the world stage. Cordell Tinch comes into this weekend not only with the fastest 110m hurdles time in the world this year, but is also the fifth most proficient American long jumper of the outdoor season. Tinch has an interesting story as an accomplished Division I athlete who, in his own words, took three years off from the sport after the pandemic before returning in the DII ranks this year. He isn’t a guarantee to make either team because of how stacked the high hurdles field is, but it would be cool to see him lining up in Budapest against the best hurdlers in the world with a little bit of sand from the long jump pit still in his shorts.

Women’s Long Jump

Who made the team last year: Quanesha Burks, Jasmine Moore, Tiffany Flynn

Contenders: The Tara Davis-Woodhall revenge year is in full swing. After missing out on not one but two World Championships last year - bad weather prevented her from getting to USA indoors and a knee injury derailed her leadup to USA outdoors - she is ready to return to the world stage in a U.S kit. Davis-Woodhall has six of the ten farthest jumps by Americans this outdoor season, including one just a centimeter short of the world lead, and has won six of her eight competitions this year. Her biggest competition may be her main rival Quanesha Burks. Bowerman finalist, Florida’s Jasmine Moore broke Davis-Woodhall’s indoor collegiate record on her way to an NCAA Championship back in March and is looking for redemption after she was one place from making the final last summer in Eugene. Other jumpers that come in with the world standard include last year’s fourth place finisher at this meet Monae’ Nichols as well as the top American finisher at June’s Outdoor NCAA Championships, Stanford freshman Alyssa Jones and Jasmine Moore’s teammate at Florida Claire Bryant.

Rivalry to watch: Davis-Woodhall and Burks have been making headlines this season with their exchanges over social media. Burks is the second farthest American jumper this outdoor season but has lost all three matchups to Davis-Woodhall this year, which has given the latter a 6-4 head to head edge. Burks is the reigning national champion and ran away with the title last year, but Davis-Woodhall comes in with a clear edge in momentum in what should be a marquee showdown.

Men’s Triple Jump

Who made the team last year: Donald Scott, Will Claye, Chris Bernard

Contenders: If you’ve ever watched the “Big3” basketball league, you know what the landscape of American men’s triple jumping looks like right now. When the Big3 debuted in 2017, players younger than 30 were not allowed to compete, and the majority of the rosters were made up of retired NBA players trying to recapture their past glory. Four of the five top triple jumpers in the U.S this year are over the age of 30 and looking to get back to their personal bests set between 2015 and 2019. Christian Taylor and Will Claye are two of the three best triple jumpers of all time, with Claye always playing second fiddle to his former Florida Gator teammate, but neither has jumped within a meter of their best measurements in at least the past two years. Taylor, the 4x World champion in the event, has had a tough road back after rupturing his Achilles in 2021, and at 33 years old, his PB days may be behind him, but it would be a fantastic comeback narrative for the American record holder to make one more team. Defending national champion Donald Scott and American leader this year Chris Bernard may not be at their peak anymore either but have a shot at making another U.S team. Younger competitors include the highest American finisher at NCAAs in Austin last month, Miami’s Russell Robinson and Alabama’s Christian Edwards who had the second longest jump by an American during this past indoor season.

Storyline to watch: Hopefully getting the USA’s best triple jumpers together will propel them to some impressive performances this weekend. As of right now no American men have eclipsed the 17.20m world standard. With three men - Scott, Taylor, and Bernard - safely in the top 32 of the world rankings system, we should still be able to send three men to worlds, but getting some big jumps in the pit this weekend wouldn’t hurt.

Women’s Triple Jump

Who made the team last year: Keturah Orji, Tori Franklin, Jasmine Moore

Contenders: The top three women’s triple jumpers in the U.S will look to run it back from last year in Eugene. NCAA record holder and champion Jasmine Moore, reigning U.S champion Keturah Orji, and last year’s World bronze medalist Tori Franklin make up the top twelve spots on the American triple jump leaderboard this outdoor season. Anyone making the team over one of these three women would be a major upset. But if someone happens to have an off day,

Oregon’s Lexi Ellis might be worth watching if she recovers the form she showed early in the season before failing to qualify for NCAAs last month in Austin.

Storyline to watch: Is it time for the student to become the master? Jasmine Moore began her collegiate career at the University of Georgia inspired by the success of Keturah Orji. And although Moore has already become the most decorated triple jumper in NCAA history, and has a personal best twenty centimeters further than Orji’s, the younger former Bulldog holds has never beaten her predecessor as Orji holds a 5-0 head to head edge. Moore is ready for success on the national stage, she has compiled fourteen of the top twenty-four triple jump measurements in NCAA history, four NCAA titles, and has the longest jump by an American this year by almost three quarters of a meter. Despite all of that she has higher aspirations, making a World final. Remember when I said she was one place from making the long jump final last year in Eugene, well she was also just one place from making the triple jump final!

THROWS

Men’s Shot Put

Who made the team last year: Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Josh Awotunde, Adrian Piperi

Contenders: Coming off a U.S sweep on home soil in the World Championships last year, Ryan Crouser has a bye into Budapest and team USA once again has the privilege of bringing four shot putters. Joe Kovacs hasn’t been as impressive as Crouser this year, but he’s had plenty of big life changes to adjust to after his wife and coach Ashley gave birth to twins last summer (if he thought being a professional athlete was tiring...). But he has still thrown the second farthest of any American this year, and shouldn’t have a problem making the team. The member of last year’s sweep that we may actually have to worry about is Josh Awotunde, he hasn’t thrown 21m yet this year, and ten other American men have. Among those who have are veteran Payton Otterdahl and last year’s fourth member of the U.S team Adrian Piperi, along with the NCAA Champion, Arizona’s Jordan Geist and this season’s collegiate leader, Nebraska’s Jonah Wilson.

Storyline to watch: Ryan Crouser is battling himself. From 2020 to 2022 he had a 27 competition win streak, so he got bored and started trying out a new technique. He debuted it this year and within months he had bettered his own world record by nineteen centimeters. Crouser has seven of the eleven 23m+ performances of all time and an advantage over most athletes who step into the circle against him just knowing they are going to lose. How far can he go? 24 meters? Crouser doesn’t think it’s impossible.

Women’s Shot Put

Who made the team last year: Chase Ealey, Maggie Ewen, Adelaide Aquilla, Jessica Woodard

Contenders: Maggie Ewen and defending World Champion Chase Ealey make up the top twelve American shot put performances this season and shouldn’t have any problem making the team - especially Ealey as she already has a bye to Budapest. The other two members of last year’s worlds team - Adelaide Aquilla who turned pro after winning her fourth NCAA title this winter, and Jessica Woodard, a finalist from last year’s championships in Eugene - are the only other American women this outdoor season to throw over 18.5m multiple times. It is going to be hard for anyone outside this top four to crack their way onto the team. At the top, the fight for the U.S. title may be an interesting one, as both Ealey and Ewen have had somewhat up-and-down seasons and Ealey has not carried the unbeatable dominance she showed in 2022 into this season.

Underdogs to watch: A crop of four collegians make up the group with the best chance at sneaking onto the team if someone at the top has a bad day. Wisconsin’s Josie Schaffer, North Texas’s KeAyla Dove, Mississippi’s Jalani Davis, and Oregon’s Jaida Ross, have all thrown at least 18.49m this season and will be crossing their fingers that they can represent the U.S come August.

Men’s Discus

Who made the team last year: Andrew Evans, Sam Mattis, Brian Williams

Contenders: The lone team member to advance to the World final last year, Sam Mattis has the furthest throw of any American this season and will look to retake his U.S title from 2019. Mattis and NCAA Champion Turner Washington from Arizona State make up eight of the top 10 performances by American’s this year. Josh Sryotchen is just on the edge of the world standard of 67m but is the only athlete besides Mattis and Washington to come within three meters of the mark. Last year’s top two finishers at this meet Andrew Evans and BYU’s Dallin Shurts as well as returning team member Brian Williams should all factor into the battle for the top three.

Storyline to root for: Turner Washington is fun. And his rant on national television after is win in this year’s NCAA Championships showed he is textbook #GoodForTheSport. After Washington’s national title, he proceeded to tear off his shirt and celebrate with his family and friends amongst the crowd. Apparently he was having a little too much fun for the NCAA officials who gave him a big scary “warning”. When he was notified of this before his obligatory John Anderson interview he preached “This is what people wanna see in track and field, people don’t wanna come and watch some boring sh-- stuff. So let’s give them something exciting to watch”. A statement that, by my last count, everyone in the entire world agrees with, and the endearing self-censorship was the cherry on top.

Women’s Discus

Who made the team last year: Valarie Allman, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, Rachel Dincoff, Veronica Fraley

Contenders: Valarie Allman has dominated the top of the American women’s discus leaderboard for quite some time and would be headed to Budapest even without her guarantee as the reigning Diamond League champion. Laulauga Tausaga-Collins and Veronica Fraley make up a clear two and three behind Allman, and if all goes right for them this weekend will be headed back to the World Championships in August.

Underdogs to watch: With seemingly one spot left on the team, there are a number of competitors that will be vying for it. Both Elena Bruckner and Micaela Hazelwood have the points to head to Budapest if they finish toward the top of the field this weekend despite Hazelwood not recording a throw north of 60m yet this year. Another name to watch is 20 year old Faith Bender. She has already improved her personal best by more than 5.5m this year and if the fast riser can find a few more meters the world standard and a high finish might be in her reach.

Men’s Hammer Throw

Who made the team last year: Daniel Haugh, Rudy Winkler, Alex Young

Contenders: Rudy Winkler has the farthest throw by an American this year by over 4m and should have no problem making his sixth U.S team. Everyone else in the competition will be chasing Winkler and the world standard. Defending champion Daniel Haugh opened up his season just three weeks ago more than 5m short of his personal best set last year at this meet. For him to head back to the World Championships it will take a performance similar to that one albeit with a much shorter lead up. Sean Donnelly has been the second most consistent American this year and because of that he has the ranking points to get into Budapest with a high finish this weekend.

Underdogs to watch: A few athletes who fall just short on the ranking side will be looking to throw the standard this weekend including NCAA shot put champion Jordan Geist who was also the top American collegian in the hammer at this year's championships and has a legitimate shot at both teams. Others in a similar position to Geist are Brock Eager and Morgan Shigo who sit at 39th and 44th on the world ranking list.

Women’s Hammer Throw

Who made the team last year: Brooke Andersen, Janee' Kassanavoid, Annette Echikunwoke

Contenders: American women make up five of the top six hammer throwers in the world this year, so it's a good thing defending World Champion Brooke Andersen got us a fourth ticket to Budapest. Both Janee' Kassanavoid, and Annette Echikunwoke will have to work hard to defend their spots from last year’s team as both DeAnna Price and Maggie Ewen have been mixing it up with them in the 75m+ range. Price has had the best season of anyone not named Brooke Andersen and the 2019 World Champion is looking for redemption after not getting a chance to defend her title last year.

Storyline to watch: Maggie Ewen has some the best odds of the athletes this weekend to end up representing America in multiple events come August, and unlike many others who are trying to do so, she’ll have to do so the hard way as she doesn’t have a bye into either. Ewen should feel more comfortable in her chances of making the shot put team as she holds the world lead in her signature event and probably only has to worry about Chase Ealey out-throwing her. In the hammer, however, Ewen is among four women fighting for three spots behind Brooke Anderson and will be fresh as it is earlier in the day on Saturday than the shot put.

Men’s Javelin

Who made the team last year: Ethan Dabbs, Curtis Thompson, Tim Glover

Contenders: With only two throws over 80m, the U.S men are looking a little lackluster in the javelin world right now. Ethan Dabbs American lead puts him behind thirty three other men in the world this year. Luckily with Dabbs, last year’s finalist in Eugene Curtis Thompson, and Capers Williamson in the top twenty of the world rankings there is still a high likelihood we will send three men to Budapest. If any of that trio fail to finish in the top three this weekend, both Marc Anthony Michiello - the other American to throw 80m this season - and Ethan Shalaway have a chance at making the team via their rankings.

Storyline to watch: Everyone in the men’s javelin competition this weekend will be looking to make the world team based on the ranking points they have accumulated, not because they surpassed the world standard. This is the consequence of World Athletics’ goal to fill half the 36 man field at the championships with the standard, and the other half with their ranking system. This is one of the cases where they elevated the standard too much however, and only seven men in the world - not eighteen like they would have wanted - have thrown past the lofty 85.20m mark.

Women’s Javelin

Who made the team last year: Kara Winger, Ariana Ince, Maggie Malone

Contenders: Rarely does someone have a bye into World Championships and decide not to use it. But a month and a half after finishing second at last year’s World Championships, and setting a new American record along the way, Kara Winger won the Diamond League final on the last throw of her career and retired on top. Without Winger the U.S may struggle to send three women to Budapest. Former American record holder and American leader by nearly 3.5m this year Maggie Malone should make the team based on her world ranking, and 2019 national champion Ariana Ince has a qualifying performance from last year that falls in the window, but no one else in the field is within nearly 5m of the standard, or ranked higher than sixty-sixth in the world.

Storyline to watch: The field of only twelve throwers that will compete this weekend is not necessarily the deepest of the meet, and unless someone like Nebraska’s Maddie Harris or UNC’s Madison Wiltrout extends their personal best by 4-5m this weekend, the top two of Malone and Ince may be able to shut it down early and start packing their bags to Budapest.

MULTIS

Decathlon

Who made the team last year: Kyle Garland, Zachery Ziemek, Steve Bastien

Contenders: Coming off an upset loss at the NCAA Championships last month, Georgia’s Kyle Garland should be ready to reassert that he is one of the best multi-event athletes in the world. The Bowerman finalist will have to wait until August for a rematch, as the athlete that beat him - Leo Neugebauer - represents Germany. Others scoring high last month at the collegiate champs in Austin and eyeing a trip to Budapest include two more 8000+ point performers: Michigan State’s Heath Baldwin and Iowa’s Austin West. While pros in the multi events typically compete far less frequently than collegians, last year’s World bronze medalist Zachery Ziemek has entered several events at a few early-season meets and should be ready this weekend. Other names to watch include Harrison Williams, the only man to come within 500 points of Garland’s American lead, and Steve Bastien, who finished fourth last year at USAs but was bumped up to the team after an anti-doping suspension took out national champion Garrett Scantling.

Storyline to watch: Because of the variability of having a number of different disciplines in any multi event, favorites are always vulnerable to upsets because of one bad event, and surprises are bound to happen. Garland was a sizable favorite at NCAAs until he went out earlier than expected in the high jump. Last year Ziemek finished third at USAs to just make the team, and then went on to place the same at World Championships as the top American scoring only about 100 more points. Watch out for some surprises this weekend in Eugene.