Nikki Hiltz, who uses they/them pronouns, held off two competitors in a dramatic three-way dash to the finish line Saturday to claim a fourth straight outdoor U.S. national 1,500 meters title, then celebrated by draping the trans pride flag across their shoulders as a trailblazer for non-binary athletes.
The women’s metric mile provided the most thrilling moment of the evening at Icahn Stadium, where Hiltz crossed the tape in 4 minutes and 6.92 seconds following a masterful tactical race.
Heading into the final turn in second place, Hiltz swung to the outside of Addy Wiley — who finished in 4:06.96 — along the home straight and fended off a closing surge from Emily Mackay, who came in at 4:06.98.
“My mom’s from Long Island so I feel like a little part of me is from here,” Hiltz said, the trans pride flag draped around their shoulders while soaking in the crowd’s cheers.
In the men’s 1,500 meters, Nathan Green took the title with a time of 3:50.27.
The national championships returned to New York for the first time in over 30 years, drawing close to capacity crowds after two days of sparse attendance. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was on hand for the occasion, holding the finish tape for the women’s 100m ambulatory final, which Brittni Mason won in 12.16.
Queens native and Olympic gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad did what she needed to do in her 400m hurdles qualifying heat, winning in 54.80 — a remarkable showing given that many had expected her to retire after last season.
“This is actually the first time ever I’ve had the opportunity racing here as a pro,” said Muhammad, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the event. “I just had to be here.”
In the women’s 400m flat, Aaliyah Butler pulled away from the field and crossed the finish line more than half a second ahead of Alexis Holmes, clocking 49.93 to capture her first national championship. On the men’s side, 2025 indoor champion Chris Bailey took the title in 44.39, with Khaleb McRae finishing second in 44.41.
Alia Armstrong turned in her best performance of the season to win the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.38, with Olympic champion Masai Russell absent from the competition despite a strong showing on the Diamond League circuit this year.
Noah Lyles, fresh off winning the men’s 100m title the previous day, cruised through his 200m qualifying heat in 20.51 seconds, finishing 0.20 seconds ahead of Kyree King.
