By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
NEW YORK (23-Jul) — Woody Kincaid and Sydney Vaught were crowned national 10,000m champions here on the first night of the Toyota USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Icahn Stadium. Both athletes practically jogged through the first half of their races before showing their true fitness by running minutes faster in the second half and closing with fast final laps. Kincaid, a two-time Olympian, won his third national 10,000m title, while Vaught, in her rookie year as a pro, won her first.
KINCAID FINDS HIS KICK
Kincaid, 33, had just one real rival in tonight’s race: double-Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher. Fisher, 29, the North American record holder for both 5000m and 10,000m, has been in excellent form this year and came into tonight’s meet full of confidence after winning his first Wanda Diamond League race in Paris on June 28.
But the two men were not near the front of the field in the early going because the pace was so slow. Fisher ran in last position nearly to the halfway mark which was reached in just 16:12.63 by the University of Oregon’s Luke Tewalt. Kincaid was in the middle of the pack.
“We were going really, really slow,” said Fisher, who was the 2024 Olympic Trials 10,000m champion.
With ten laps to go, Fisher decided to up the pace and send a strong signal to the rest of the field. From loafing along at 80 seconds a lap, Fisher ran 61-flat from 6000 to 6400 meters. Everybody woke up.
“I wanted that first (hard) lap to be real,” Fisher told reporters, “so that anyone who went with me knew it was real.”
Fisher ran the next four laps in 63.7, 64.3 and 64.2. Only Kincaid and Drew Bosley could hold that pace, and it quickly became a three-man race. Kincaid was a little surprised by Fisher’s early move.
“When he went with ten laps to go I thought, he can’t hold this for ten laps,” Kincaid said. “I think Grant went a little bit too early.”
Indeed, Fisher’s pace began to slow. Bosley briefly took the lead in the penultimate lap, and Kincaid waited for the backstretch of the final circuit to launch his kick. Bosley couldn’t go with his two rivals, but Fisher kept it close. Rounding the final bend Kincaid went into overdrive, running the final 100 meters in 12.9 seconds and capping off a 54.9-second final lap. His time of 30:13.66 was the slowest winning time at a USATF Championships since Max Truex ran 31:22.4 in 1959.
“He has a really great kick now,” said Kincaid of Fisher, “so I went a little bit before 200 and put a little something on it and it worked out.” He added: “It’s nice to know that finish is still there, that kick is still there.”
Fisher did not try to hide his disappointment.
“Not happy, not happy,” Fisher said when asked about his race. “I tried to move pretty early, did not feel that good when I moved, but wanted to stay on the gas a long time. I felt like I still had a bit in the tank with a lap to go. Woody just had more.”
Fisher was timed in 30:14.46 to Bosley’s 30:20.60. Kincaid ran his second half in 14:00.89, more than two minutes faster than his first (16:12.77).
VAUGHT CONTROLLED THE SECOND HALF
Like the men, none of the women were in the mood for a fast pace tonight. In fact, the first half of the race was covered in just 18:09.44, a time which wouldn’t win a high school 5000m these days. Vaught, and her key rival Katie Izzo, stayed near the front and waited patiently. Vaught decided just before the halfway point that it was time to pick up the pace.
“It was kind of fartlekly slow, but once Sydney decided to go I was like, this is the real race,” Izzo told reporters.
A 72-second lap through 5600 meters put everyone out of contention except for Izzo and Allie Buchalski. Vaught then settled in at about 75 seconds a lap to try to grind down her competition. Izzo and Buchalski stayed with her until two laps to go. Buchalski began to lose contact and Vaught made her bid for victory. She dropped the pace to 71.5 seconds for the penultimate lap, and that put a two-second gap on Izzo. Running her final circuit in 69 seconds, Vaught won by more than six seconds over Izzo, 33:30.60 to 33:36.98. Her winning time was the slowest since Lynn Jennings ran 34:09.88 to win in 1998.
“I’ve been feeling really confident in my training and really confident with where I’m at,” Vaught told reporters. She continued: “I went into it wanting to win. It’s really exciting.”
Vaught ran her second half in 15:21.16, a time that was faster than her 5000m personal best just a year ago.
“It is just a dream come true,” said Vaught, who grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming. “I couldn’t imagine anything better for my rookie year.”
MOST FAVORITES ADVANCE IN 1500M QUALIFYING
Qualifying heats were held in the 1500m for both men and women and most of the podium favorites advanced to Saturday’s finals. On the men’s side Vince Ciattei, who ran a 3:30.90 personal best in Rabat in May, won the third of three heats in 3:41.30, the fastest time of the day. Ciattei controlled the second half of the race from the front and was able to relax a bit before the finish.
“Unique for me coming in as the #1 seed,” Ciattei told Race Results Weekly. He added: “I know I’m strong, I know I can run the pace I feel comfortable with and just, you know, not put myself in any trouble. I was confident I could do that today.”
Also advancing was former University of Virginia star Gary Martin who finished second in heat #2 behind Nathan Green. The two former collegiate rivals ran 3:42.91 and 3:42.94, respectively.
“It was a smooth race,” Martin told reporters. “Just got out, got out in good position. Stayed calm the first 800. Saw Nathan go around me with like 400 to go… went wide at 150, went to the arms, and got it done.”
Other athletes who advanced with title hopes were Luke Houser, Liam Murphy, and Joe Waskom. Sam Prakel, who just ran a personal best of 3:49.63 for the mile in London, faded in the homestretch of the first heat and finished fifth in 3:44.60. His time was not fast enough to advance.
In women’s 1500m qualifying the four strongest contenders for the title –Addy Wiley, Emily Mackay, Heather MacLean and Nikki Hiltz– recorded the four fastest times: 4:04.17, 4:04.29, 4:04.51, and 4:04.54, respectively. Wiley won the first heat while Hiltz won the second.
“In rounds anything can happen,” said Wiley, who won a bronze medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in the 800m in March. She continued: “I was ready for anything, but I was happy with a fast time. I feel like my fitness is the best it’s ever been.”
Hiltz, the defending champion, was particularly motivated to compete in New York.
“This is New York,” Hiltz told reporters. “This one feels new, and fresh, and different. I don’t really like phrasing as defending anything. It’s just a whole new chapter, whole new people to race. I’m just going to try to do my best on Saturday and hopefully that’s another national title.”
Perhaps the most inspiring performance was put in by Teagan Schein-Becker. The 26 year-old ran a strong closing lap of 61.7 seconds to finish second behind Hiltz. Her time of 4:04.91 was a personal best by nearly two seconds.
“That was awesome,” said Schein-Becker, who competed for Rider University during her NCAA career. “I feel like it went really smooth. I’m happy about that. Really happy. First final I’ve ever made for USA’s.”
STOKES LED STEEPLECHASE QUALIFYING
Parker Stokes ran 8:23.04 in the men’s 3000m steeplechase to lead 14 qualifiers to Saturday’s final. The 25 year-old ran behind Duncan Hamilton for most of the second of two heats and put in a strong final lap to get the win. Stokes runs for the Brooks Beasts Track Club and drew a lot of inspiration from teammate Josh Kerr’s mile world record last Saturday.
“It’s the most inspiring and motivating thing we’ve all witnessed in track,” said Stokes.
Kenneth Rooks, the Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist, finished 11th in his heat and did not advance to the final.
There was no preliminary steeplechase round for women; that event will be contested as a straight final on Saturday.
PHOTO: Woody Kincaid winning the 2026 USATF 10,000m title over Grant Fisher (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
PHOTO: Sydney Vaught winning the 2026 USATF 10,000m title (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
PHOTO: Nikki Hiltz winning heat #2 of 1500m qualifying at the 2026 USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
PHOTO: Parker Stokes on his way to winning his heat of the 3000m steeplechase at the 2026 USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
ENDS
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