Eaton, Wheating, Whiting Up as Finalists For The Bowerman
July 13, 2010 Share
NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Advisory Board in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Tuesday the three male finalists for the highest honor given to collegiate track & field student-athletes – The Bowerman. Representing the best in collegiate track & field during the 2010 seasons, the finalists are Oregon senior Ashton Eaton, Oregon senior Andrew Wheating, and Arizona State senior Ryan Whiting.
Finalists were chosen by the ten-person Bowerman Advisory Board based on performances recorded during the indoor and outdoor 2010 track & field seasons. Only performances through the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are used in consideration.
THE BOWERMAN FINALISTS, 2010 MEN
Ashton Eaton, Oregon | Season Statistical Recap PDF
Eaton, a native of Bend, Ore., netted a second-straight NCAA heptathlon title during the indoor season and a third-consecutive NCAA decathlon crown outdoors. Scoring 6,499 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Eaton topped the 17-year-old world record held by Dan O’Brien. Twice during the indoor season, Eaton bettered the heptathlon collegiate record. Outdoors, Eaton scored over 8150 points in each of his three decathlons, and beat the NCAA Championships meet record in the event. Eaton was the USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season and shared the award with Ryan Whiting outdoors.
Andrew Wheating, Oregon | Season Statistical Recap PDF
Wheating, a native of Norwich, Vt., won NCAA outdoor crowns in the 800 and 1500 meters, becoming the fourth overall and first to accomplish the double win since 1984. Wheating also defended his outdoor 800-meter national crown with the win and was the first American to do so since 1994. In the 1500, Wheating led Oregon to a 1-2-3 national sweep of the event. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Wheating anchored the DMR team to their second-straight national title and was the national runner-up in the 800 meters. Wheating was the outdoor USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year and the West Region Track Athlete of the Year during the indoor season.
Ryan Whiting, Arizona State | Season Statistical Recap PDF
Whiting, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., produced a third-straight NCAA indoor crown with the shot put and a second-consecutive outdoor title. In addition, Whiting won his first NCAA crown with the discus and is only one of 11 to have notched national crowns with the shot and discus in the same championship. At the outdoor championships, Whiting’s final toss of 72-1 (21.97m) moved him into a tie for second on the all-time collegiate list and just three centimeters shy of the collegiate record. Overall, Whiting marked throws of over 70 feet on eight occasions during the year – an all-time collegiate best. Whiting was also undefeated among collegians with the shot in 2010. Whiting was the outdoor USTFCCCA Co-National Field Athlete of the Year.
The next step in selecting a winner will be carried out in the next months with voting. The Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner.
The Bowerman Voters consist of:
- The Bowerman Advisory Board, media personnel, statisticians, collegiate administrators
- Galen Rupp, 2009 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Jenny Barringer, 2009 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
- Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
Paper balloting will conclude in August while online voting will begin in the coming weeks and will last until late August. An independent accounting firm will collect, tabulate, and certify final results and will keep the result secret until the envelope is opened in December.
Award winners will be announced in a ceremony at the USTFCCCA Convention on December 15 at the JW Marriott Hill Country, San Antonio, Texas. John Anderson, ESPN SportsCenter anchor and co-host of ABC’s Wipeout, will host the night’s festivities. The three women and three men finalists will be invited to the presentation. The three female finalists are Queen Harrison (Virginia Tech), Lisa Koll (Iowa State), and Blessing Okagbare (UTEP).
About The Bowerman
The Bowerman is named in honor of track and field pioneer Bill Bowerman, who served the sport of track and field in numerous ways, including his leadership in the USTFCCCA predecessor organization the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole. The Bowerman was first presented in 2009.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the recently-debuted trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
About the USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. USTFCCCA members encompass approximately 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and include members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.
Ashton Eaton, Sr., Oregon,
Combined Events, Bend, Ore., Mountain View HS
INDOOR: Eaton not only won the NCAA heptathlon title for the second-straight year, but he did it in world-record fashion … scoring 6,499 points, Eaton reset what was Dan O’Brien’s 1993 record of 6,476 with five new personal bests over the seven-event bonanza … in January, Eaton topped what was Trey Hardee’s collegiate record with a 6,256 tally … Eaton would better each of his marks from that January weekend to claim the world record in March … only a few hours after breaking the world record, Eaton returned to the NCAA meet to run the second leg of the Ducks 4×400 and helped the team to a sixth-place national finish … at the MPSF Championships in Seattle, Eaton claimed scoring positions in the pole vault (fourth) and as a member of the Ducks’ 4×400-meter relay team (second) … USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year.
OUTDOOR: Eaton won his third-consecutive NCAA decathlon crown, scoring a championships- and personal-record score of 8,457 points … capturing victory by 656 points, Eaton became the first in collegiate history to win three-straight crowns in the event and the second ever to win a third total … despite tallying just one event personal best (46.28 in the 400m) among the 10 disciplines, Eaton notched an all-time collegiate best 4,500 points on day one and came within eight points of Trey Hardee’s overall collegiate record (8,465) … in three competitions this season, Eaton scored 8,000 or more points, extending his streak to 10 … opened the season at the Texas Relays at the end of March with a wind-aided 8,301 for the win … at the Pac-10 Combined Event Championships, Eaton scored a conference-record 8,154 to become just the third man to win three of the league’s crowns in the event … coming back a week later for the remaining portions of the league meet, Eaton would win conference titles in the 110-meter hurdles and long jump, adding a runner-up performance in the 100-meter dash … Eaton would also qualify for the national final in the long jump, notching a leap of 26-4½ (8.04m) to be the second qualifier out of the West … USTFCCCA Co-National Field Athlete of the Year … Pac-10 Co-Men’s Field Athlete of the Year.
Andrew Wheating, Sr., Oregon,
Distance, Norwich, Vt., Kimball Union Academy
INDOOR: Wheating helped the Ducks to their second-straight NCAA championship in the distance medley relay with an anchor 1600-meter split of 4:01.23 … In 2009, Wheating ran the 800-meter leg of the DMR … Wheating took runner-up (1:48.40) in the NCAA at 800 meters after being caught at the tape by Virginia frosh Robby Andrews … Wheating started his season on February 13 with a the best collegiate mark of the season, 1:46.36 (OT), at the Husky Classic in Seattle … at the MPSF Championships, Wheating won the mile crown with a 3:58.20 (OT) clocking on that same track in Seattle … USTFCCCA West Region Track Athlete of the Year.
OUTDOOR: At the NCAA Championships, Wheating ran four races in four days to capture national crowns in the 800 and 1500 meters, an accomplishment only matched four other times in the 89-year history of the NCAA Championships and for the first time since 1984 … Wheating (1:45.69) used his “kick” earlier in the competition than usual in the 800 finals, covering the final 200 meters in 26.20 seconds, holding off the surging Andrews (1:46.83) who would place second despite entering the final curve in last place … with the victory, Wheating became the first American since 1994 to defend an NCAA 800-meter crown … Wheating (3:47.94) would lead a final Duck charge to the finish line in the national final of the 1500m as Oregon claimed the first 1-2-3 NCAA sweep in the history of the event … Wheating would finish the season with the second-fastest collegiate time in the 800 (1:45.69, NCAA final) and the best collegiate time of 2010 in the 1500 – 3:37.52 recorded in being the first qualifier from the West portion of the NCAA’s quarterfinals … earlier in the season, Wheating won his third straight Pac-10 title at 800 meters in 1:47.77, becoming the first to win three-straight conference titles in the event since Oregon’s David Mack (1980-82). Wheating also ran a leg of the Ducks’ 4×400 that finished fourth at the conference meet; all in helping Oregon win their fourth-straight league crown … Wheating opened the season at the Penn Relays, where he anchored Oregon to a win in the distance medley relay (9:30.69) and a second-place finish in the 4×800 meter relay (7:15.55) … USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year … Pac-10 Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.
Ryan Whiting, Sr., Arizona State,
Throws, Harrisburg, Pa., Central Dauphin HS
INDOOR:Whiting’s dominance of the 2010 season began indoors as he won the NCAA Championship for the third year in a row with a toss of 70-7¼ (21.52m) … that victory not only kept him undefeated against collegiate competitors, it made him just the third man all-time to win the shot put in three consecutive NCAA indoor meets and the first to do so in 35 years (Hans Hogland, UTEP, 1973-1974-1975) … he also became just the fourth man to win three or more shot put crowns at the NCAA Indoor Championships in a career and the first to do so since Michael Carter (SMU) won his fourth in 1984 … during the season, Whiting did not compete in the conference event (MPSF Championships) and, instead, competed at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships where he took second by four inches to Olympic medalist Christian Cantwell … Whiting, who had a best of 69-0 (21.03m), finished second and automatically qualified to compete in the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, but did not travel with Team USA to the world event as he was competing in the NCAA Indoor Championships … Whiting also finished the indoor season ranked third overall on the world lists with his winning mark for the NCAA meet.
OUTDOOR: Whiting capped his collegiate career with a sweep of the shot put and discus at the NCAA Championships to record the fifth and sixth national titles of his career while earning his second-consecutive outdoor shot put crown and his first discus title … his win in the shot put gave him five total NCAA titles in the event after he won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 indoor crowns as well … Whiting won the shot put with the third-best mark in the World in 2010 with a toss of 72-1 (21.97m) to equal the second-best mark all-time in collegiate history missing the collegiate record by three centimeters … his winning throw also gave him a mark of over 70-feet for the eighth time on the year and the 10th time in his career, both of which are the most ever for a collegian (four in a season and six in a career were the previous bests) … Whiting also won the national discus title with a toss of 193-9 (59.06m) for his first crown in that event, the first ever for an ASU man and made him one of only 11 men that have swept both events in the same NCAA meet since the first meet held in 1921 and the first to do so since 2002 … the school record holder in both events, Whiting also swept both throws at the Pac-10 Conference Championships, giving him his first title in the discus and his second in the shot put … Whiting went undefeated against collegiate competitors in the shot put, he averaged a winning mark of 70-7¾ (21.53m) while the next closest collegian averaged a toss of 60-6¾ (18.46m) in those meetings, giving Whiting an average margin of victory by over 10 feet … for his efforts, he was named the Co-National Field Athlete of the Year for Outdoor Track & Field by the USTFCCCA and by the Pac-10 Confernece … Whiting also has been named the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s track and field, an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII First Team honoree and the Pac-10 Tom Hansen Conference Medal of Honor winner.
Harrison, Koll, Okagbare Named Women’s Finalists For The Bowerman
July 12, 2010 Share
NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Advisory Board in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Monday the three female finalists for the highest honor given to collegiate track & field student-athletes – The Bowerman. Representing the best in collegiate track & field during the 2010 seasons, the finalists are Virginia Tech senior Queen Harrison, Iowa State senior Lisa Koll, and UTEP senior Blessing Okagbare.
Finalists were chosen by the ten-person Bowerman Advisory Board based on performances recorded during the indoor and outdoor 2010 track & field seasons. Only performances through the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are used in consideration.
THE BOWERMAN FINALISTS, 2010 WOMEN
Queen Harrison, Virginia Tech | Season Statistical Recap PDF
Harrision, a native of Richmond, Va., became the first female in NCAA history to win both 100- and 400-meter hurdle national titles. In addition, Harrison won the NCAA indoor crown in the 60-meter hurdles. Harrison recorded the 2010 collegiate-best times in all three hurdle events spanning the indoor and outdoor seasons and went undefeated in every final of those events. Harrison notched the fourth-best, all-time collegiate best 100-meter hurdle time in winning the Penn Relays title (12.61). Harrison was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor campaigns.
Lisa Koll, Iowa State | Season Statistical Recap PDF
Koll, a native of Fort Dodge, Iowa, swept NCAA crowns in the 5000 and 10,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to become only the fourth female in history to do so. Koll won the 10k by over 23 seconds to claim her second-ever national title in the event while her 30-second victory in the national final of the 5000 meters paired with her 2010 NCAA indoor title at the same distance. Koll opened the outdoor season with a collegiate record, clocking 31:18.07 in the 10k at the Stanford Invitational. In individual races, Koll only lost to a collegian once during the season. Koll was selected by the nation’s coaches as the USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year during the outdoor season and a regional-award winner in the same category for the indoor season.
Blessing Okagbare, UTEP | Season Statistical Recap PDF
Okagbare, a native of Umuahi, Nigeria, notched NCAA crowns during the outdoor season in the 100 meters and long jump, becoming the first in collegiate history to pull off such a feat. In the indoor season, Okagbare won national titles in the 60 meters and long jump and grabbed top honors in the long jump in topping the NCAA Championships meet record twice. Okagbare was undefeated in all sprint and jump finals during the season and anchored the UTEP 4×100 to the NCAA Championships semifinal. Okagbare was the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Track Athlete and Mountain Region Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season and the once again the Mountain Region Track Athlete of the Year for the outdoor season.
The next step in selecting a winner will be carried out in the next months with voting. The Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner.
The Bowerman Voters consist of:
- The Bowerman Advisory Board, media personnel, statisticians, and collegiate administrators.
- Galen Rupp, 2009 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Jenny Barringer, 2009 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
- Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
Paper balloting will conclude in August while online voting will begin in the coming weeks and will last until late August. An independent accounting firm will collect, tabulate, and certify final results and will keep the result secret until the envelope is opened in December.
Award winners will be announced in a ceremony at the USTFCCCA Convention on December 15 at the JW Marriott Hill Country, San Antonio, Texas. John Anderson, ESPN SportsCenter anchor and co-host of ABC’s Wipeout, will host the night’s festivities. The three women and three men finalists will be invited to the presentation. The three male finalists will be released Tuesday.
About The Bowerman
The Bowerman is named in honor of track and field pioneer Bill Bowerman, who served the sport of track and field in numerous ways, including his leadership in the USTFCCCA predecessor organization the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole. The Bowerman was first presented in 2009.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the recently-debuted trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
About the USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. USTFCCCA members encompass approximately 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and include members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.
Queen Harrison, Sr., Virginia Tech,
Hurdles, Richmond, Va., Hermitage HS
INDOOR: Captured Virginia Tech’s first national title in women’s track and field at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships, winning the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.95 … set personal, school and ACC meet record with a 2010 collegiate-leading time of 7.94 in the 60-meter hurdles for her first individual ACC Championship … also broke school record in the 400-meter dash three times on the season, and owns the standard at 53.06, which she achieved in another ACC-title performance at the conference championships … was undefeated in 60-meter hurdle competition … named ACC Performer of the Week twice during indoor campaign … USTFCCCA Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year
OUTDOOR: Became the first female in NCAA history to win both the 100- and 400-meter hurdle national titles … captured the 100-meter hurdles title with a time of 12.67, after winning the 400-meter hurdles earlier in the championship with a school-record time of 54.55 … Harrison broke the school record in the 100-meter hurdles, clocking a 2010 collegiate-leading 12.61 en route to the Penn Relays championship … also won the ACC crowns in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles … named ACC Women’s Track MVP honors for the outdoor season, the Penn Relays Women’s Individual Athlete of the Meet and has won the conference’s weekly award three times this year … USTFCCCA Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year
Lisa Koll, Sr., Iowa State,
Distance, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Fort Dodge HS
INDOOR: Koll won her first NCAA indoor crown with a 15:39.65 run at 5000 meters and beat the field by more than 10 seconds … Koll nearly pulled off the NCAA distance double, but was outdueled by Illinois’ Angela Bizzarri in the 3000 meters by just 12 hundredths of a second to take runner-up honors (8:57.52) … Koll claimed double Big 12 Championship titles and double collegiate-best marks of the season at the conference meet in Ames … Combining times on 200 meter and oversized tracks, Koll would be the fifth-best collegiate performer all-time in the 5000m and sixth-best all-time in the 3000m from times recorded at the Big 12 meet … USTFCCCA Midwest Track Athlete of the Year.
OUTDOOR: Swept NCAA crowns in the 5000 and 10,000 meters becoming only the fourth female in NCAA history to notch, the 5k-10k double, joining Amy Skieresz (Arizona, 1997-98), Stephanie Herbst (Wisconsin, 1986), and Betty Jo Springs (North Carolina State, 1983) … Koll’s 10k victory of 32:49.35 gave her the second NCAA title of the event in her career, cruising to victory after breaking from the pack at the 7000-meter mark to win by over 20 second … two days later, Koll returned for the 5000 and led nearly wire-to-wire in a 30-second, 15:23.80 victory, the third-fastest time recorded by a collegian … opened the season with a collegiate record clocking of 31:18.07 in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational, topping the previous mark of 31:25.45 set by Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego in 2008 … on May 1, Koll posted a 15:17.76 collegiate-leading time over 5000 meters in placing fourth overall and as the first collegiate at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, again at Stanford … anchored DMR team with a 4:31.8, 1600-meter split to a Drake Relays title … Went on to win Big 12 titles in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters and reset the 5000 meet record with a 15:22.42 clocking previously held by Sara Slattery of Colorado … USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year … finalist for Honda-Broderick Cup, representing track & field.
Blessing Okagbare, Sr., UTEP,
Jumps/Sprints, Umuahi, Nigeria, Delta State
INDOOR: NCAA Champion in the long jump and 60 meters … in the long jump notched a meet record, 2010 collegiate best and personal best mark of 22-6½ (6.87m) on third attempt to go with 22-5¼ (6.84m) mark on previous attempt … Okagbare also finished the season with the third-best long jump performance in the world … clocked 7.18 in the 60 at the NCAA meet to equal her own 2010 collegiate best and personal best … Okagbare matched former Texas great Marshevet Hooker (2006) as a sprint-jump double national champ … claimed titles in the 60m, 200m, triple and long jump at the Conference USA Championships to earn the Performance of the Meet and High Point Scorer of the Meet honors (40 points) … set new meet records in the triple jump and school and meet records in the 60m at the C-USA Championships … named C-USA Athlete of the Week three times during the season… went undefeated in all events competed throughout season … … tapped as USTFCCCA National Female Field Athlete of the Year … named the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Track Athlete of the Year, USTFCCCA Mountain Region Field Athlete of the Year, and Conference USA Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
OUTDOOR: Won NCAA titles in the long jump and the 100 meters, becoming the first in NCAA history to win the 100m-long jump double at the national outdoor meet … clocked an 11.21 in the semifinal for wind legal season best in the 100 and notched a wind-aided 10.98 in the finals for the all-conditions collegiate-leading mark of 2010 … in the long jump, won NCAA crown with 22-3½ (6.79m) leap, and notched season’s collegiate best mark of 22-7 (6.88m) in winning the Texas Relays with meet record … winner of the 100m and long jump at the Conference USA Championships … honored as the Conference USA Track and Field Athlete of the Year as well as picking up C-USA Championships Performance of the Meet and High Point Scorer of the Meet accolades … honored as the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Female Track Athlete of the Year … named a finalist for the Honda Sports Track and Field Woman of the Year Award.