Hobbs Kessler Edges Dylan Jacobs In Thriller To Earn First US Title in 3000m at 2025 USATF Indoors

Want the LetsRun Day 1 recap podcast? Join the LetsRun Supporters Club here and get LetsRun podcasts of all the big track meets. Cancel any time. Money back guarantee.

NEW YORK – Hobbs Kessler has his first national title – and it came down to the wire. With a lap to go in the 3,000m final at Saturday’s USATF Indoor Championships, Kessler had briefly edged ahead of the On Athletics Club’s Dylan Jacobs. But the lead didn’t stick – Kessler could not get inside position before the turn, as Jacobs successfully repelled Kessler’s attack with a vicious countersurge. Typically in these situations, the speed-oriented Kessler, who has 1:43 800m speed, would still be favored over the long-distance man Jacobs, the NCAA 10,000m champion at Notre Dame in 2022. But that is not always how these things play out. Just ask Cole Hocker and Grant Fisher.

Ultimately, however, Kessler was able to kick past Jacobs in the home straight of a fierce last lap to prevail, 7:38.00 to 7:38.02 (55.30 last 400, 27.19 last 200 for Kessler) and become a US champion for the first time at age 21.

“I made a team in the 800, made a team in the 1500, and I made the team in the 3k,” said Kessler, referring to his two Olympic berths in Paris last summer. “[I’m] proud to have made three different distances in eight months.”

Phil Bond photo

Kessler may have made the team, but he confirmed he will not be going to the World Indoor Championships in China next month. Jacobs will, and after his run tonight and his impressive 7:30 pb at the Millrose Games, he could do some damage there.

The third spot on the team is in flux. 24-year-old Sam Gilman, who before tonight was best known for finishing 5th in the 2022 NCAA outdoor 5k or 6th in the 2021 NCAA xc champs, was the surprise third-placer tonight in 7:38.64, and he was kicking for the win with Kessler and Jacobs with 100m to run. But Gilman, who works a full-time job with the Air Force, does not have the standard and is not currently in position to earn an invite from World Athletics (though US athletes have two weeks to chase the 7:31.00 standard). Even if he gets the standard or an invite, Gilman may not be allowed to go given the fact he’s a member of the US military and the fraught relations between the US and China.

Tonight’s 4th placer, Matthew Wilkinson might get in as the US’s #2 as he’s currently 19th on the list (if you remove Kessler) and the field size is 15.

The Race

2024 steeplechase Olympian Matthew Wilkinson did most of the leading in this one, taking the field through 1k in 2:35.56 and 2k in 5:10.72 with Jacobs right behind him and Kessler just behind Jacobs for virtually the entire time. The first person to fall off the honest pace was 2024 Olympic steeplechase silver medallist Kenneth Rooks, who got dropped just after the mile and ended up next to last in 7:56.68. At 2500m, Jacobs went to the lead and the racing began.

Men’s 3000m final results (full splits here)

1. Hobbs Kessler (adidas) – 7:38.00 MR
2. Dylan Jacobs (On AC) – 7:38.02
3. Sam Gilman (New Balance) – 7:38.64
4. Matthew Wilkinson (Under Armour) – 7:40.26
5. Anthony Camerieri (Saucony) – 7:40.31
6. Damien Dilcher (Under Armour) – 7:40.47 PB
7. Morgan Beadlescomb (adidas) – 7:40.52
8. Yasin Sado (ASICS) – 7:41.97 PB
9. Casey Comber (Under Armour) – 7:44.10
10. Olin Hacker (HOKA) – 7:44.33
11. Dillon Maggard (BROOKS Beasts TC) – 7:44.64
12. Derek Johnson (New Balance) – 7:44.96
13. Cruz Gomez (Unattached) – 7:54.69
14. Kenneth Rooks (NIKE) – 7:56.68
15. John Reniewicki (Under Armour) – 7:59.71

Kessler earns the biggest win of his career to date, explains rationale for not running World Indoors

Kessler has done some impressive things in his young career: medaling at World Indoors, making the Olympic team in two events, finishing 5th in the Olympic 1500 final, and running the third-fastest indoor mile ever (3:46.90). But all of those accomplishments have one thing in common: Kessler did not win the race. He did win this one, and that was special for Kessler.

“Everyone loves racing, man,” Kessler said. “It’s the best. I’m hoping as fans – and myself included, as a fan of the sport – we’re moving away from times. Because talent distribution is so dense. So everyone’s running so fast. The technology, everyone’s running so fast. How can you stand out? An infinite number of people can run sub-3:50 – only one person can win a race.”

Earlier this week, Kessler threw some shade at US rivals Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare, who raced at Boston University last night in order to hit the World Championship entry standard in the 5,000 rather than come to USAs. But if Kessler is all about racing, why isn’t he doing World Indoors as well?

Kessler’s answer: his goal is to be the absolute best in the world in the 1500 this year. And given how competitive the event is, he feels that spending the next month resetting and starting up base training again will prepare him for that more than traveling to China and running Worlds. Plus, he doesn’t feel Worlds holds as much prestige this year than last year.

“I do understand the hypocrisy in [not running World Indoors], but I lose a month of base training,” Kessler said. “I lose a month of optimal training to develop overall. And I lose, I don’t know, 10 days on the trip? [My events] is too competitive to have to sacrifice all that. Whereas coming here versus to BU – same travel distance, same cost, same time. 

“I just don’t see [World Indoors] as holding the same weight as other years. Whoever wins, total credit to them. But for me personally, I wouldn’t feel the same weight winning in China as in Glasgow [last year] just because the amount of attention, it’s technically an off year [for indoors]. The excitement for the meet isn’t there.”

Kessler is right that his event is insanely competitive in 2025. And he’s certainly not the only marquee star to skip the meet as Hocker and Yared Nuguse won’t be running and Josh Kerr seems unlikely to do so (Jakob Ingebrigtsen is TBD). Margins are thin at the very top of the sport and everyone is looking for even the smallest edge.

But we disagree with Kessler’s claim that 2025 is an “off year” indoors – if there’s a World Indoors, it’s not an off year. Kessler is also right that the excitement is not the same for Nanjing as Glasgow because many top stars are not running – something Hocker also noted when we talked to him about this last night in Boston. But it is the stars who ultimately decide what meets do and do not matter. If Hocker and Kessler both committed as they did in 2024, suddenly that World Indoor gold weighs a whole lot more.

Dylan Jacobs raced his ass off and will be dangerous at World Indoors

Jacobs flew under the radar in his first year as a pro in 2024, in part because he only raced four times and in part because he was not on a pro team, instead staying in Knoxville, Tenn., to work under his college coach Sean Carlson. Now Jacobs is part of the OAC pro team in Boulder, and he should not fly under the radar much longer as he ran 7:30 at Millrose and just finished 2nd at USAs, getting barely outkicked by a guy who was 5th in the Olympic 1500 last year.

Jacobs will be heading to China as part of his first US Worlds team, and given how good he looked tonight, a medal isn’t out of the question.

LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast listener Sam Gilman just got 3rd at USAs while working a full-time job

Gilman, whose main coach is New Balance’s Mark Coogan but has been hopping in a lot of workouts with Mike Scannell and Grant Fisher, will soon be a member of the Air Force’s WCAP program but he’s been in the form of his life this winter while working a full-time job for the Air Force. 

“I’m gaining confidence every day,” said Gilman. “This sport isn’t all glory and not everybody’s Grant Fisher or Noah Lyles making a million dollars a year but you can do it working a full-time job and that’s the message I want to send.”

60m Hurdles: The Greatest Active Win Streak in Track & Field Lives On

Only two reigning individual Olympic champions were in action at USAs this weekend. Both of them run the same event — the 60m hurdles — and on Saturday, both of them won US titles: Masai Russell (7.74 in the women’s race) and Grant Holloway (7.36 in the men’s race). Both of them ran world-leading times as well — necessary in the case of Russell, as fellow Olympic finalist Grace Stark was just .02 behind her.

As for Holloway, the greatest active win streak in professional track — and one of the greatest in all of pro spots — lived to see another day. Holloway began Saturday 67-0 in his life over the 42-inch barriers in the 60m hurdles. Now he is 69-0 and will be headed to Nanjing next month for a shot at a third straight World Indoor title.

Men’s 800 Prelims: Wes Ferguson Impresses

In the men’s 800, all three of the entrants who came into the meet having run under 1:46 on the year made the final as new American record holder Josh Hoey (1:43.90 pb) went wire to wire to win heat #1 in 1:46.59 and 2024 Paris Olympian Brandon Miller won heat #3 in 1:45.58. Jonah Koech, who came in as the #2 seed at 1:44.82, only advanced as a time qualifier in heat #2 with a 1:46.34 clocking as 2024 NCAA DII champion Wes Ferguson was the revelation of the afternoon. Ferguson closed in a sensational 25.60 to win the heat by a full second in the fastest time of the day (1:45.34). 2024 NCAA DI champion Shane Cohen used a big close (26.69) to take the final time qualifier in 1:46.48 in the third heat as Isaiah Harris, who has made the last two World indoor teams, took the other time qualifier in 1:46.46 in heat 2.

*Full results

Wes Ferguson wasn’t surprised by his big run today – and he’s not running for Oregon TC

This was not the first time Ferguson, a DII star at Nebraska-Kearney, has flashed potential. He won his semi at USA outdoors in 2023 but was DQ’d for a lane violation. Last year, he ran 1:45.06 and was 5th in his semi at the Olympic Trials. Now he’s still training in Kearney, still looking for a sponsor (though he said his agent Ray Flynn is getting close a deal). Ferguson has a chance to boost his value on Sunday – if he closes like he did today, he will be a real threat to win over Josh Hoey.

If Ferguson is not sponsored, why did he run in an Oregon Track Club singlet today? Well, it’s actually on loan from a friend because the singlet Ferguson originally planned to wear didn’t get shipped out in time.

“It looks cool though, so I guess it got the job done,” Ferguson said.

Women’s Day 1 Recap: Nikki Hiltz Runs Down Shelby Houlihan To Win 2025 US Indoor 3000m Final

Talk about the action on our world-famous messageboard:

• Official 2025 USA Indoor Discussion Thread
• THE Shelby Houlihan interview. Houlihan talks to LetsRun after making first Worlds team since doping suspension
• I am so HAPPY that Nikki beat Shelby
• CITIUS not posting about Shelby, deleting comments!
• SHELBY GOES HOME DEVASTATED
• Krissy Gear drama

Want the LetsRun Day 1 recap podcast? Join the LetsRun Supporters Club here and get LetsRun podcasts of all the big track meets. Cancel any time. Money back guarantee.

Video of podcast here if you want to see for yourself: