There may not be an Olympic Games or World Championships this summer, but there is still a USATF Championship to be contested—which means we get an interesting twist in terms of athletes dabbling in new events, doubling in multiple races, or, inevitably, scratching from the competition mid-meet (cross your fingers we don't get too many of those). 

Top-three placement thus doesn't necessarily mean anything more than fourth place or eighth place in this context aside from prize money—though the individual champion does earn a spot for the inaugural Athletics World Cup in London. But it's still fun to keep the championship meet narrative aligned to qualifying for Team USA as whoever places in the top three this weekend gets some nice momentum looking at the 2019 Worlds and 2020 Olympic Games.

Below is the rundown of top storylines to follow in the women's distance events.

Women's 800m: Juventus TC Trio Ajee' Wilson, Charlene Lipsey, Raevyn Rogers Will Be Tough To Topple

Brenda Martinez, Charlene Lipsey, and reigning U.S. champion Ajee' Wilson pose after placing top three at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships. © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

First Round | Thursday, June 21 | 2:00 PM CT
Semifinals | Friday, June 22 | 6:50 PM CT
Final | Sunday, June 24 | 3:04 PM CT

Key Athletes: Ajee' Wilson, Charlene Lipsey, Raevyn Rogers, Ce'Aira Brown, Chrishuna Williams, Sammy Watson, Sabrina Southerland

Analysis: Of all the women's track events, the 800m seems easiest to predict. Defending U.S. champion and American record holder Ajee' Wilson is clearly head and shoulders above her domestic competition after capturing bronze and silver in the last two world outdoor and indoor championships, respectively. Her season-best of 1:56.86 from the Prefontaine Classic is No. 2 in the world this year behind only Caster Semenya.

Only three other American women have broken two minutes this year, and two of them are Wilson's Juventus TC teammates: Charlene Lipsey, whose 1:58.35, fifth-place finish at Pre indicated she's back on her game this spring after a mediocre (by her standards) indoor campaign; and Raevyn Rogers, who made her first world team indoors and ran 1:59.36 at Pre.

A wildcard who should be in the mix here is Ce'Aira Brown of NJ*NY TC, a Hampton alum who was relatively unknown before a slew of breakout performances this spring catapulted her to the top of the domestic descending order lists. She entered 2018 with an 800m PB of 2:00.84, and she's recently broken the two-minute barrier twice, with a season-best of 1:59.70—fourth in the U.S. behind Wilson, Lipsey, and Rogers. She's also undefeated in the 800m this year, meaning she could certainly have another breakthrough in the tank once she lines up against Wilson and company.

Odds are we see the top three arrive from some combination of the aforementioned athletes, though anything is possible in an 800m! Additional notable athletes include 2016 Olympian Chrishuna Williams, whose season-best is 2:02.45; NCAA indoor champion Sabrina Southerland, who ran 2:00.72 this spring and is likely looking for some redemption after finishing just seventh at the outdoor championship; and Texas A&M freshman Sammy Watson, who recently captured her first NCAA title by outlasting terrible conditions at Hayward Field.

Watson could be due for a nice PB, as her career-best of 2:00.65 dates back to last summer. She set a season-best of 2:01.46 this weekend in winning the USATF Jr. title.

Women's 1500m: Shelby Houlihan vs. Jenny Simpson, Part II!

Shelby Houlihan closed in 59.86 to win the 1500m in a career-best 3:59.06 at the 2018 Prefontaine Classic. Reigning U.S. champion Jenny Simpson placed third in 3:59.37. © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

First Round | Thursday, June 21 | 3:35 PM CT
Final | Saturday, June 23 | 3:46 PM CT

Key Athletes: Shelby Houlihan, Jenny Simpson, Brenda Martinez, Kate Grace, Sara Vaughn, Stephanie Brown, Emily Lipari, Alexa Efraimson, Dani Jones, Cory McGee

Analysis: Shelby Houlihan of the Bowerman Track Club threw off the order of the universe when she whizzed past Jenny Simpson, Laura Muir and company en route to winning the Prefontaine Classic 1500m in 3:59.06, her first-ever run under four minutes. That epic closer was in 59.86, by the way.

The run was impressive, for sure, but don't write off Simpson. Odds should still favor the woman with four global medals, currently eyeing her fifth consecutive U.S. title over 1500m.

I’m not unbeatable but I am unstoppable. My first (2009) and tenth (today) sub-4 were in this stadium. Thank you @preclassic for everything. #teamNB #sub4 #1500m #EugeneDL pic.twitter.com/xIMMRgFQXY

— Jenny Simpson (@trackjenny) May 26, 2018

By season-bests, 800m convert Brenda Martinez is the No. 3 woman in the U.S. over 1500m thanks to her 4:02.65 at the Pre Classic. 

Martinez's mark is four seconds faster than a slew of women who have run between 4:06 and 4:07 this season, which includes Stephanie Brown, whose 4:06.71 at the Portland Track Festival marked her first PB since 2015; Kate Grace, who has made the past two U.S. teams in the 800m and 1500m but has not yet seen the same success since joining the Bowerman Track Club; Emily Lipari, who nearly tied her PB in placing second behind Brown at the PTF; and Dani Jones, the University of Colorado redshirt who won the National 1500m at the Pre Classic in 4:07 ahead of Cory McGee and Alexa Efraimson, who have run 4:07 and 4:08 this spring, respectively. 

Not to mention Sara Vaughn, last year's surprise third-place finisher at USAs, though her season-best is just 4:11.

Charlene Lipsey and Ajee' Wilson have run 4:04 and 4:05 this year, but are racing the 800m at USAs.

If we had to choose, Martinez as No. 3 makes the most sense given her 4:02 season-best and 4:00.89 career-best, though the latter time is from 2013. The 30-year-old has placed in the top three of either the 800m or 1500m every year since 2013—when she won her world silver medal—with the exception of 2014, which was also an "off year" from Worlds or Olympics.

If Martinez is "off" in the "off year," an in-form athlete with something to prove like Brown, who is unsponsored and works part-time in a wine shop, or Lipari, who is also unsponsored, could rise to the top. 

Watch Stephanie Brown's super kick to win the Portland Track Festival 1500m for her first PR in three years: 

Several collegians in addition to Jones will be fun to watch—especially to keep tabs on who has signed with which shoe company. Recent graduates entered include Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire, this year's NCAA indoor mile champion; Arkansas' Nikki Hiltz, two-time NCAA runner-up for 1500m. Current collegians include Stanford's Elise Cranny and Christina Aragon, third and fourth in the NCAA 1500m final; and Toledo's Janelle Roe, 11th in her first appearance at an NCAA Championships after an improbable dream season that saw her drop 20 seconds from her PB after surviving a catastrophic fire that left her with third-degree burns all over her body.

Women's 3K Steeplechase: Emma Coburn Chases Nine Minutes

Courtney Frerichs, Emma Coburn, and Colleen Quigley pose after placing top-three in the steeplechase at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships. © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

First Round | Thursday, June 21 | 1:50 PM CT
Final | Saturday, June 23 | 3:20  PM CT

Key Athletes: Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs

Analysis: Steeplechase has emerged as one of the premier events for American women, at least at the very top. Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs are the reigning IAAF world gold and silver medalists, and they will likely retain their domestic positions through the next world and Olympic cycles. 

Coburn's big goal for the off-year summer is to become the fifth woman in world history to break nine minutes. Right now, her 9:02.58 American record ranks her the sixth-fastest woman all-time. Frerichs could theoretically stick to that pace, too, if they decide to go for it, as her PB from worlds is 9:03.77.

Coburn has run 9:08 and 9:09 this year with some bad luck to boot: she fell on the final water barrier at the Rome Diamond League meeting, and organizers at the Oslo Bislett Games incorrectly set one barrier at the men's height for most of the race. There are only so many chances to run fast, so if the weather cooperates, we could see her go for it in Des Moines.

Women's 5K: Shelby Houlihan Goes For Double; Karissa Schweizer Takes On The Pros

Team USA's Katie Mackey and Shelby Houlihan at the start of the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships 3K final. © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

Final | Sunday, June 24 | 3:22 PM CT

Key Athletes: Shelby Houlihan, Marielle Hall, Karissa Schweizer, Katie Mackey, Lauren Paquette, Rachel Schneider, Vanessa Fraser

Analysis: The women's 5K is a relatively small field compared to the other events and absent of a few superstars we usually see. Still, the more relaxed atmosphere of a non-championship year should bode well for Karissa Schweizer's professional debut at USAs. 

Reigning champion Shelby Houlihan is entered both here and in the 1500m, which means she could possibly scratch the 5K depending on how things go in the metric mile. Then again, this is the woman who handily earned two USATF indoor titles in the 1500m and 3K this March, so we'd bet she stays in the game.

Houlihan's Bowerman TC training partner, Olympian Marielle Hall, is also entered in the 5K after winning the Portland Track Festival in 15:16.

So how well will Schweizer match up against the pros?

While Houlihan has run 15-flat and Hall has run 15:06, six-time NCAA champion Schweizer's PB of 15:17 isn't far off the personal records of the other top pros in the field, like Lauren Paquette (15:14) and Rachel Schneider (15:15). 

Katie Mackey, who made her first world team alongside Houlihan this winter in the 3K, ran 15:04 in 2014, but hasn't broken 15:15 since then.

Vanessa Fraser of Stanford (15:20 PB/fourth at NCAAs) and Allie Buchalski of Furman (15:35 PB/second at NCAAs) should be right in the mix with these women as well. Buchalski recently announced she's joining the Brooks Beasts, so this will be her first race in their kit alongside Mackey.

Women's 10K: Molly Huddle Aims For Fourth Straight Title; Gwen Jorgensen Makes Championship Debut

Molly Huddle wins her third straight 10K title at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships. © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.

Final |  Thursday, June 21 | 7:00 PM CT

Key Athletes: Molly Huddle, Gwen Jorgensen, Emily Sisson, Jessica Tonn, Stephanie Bruce, Molly Seidel, Sarah Pagano, Carrie Dimoff, Chelsea Blaase, Rochelle Kanuho

Analysis: Usually a win by Molly Huddle in the 10K would be an almost foregone conclusion. If successful in defending her title in Des Moines, the 33-year-old would make it four consecutive USATF 10K victories (and a mind-bogglingly 27 total U.S. titles, including efforts on the track and roads).

Her status, though, is a bit uncertain after struggling to a 16th-place finish in historically terrible weather conditions at the Boston Marathon. She's raced once since then, a third-place, 32:25 effort at the NYRR Mini 10K on June 9 behind Mary Keitany and Aliphine Tuliamuk, after which she said, "Today was a grind. I'm just not fit yet."

There's no shame in losing to either Keitany or Tuliamuk, the former being the second-fastest woman in world history over the marathon distance (2:17:01), and the latter a superstar on the U.S. road circuit. Still, if Huddle is feeling vulnerable, that could open the door for a new face to dominate the distance heading into the next world and Olympic cycle.

Of the contenders, Gwen Jorgensen is perhaps the most interesting. The 2016 Rio Olympic champion in the triathlon somewhat infamously declared her intent to win gold at the 2020 Games in not the tri, but the marathon, last fall. She's run impressively since then, clocking 15:15 for 5K and 31:55 for 10K, especially when you consider that she gave birth last summer. 

We talked to Gwen Jorgensen after she won the Stanford Invitational 10K in 31:55:

Some consider Huddle's training partner Emily Sisson to be her natural heir as queen of the U.S. 10K, especially since Emily Infeld—the 2015 world bronze medalist—is out with injury. The 26-year-old Sisson made her first senior-level world team last summer in the 10K with a third-place finish and 31:25 PB at USAs; she was ninth in London. 

Sisson has raced only three times in 2018; her most significant result was a runner-up finish at the New York City Half Marathon to Ethiopian road queen Buze Diriba. 

Jessica Tonn (31:54), Sarah Pagano (31:56), Chelsea Blaase (31:57), Carrie Dimoff (31:57), and Stephanie Bruce (31:59) all enter the championship with marks under 32 minutes. Tonn and Pagano had a great battle at the Payton Jordan 10K that saw them both dip under the 32-minute barrier for the first time in their careers. That race yielded a stunning, nearly three-minute PB for Tonn, who had struggled with injury since graduating from Stanford in 2015.

Watch Jessica Tonn and Sarah Pagano battle to sub-32 at Payton Jordan:

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If you want an underdog to root for, check out the 35-year-old Dimoff, who works full-time for Nike and is a mother of two. We had her on our On The Run podcast after her great Stanford Invite battle with Jorgensen.

It's also worth keeping an eye on Rochelle Kanuho, formerly of NAZ Elite, who beat both Jorgensen and Dimoff at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in May to finish third overall. She most recently won the Portland Track Festival 10K in 32:18, 10 seconds off her best and 13 seconds ahead of former NCAA champion Molly Seidel.

A previous version of this article profiled Colleen Quigley in the 1500m and steeplechase. She has since scratched from both races.