Women’s Semifinalists for The Bowerman 2011 Announced
June 21, 2011 Share
NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Tuesday the ten female semifinalists for collegiate track & field’s biggest award – The Bowerman. With the collegiate season complete, the semifinalists will be evaluated by the ten-person Bowerman Advisory Board and three finalists will be named from the semifinalist group on Thursday, July 14.
THE BOWERMAN SEMIFINALISTS, 2011 WOMEN
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Nia Ali | SR | Southern California | Hurdles/Jumps | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Brigetta Barrett | SO | Arizona | Jumps | Duncanville, Texas |
| Jessica Beard | SR | Texas A&M | Sprints | Euclid, Ohio |
| Emma Coburn | JR | Colorado | Distance | Crested Butte, Colo. |
| Kimberlyn Duncan | SO | LSU | Sprints | Katy, Texas |
| Jordan Hasay | SO | Oregon | Distance | Arroyo Grande, Calif. |
| Sheila Reid | JR | Villanova | Distance | Newmarket, Ont. |
| Tina Sutej | JR | Arkansas | Pole Vault | Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Jeneba Tarmoh | JR | Texas A&M | Sprints | San Jose, Calif. |
| Brianne Theisen | SR | Oregon | Combined Events | Humboldt, Sask. |
Nia Ali, Southern California
Senior, Hurdles/Jumps, Philadephia, Pa. (West Catholic HS)
Ali was the winner of the NCAA outdoor 100-meter hurdle title with a wind-aided run of 12.63. Ali clocked a personal-best time of 12.77 to win Pac-10 title and is currently ranked seventh in the world in the event in 2011. Finishing sixth at the NCAA outdoor meet in the high jump, Ali once leapt over six feet this season (6-1¼, 1.86m) to finish second in the Pac-10 to Arizona’s Brigetta Barrett. Ali was also an NCAA qualifier indoors in the 60-meter hurdles.
Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Sophomore, Jumps, Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville HS)
Barrett claimed NCAA high jump titles in both the indoor and outdoor seasons to join six others that have accomplished the same feat (most recently, Texas’ Destinee Hooker in 2009). Barrett cleared six feet or more in each of her 11 competitions and notched an all-around personal best of 6-4 (1.93m) to win the Pac-10 title. Barrett won 10 of 11 meet crowns in the high jump during both indoor and outdoor seasons.
Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
Senior, Sprints, Euclid, Ohio (Euclid HS)
Beard became the just the third female in NCAA Division I history, and first since 1999, to win both 400 national titles in the same year and run on both winning 4×400 relays at the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Beard, four-time Big 12 indoor 400-meter champ, recorded the world’s fastest time over the 400-meter distance indoors with a 50.79 clocking to win the national crown. Outdoors, Beard clocked 51.10 for the NCAA win and split 49.13 for the Aggies as anchor of the winning 4×400 relay.
Emma Coburn, Colorado
Junior, Distance, Crested Butte, Colo. (Crested Butte HS)
Coburn won the NCAA’s 3000-meter steeplechase title in a wire-to-wire, 9:41.14 victory and bettered the field by more than six seconds. Coburn was undefeated in the steeplechase during the season and clocked a 9:40.51 personal best to win the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational race – a mark that ranks sixth among collegians all-time. Coburn also finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile.
Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Sophomore, Sprints, Katy, Texas (Cypress Springs HS)
Duncan swept the NCAA’s 200-meter titles in 2011 and, in both seasons, notched world-leading times. Duncan became the sixth woman in NCAA Division I history and the first since Auburn’s Kerron Stewart in 2007 to sweep 200-meter titles in the same season. Indoors, Duncan won the SEC title in 22.78 for the world’s best time of the season. Outdoors, Duncan was undefeated in the 200 meters and clocked a low-altitude collegiate record (and the third-best overall) with a 22.24 run. Duncan was also the NCAA’s 100-meter runner-up and anchored the Lady Tigers to an NCAA title in the 4×100 (42.64).
Jordan Hasay, Oregon
Sophomore, Distance, Arroyo Grande, Calif. (Mission College Prep)
Hasay won NCAA indoor titles in the mile and 3000 meters, becoming the fifth overall and the first since Northern Arizona’s Johanna Nilsson (2006) to claim such a double. Hasay also led the Ducks to a runner-up finish in the distance medley relay at the national indoor meet. Outdoors, Hasay finished fourth nationally in the 5000 meters and eighth in the 1500 meters.
Sheila Reid, Villanova
Junior, Distance, Newmarket, Ontario
Reid tallied three NCAA crowns and five Big East titles during the 2011 track & field seasons. Outdoors, Reid became the first woman in Division I history to the NCAA’s 1500 and 5000 in the same championship. Indoors, Reid anchored the Wildcats to the NCAA crown in the DMR and was second nationally in the 3000 meters. In the Big East, Reid would also win the 1500-5000 double outdoors and was a three-time titlist indoors with wins in the 1000 meters, 4×800, and DMR.
Tina Sutej, Arkansas
Junior, Pole Vault, Ljubljana, Slovenia (Gimnazija Bezigrad)
Sutej set new collegiate records with the pole vault both indoors and outdoors in 2011. Indoors, Sutej would reach a best of 14-10¾ (4.54m) to set the new all-time collegiate best in winning the SEC crown and would go on to win the NCAA title. Outdoors, Sutej again won the SEC league title with a collegiate-record vault – a clearance of 15-1½ (4.61m). Overall, Sutej collected 13-straight meet victories before finishing runner-up at the NCAA outdoor meet, but tied the championship-meet record with Oregon’s Melissa Gergel who took the crown on virtue of misses.
Jeneba Tarmoh, Texas A&M
Junior, Sprints, San Jose, Calif. (Mt. Pleasant HS/Tennessee)
Tarmoh was twice the NCAA’s runner-up in the 200 meters in 2011, matching performances both indoors and outdoors. Tarmoh did win an NCAA titles with both indoor and outdoor Aggie 4×400-meter relays and collected another silver as a member of the 4×100 squad. Tarmoh recorded top-five world times both indoors and outdoors in the 200 meters, running 22.34 in the national finals to move into the collegiate all-time top ten in the event. Tarmoh swept Big 12 outdoor 100- and 200-meter sprint titles and was on Texas A&M’s winning 4×100 relay.
Brianne Theisen, Oregon
Senior, Combined Events, Humboldt, Saskatchewan (Humboldt Collegiate Institute)
Theisen twice set the collegiate record in the pentathlon in the 2011 indoor season and won her second-straight NCAA crown in the event. Her score of 4,540 bettered her previous all-time collegiate best mark of 4,507 set in January at the UW Invitational and ranked among the world’s top five in the event for the season. Theisen also scored at the NCAA indoor meet for the second-straight year as a member of Oregon’s 4×400 relay team. Outdoors, Theisen did not compete as a result of injury.
About The Bowerman
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the top male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton and Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the magnificent trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org. Keep up with Bowerman candidates on the USTFCCCA’s weekly results page (http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results) and by following the organization’s twitter feed twitter.com/TheBowerman and Facebook page facebook.com/TheBowerman.
Men’s Semifinalists For The Bowerman 2011 Named
June 20, 2011 Share
NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Monday the ten male semifinalists for collegiate track & field’s biggest award – The Bowerman. With the collegiate season complete, the semifinalists will be evaluated by the ten-person Bowerman Advisory Board and three finalists will be named from the semifinalist group on Wednesday, July 13.
THE BOWERMAN SEMIFINALISTS, 2011 MEN
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Jeshua Anderson | SR | Washington State | Hurdles | Woodland Hills, Calif. |
| Robby Andrews | SO | Virginia | Distance | Englishtown, N.J. |
| Sam Chelanga | RS SR | Liberty | Distance | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Will Claye | JR | Florida | Jumps | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Kirani James | SO | Alabama | Sprints | Gouyave, Grenada |
| Leonard Korir | JR | Iona | Distance | Iten, Kenya |
| Ngoni Makusha | JR | Florida State | Jumps/Sprints | Zimbabwe |
| Maurice Mitchell | JR | Florida State | Sprints | Kansas City, Mo. |
| Scott Roth | SR | Washington | Pole Vault | Granite Bay, Calif. |
| Christian Taylor | JR | Florida | Jumps | Fayetteville, Ga. |
Jeshua Anderson, Washington State
Senior, Hurdles, Woodland Hills, Calif. (Taft HS)
QUICKLY: Joined BYU’s Ralph Mann (1969-70-71) and Iowa State’s Danny Harris (1984-85-86) as the only three to win a third NCAA-championship title in the 400-meter hurdles. Won the 2011 NCAA title in 48.56, over a half-second ahead of the rest of the field in the event’s finals. Earned the season’s collegiate best, and current American-leading, 400-hurdle time of 48.13 in winning a fourth-straight Pac-10 crown. Clocking also ranks second in the world so far in 2011 and ranks among the collegiate all-time top five.
Robby Andrews, Virginia
Sophomore, Distance, Englishtown, N.J. (Manalapan HS)
QUICKLY: Won first NCAA outdoor 800-meter title with a memorable, come-from-behind 200-meter sprint to the finish. Sitting in last place at the 600-meter mark, Andrews used a 26.44-second final close to pass the entire field to grab the tape from UC Irvine’s Charles Jock by only four hundredths of a second. Final time at the NCAA meet of 1:44.71 equaled the best collegiate and current best American mark of the year (Cory Primm, UCLA).
Sam Chelanga, Liberty
RS Senior, Distance, Nairobi, Kenya (Bartolimo HS/Fairleigh Dickinson)
QUICKLY: NCAA Champion outdoors in the 5000 meters and national runner-up indoors in the 5k and outdoors in the 10k. National championship in the 5k was clinched in a season’s best time of 13:29.30 which included a 58.15 final-lap split. Recorded the collegiate season’s best 7:48.24 indoors in the 3000 meters at the professional-laden New Balance Games in Boston in February
Will Claye, Florida
Junior, Jumps, Phoenix, Ariz. (Mountain Pointe HS/Oklahoma)
QUICKLY: Claimed the NCAA’s indoor national championship in the triple jump and was the nation’s runner-up indoors in the long jump and outdoors in the triple. Also finished third outdoors in the long jump. Outdoors, notched SEC victories in both horizontal jumps, the first to do so since 2004. Wind-legal performances during the outdoor season of 27-2½ (8.29m) and 56-11¼ (17.35m) are among the world’s top five so far in 2011. Wind-aided triple jump of 57-9¾ (17.62m) at the NCAA outdoor meet is the third-best all-conditions collegiate mark of all time.
Kirani James, Alabama
Sophomore, Sprints, Gouyave, Grenada
QUICKLY: Claimed NCAA outdoor title in the 400 meters for the second-straight year, becoming the first back-to-back titlist in the event since Auburn’s Avard Moncur in 2000 and 2001. Swept SEC crowns in the 400 with both indoor and outdoor wins and recorded an all-time world junior indoor best with a 44.80 clocking in taking the league’s indoor crown in February. Clocked 44.6 split as the second leg of Grenada’s 4×400-relay team that finished third in the USA vs. The World race at the Penn Relays.
Leonard Korir, Iona
Junior, Distance, Iten, Kenya (Tambach Teachers College)
QUICKLY: Indoor 5000-meter and outdoor 10,000-meter NCAA champion in 2011. Split a 56.18 final lap to claim the outdoor national title. Also finished third outdoors nationally in the 5000 and sixth indoors at 3000 meters. In clocking 27:29.40 in the 10k at Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invitational in May, he moved to second all-time in collegiate history in the event (Sam Chelanga, 27:08.39, 2010).
Ngoni Makusha, Florida State
Junior, Jumps/Sprints, Zimbabwe (Mandedza HS)
QUICKLY: Won NCAA outdoor titles in the 100 meters and long jump, joining Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, and Michigan’s DeHart Hubbard as only the fourth man in NCAA Division I history to claim such a double at a single championship. Also claimed NCAA long jump title during the indoor season, becoming the first since 2006 to sweep the event’s two titles (Arturs Abolins, Nebraska, 2006). Notched a third NCAA championship as second-leg of 4×100-meter relay. Run of 9.89 in the NCAA’s 100-meter final broke the 1996 collegiate- and championship-meet record of 9.92 set in 1996 by UCLA’s Ato Bolden. Clocked 9.97 to win ACC crown and swept league titles in the long jump. Season’s best in the long jump and 100 meters rank amongst the world’s top five this year.
Maurice Mitchell, Florida State
Junior, Sprints, Kansas City, Mo. (Raytown South HS)
QUICKLY: NCAA outdoor 200-meter champion in a wind-aided 19.99 and third-leg of Florida State’s national champion 4×100-meter relay team. Was national runner-up indoors in the 200 and was only bested by Oklahoma’s Mookie Salaam who took the title by two thousandths of a second in a different section. Placed third at the NCAA meet indoors in the 60 and outdoors in the 100 meters. Did not lose a 200-meter race in 13 tries during the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Scott Roth, Washington
Senior, Pole Vault, Granite Bay, Calif. (Granite Bay HS)
QUICKLY: Claimed a sweep of NCAA pole vault crowns during the 2011 year, becoming the fourth to do so since 2000. Marked indoor personal best of 18-1 (5.51m) during the indoor season and an overall personal best of 18-9¼ (5.72m) to take victory at the Mt. SAC Relays. At the end of the collegiate season, season’s best mark ranked among the world’s top five.
Christian Taylor, Florida
Junior, Jumps, Fayetteville, Ga. (Sandy Creek HS)
QUICKLY: Winner of the NCAA’s outdoor triple jump title with an all-time, all-conditions collegiate best mark of 58-4¾ (17.80m). The wind-aided title clincher came on the final attempt of a back-and-forth battle with teammate Will Claye. Marked wind-legal 57-1 (17.40m) in the competition’s fourth round to claim the season’s collegiate best mark and current American-leading mark. Finished second nationally indoors to Claye in the triple jump and qualified for both meets in the long jump. With Florida’s 4×100- and 4×400-meter relay teams, qualified for the national finals in both events outdoors. At Penn Relays, 4×100 squad finished second in the Championship of America race.
About The Bowerman
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the top male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton and Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the magnificent trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org. Keep up with Bowerman candidates on the USTFCCCA’s weekly results page (http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results) and by following the organization’s twitter feed twitter.com/TheBowerman and Facebook page facebook.com/TheBowerman.
Villanova’s Reid Returns to Bowerman Women’s Watch as Season Hits Crescendo
June 2, 2011 Share
NEW ORLEANS – The women’s watch list for The Bowerman has Villanova’s Sheila Reid back in the mix as the distance star qualified for the final rounds of the NCAA Championships in both the 1500- and 5000-meter runs. The Women’s Watch List Committee, in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), announced the latest list of ten standouts on Thursday. This release marks the last watch list for the 2011 year as ten semifinalists will be named on June 20 and three finalists announced on July 13.
The ten women on the watch list will compete next week, June 8-11, at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships’ final rounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Live coverage will be aired on CBS on Saturday, June 11, cable’s CBS Sports Network on Friday, June 10, and streaming online at NCAA.com throughout the weekend.
The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four of its members to comprise The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee and another four of its members to make up The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee. The women’s watch committee will release name ten semifinalists for the award on Monday, June 20. On July 13, The Bowerman Advisory Board will release the names of the three finalists.
THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, 2011 MEN
(updated June 2, 2011, listed in alphabetical order, always ten names)
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Nia Ali | SR | Southern California | Hurdles/Jumps | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Brigetta Barrett | SO | Arizona | Jumps | Duncanville, Texas |
| Jessica Beard | SR | Texas A&M | Sprints | Euclid, Ohio |
| Emma Coburn | JR | Colorado | Distance | Crested Butte, Colo. |
| Kimberlyn Duncan | SO | LSU | Sprints | Katy, Texas |
| Jordan Hasay | SO | Oregon | Distance | Arroyo Grande, Calif. |
| Sheila Reid (P) | JR | Villanova | Distance | Newmarket, Ont. |
| Tina Sutej | JR | Arkansas | Pole Vault | Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Jeneba Tarmoh | JR | Texas A&M | Sprints | San Jose, Calif. |
| Kim Williams | SR | Florida State | Jumps | Kingston, Jamaica |
(P) – Promoted from “receiving mention” list this update
(N) – New to either list this update
Bowmeran Women’s Watch List – NCAA Championships Schedule
* if advanced to next round
^ if chosen as a relay member
| Local Time | Event | Round | Athlete | School |
| Wednesday, June 8 | ||||
| 5:30 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | Semifinal^ | Jessica Beard | Texas A&M |
| 5:30 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | Semifinal^ | Kimberlyn Duncan | LSU |
| 5:30 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | Semifinal^ | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
| 5:30 PM CT | Long Jump | FINAL | Kim Williams | Florida State |
| 6:45 PM CT | 400m Dash | Semifinal | Jessica Beard | Texas A&M |
| 7:15 PM CT | 100m Dash | Semifinal | Kimberlyn Duncan | LSU |
| 7:15 PM CT | 100m Dash | Semifinal | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
| Thursday, June 9 | ||||
| 5:30 PM CT | High Jump | FINAL | Nia Ali | Southern California |
| 5:30 PM CT | High Jump | FINAL | Brigetta Barrett | Arizona |
| 5:30 PM CT | 200m Dash | Semifinal | Kimberlyn Duncan | LSU |
| 5:30 PM CT | 200m Dash | Semifinal | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
| 6:00 PM CT | 1500m Run | Semifinal | Jordan Hasay | Oregon |
| 6:00 PM CT | 1500m Run | Semifinal | Sheila Reid | Villanova |
| 6:50 PM CT | 100m Hurdles | Semifinal | Nia Ali | Southern California |
| 7:30 PM CT | 3000m Steeplechase | Semifinal | Emma Coburn | Colorado |
| 8:00 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | Semifinal^ | Jessica Beard | Texas A&M |
| 8:00 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | Semifinal^ | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
| Friday, June 10 | ||||
| 5:25 PM CT | Pole Vault | FINAL | Tina Sutej | Arkansas |
| 5:35 PM CT | Triple Jump | FINAL | Kim Williams | Florida State |
| 6:55 PM CT | 100m Dash | FINAL* | Kimberlyn Duncan | LSU |
| 6:55 PM CT | 100m Dash | FINAL* | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
| 7:55 PM CT | 400m Dash | FINAL* | Jessica Beard | Texas A&M |
| 8:10 PM CT | 5000m Run | FINAL | Jordan Hasay | Oregon |
| 8:10 PM CT | 5000m Run | FINAL | Sheila Reid | Villanova |
| Saturday, June 11 | ||||
| 12:03 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | FINAL*^ | Jessica Beard | Texas A&M |
| 12:03 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | FINAL*^ | Kimberlyn Duncan | LSU |
| 12:03 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | FINAL*^ | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
| 12:18 PM CT | 1500m Run | FINAL* | Jordan Hasay | Oregon |
| 12:18 PM CT | 1500m Run | FINAL* | Sheila Reid | Villanova |
| 12:41 PM CT | 200m Dash | FINAL* | Kimberlyn Duncan | LSU |
| 12:41 PM CT | 200m Dash | FINAL* | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
| 12:54 PM CT | 3000m Steeplechase | FINAL* | Emma Coburn | Colorado |
| 1:16 PM CT | 100m Hurdles | FINAL* | Nia Ali | Southern California |
| 1:40 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | FINAL*^ | Jessica Beard | Texas A&M |
| 1:40 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | FINAL*^ | Jeneba Tarmoh | Texas A&M |
Nia Ali, Southern California
Senior, Hurdles/Jumps, Philadephia, Pa. (West Catholic HS)
OUTDOOR: Redshirt senior Nia Ali has focused on the hurdles her final season competing at USC, after beginning her career as a heptathlete and redshirting last season. This season, she has run the top wind-legal 100-meter hurdle outdoor time (12.77) in winning the event at the Pac-10 Championships which ranks second all-time at USC to NCAA record-holder Virginia Powell (Crawford). Ali also ran a wind-aided 12.74 to take runner-up honors at the Texas Relays which is tied for the NCAA-leading seed time. After winning Pac-10 hurdle title, competed in the high jump on the same day for the second time this season and cleared 6-1¼ (1.86m) to take second, move into second place on USC’s all-time list and place her in a tie for second on the national list.
Ali will compete in the NCAA’s high jump final and is the national semifinal of the 100-meter hurdles.
INDOOR: Had the third-fastest 60-meter hurdle indoor time entering the NCAA Indoor Championships, but pulled up in the semifinals.
Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Sophomore, Jumps, Duncanville, Texas (Duncanville HS)
OUTDOOR: At the Pac-10 Championships, Barrett cleared a career-best 1.93m (6-4) on her third attempt in the high jump to move into a tie for the fourth-best jump in Arizona’s prestigious high jump history with Olympian Erin Aldirch. The mark currently ranks second in the world in 2011 and is the NCAA-leading mark by nearly three inches. Barrett has also tallied victories at the Mt. SAC Relays and Texas Relays on the season. Barrett has competed in 10 high jump competitions in 2011, including the indoor and outdoor seasons, losing only one of them – on misses – and has maintained the NCAA-leading mark for the entirety of the current outdoor season.
Barrett qualified for the NCAA’s high jump final.
INDOOR: NCAA indoor champion with a jump of 1.90m (6-2¾), the first NCAA crown of her career and the third All-American honor in as many chances for the sophomore. Barrett finished the indoor season as the 11th-ranked individual in the world in the event with a best clearance of 1.92m (6-3½) while defending her title at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships.
Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
Senior, Sprints, Euclid, Ohio (Euclid HS)
OUTDOOR: Opened the season with a win at the LSU Invitational 400-meter dash in a now-tied, collegiate-leading time of 51.55, taking victory by over a second-and-a-half. At the Big 12 Championships, Beard ran the second leg of the Texas A&M’s conference-champion 4×400 relay (3:31.28). Beard finished runner-up in the conference’s 400 (51.68), thwarted of a complete indoor-outdoor, four-year sweep of the event as Kansas frosh Diamond Dixon (51.55) caught Beard in the final few steps.
Beard has been on Texas A&M’s winning 4×100 and 4×400 teams at the Texas Relays and the winning 4×200 and 4×400 teams at the Penn Relays.
In addition for qualifying for the 400-meter dash at the final rounds, Beard is a part of Texas A&M’s 4×100- and 4×400-relay squads.
INDOOR: Beard made the Aggie faithful stand up and cheer for her performances at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In the 400 meters, Beard would twice record the best collegiate-mark of the year with a 51.64 clocking in the preliminaries and would top it with a 50.79 world-leading time in winning the national crown. Beard would win the event by more than 1½ seconds for Texas A&M’s first women’s individual national indoor crown in school history. With the time, Beard moved to third all-time on the American indoor list and second all-time collegiately.
Beard also anchored the 4×400 team to their second national crown in three years with a 51.08 split, leading Texas A&M to a 3:29.72 clocking, the best in the NCAA this year and the eighth-best all-time.
Also during the indoor season, Beard won an unprecedented fourth-straight indoor Big 12 title at 400. Beard was named Big 12 Performer of the Year as she also scored second-place honors in the 200 meters at the conference meet and anchored the Aggies to a fifth-straight crown in the 4×400. Her season’s best 200 time of 22.95 ranked sixth in the NCAA. Beard finished the 2011 indoor season undefeated in the 400 meters.
Emma Coburn, Colorado
Junior, Distance, Crested Butte, Colo. (Crested Butte HS)
OUTDOOR: Coburn leads the nation in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal best of 9:40.51, which she ran at the Payton Jordan Stanford Invitational. Coburn became the 11th fastest American all-time in the event with the run. She was honored as the USATF Athlete of the Week as well as the Big 12 Athlete of the Week for the effort. At the time, the 9:40.51 was the fastest in the world and now ranks sixth. This past weekend she won her second Big 12 steeplechase crown with the meet’s second-fastest all-time mark of 9:57.39.
She was also successful in the 1,500 and ran a personal best of 4:14.35 at Mt. SAC. That time ranks sixth in the NCAA and is the eighth fastest time in CU history.
Coburn has qualified for the national semifinal of the steeplechase.
INDOOR: Coburn won the indoor Big 12 3,000-meter run in 9:17.46, the ninth fastest time ever by a Buffalo. She did so in the unseeded heat as she did not have a seed time heading into the meet. Coburn was a part of the CU DMR team that recorded a school record and a fourth-place finish the previous night at the league meet as the anchor leg. The time of 11:22.87 broke a 12-year old record (11:23.34).
Her top event was the mile run. She ranks second on CU’s all-time list and has three of the top four times. Her PR of 4:36.08 was set at the NCAA Championship where she placed eighth overall to earn her first indoor All-American honor.
Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Sophomore, Sprints, Katy, Texas (Cypress Springs HS)
OUTDOOR: Holds the NCAA’s No. 1 seed in the 200-meter dash with a wind-aided season-best clocking of 22.18 (w: 3.2) set at LSU’s Alumni Gold meet. The time is the best all-conditions time in the collegiate ranks since 1989 and third all-time. Ranks in the NCAA’s top three with wind-aided best from the SEC Championships of 11.02 in the 100 meters. Wind-legal season best of 22.76 in the 200 meters ranks third in the world. Member of LSU’s winning sprint medley relay at the Penn Relays.
At the SEC Championships, Duncan claimed conference titles in the 200 and as part of LSU’s 4×100 relay.
Duncan is entered in both the 100- and 200-meter semifinal is a member of LSU’s 4×100 squad.
INDOOR: The NCAA Indoor 200-meter champion won four-straight 200-meter finals during the season, dating back to her win at the Tyson Invitational during the indoor season on Feb. 12. After setting an indoor personal record of 22.78 in winning her first career Southeastern Conference title at the SEC Indoor Championships, Duncan became the first Lady Tiger since 2004 to take home the NCAA Indoor crown in the event with her run of 22.85 at the national meet. In fact, her indoor PR of 22.78 is the world’s fastest indoor 200-meter time in three years since former Texas star Bianca Knight set the American indoor record of 22.40 at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Jordan Hasay, Oregon
Sophomore, Distance, Arroyo Grande, Calif. (Mission College Prep)
OUTDOOR: Hasay won Pac-10 titles in the 1500 (4:19.18) and 5000 (16:24.10). Hasay also leads the nation in the 1500 meters with a 4:10.28 clocking at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. Currently also sits second in the nation in the 5000 meters with a season best of 15:37.29 set at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Hasay qualified for the 1500 and 5000 rounds in Des Moines.
INDOOR: Hasay would lead Oregon to a national team title with a meet-high 22 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships, scoring individual national crowns in the mile and 3000 meters and as anchor of the Ducks’ runner-up DMR squad. Hasay became the fifth overall and first to win the national mile-3k double since Northern Arizona’s Johanna Nilsson in 2006. Hasay won the mile at the NCAA Championships in a personal-best 4:33.01, a mark that is among the all-time top ten of American collegians. In the 3000, Hasay outlasted Villanova’s Sheila Reid with a 9:13.71 run to avenge a previous head-to-head loss to Reid in the DMR the night before.
Hasay clocked a 9:05.42 season’s best in the 3000 at the UW Invitational in January. Hasay was also the mile champ at the MPSF Championships. Hasay was selected by the nation’s coaches as the USTFCCCA National Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
Tina Sutej, Arkansas
Junior, Pole Vault, Ljubljana, Slovenia (Gimnazija Bezigrad)
OUTDOOR: Now holds claim to both indoor and outdoor collegiate records in the pole vault after winning the SEC title by over 15 inches with a clearance of 15-1½ (4.61m). Between both indoor and outdoor season, Sutej has been undefeated in 13 tries. In the outdoor season, Sutej has had winning clearances of more than 14-6 (4.42m) four times, making nine total for the entire year. Winner of the Penn Relays vault title with mark of 14-7¼ (4.45m).
Sutej qualified through to Des Moines in the pole vault.
INDOOR: Sutej topped the collegiate record in the pole vault with a clearance of 14-10¾ (4.54m) in winning the SEC title in the event. Sutej broke the 2002 record of Amy Linnen Undoubtedly the most consistent in the vault during the indoor season season, Sutej cleared more than 14-6 (4.42m) five times this season and won seven-straight events. In addition, Sutej won the national crown in the event, becoming the first from Arkansas to win an indoor NCAA pole vault title as the only to clear 14-7¼ (4.45m) at the national meet.
Sheila Reid, Villanova
Junior, Distance, Newmarket, Ontario
OUTDOOR: In a similar fashion to the indoor season, Reid was impressive at the Big East Championships, scoring Golds in the 1500- (4:23.98) and 5000-meter runs (16:13.29). Her season best in the 1500 of 4:11.85 came in finishing second by a hair to pro Shalane Flanagan at the Mt. SAC Relays. The 1500 time is the third-best among collegians this year.
Reid is one of two (Hasay) to qualify for the Des Moines rounds of the 1500 and 5000.
INDOOR: Reid was impressive in leading the Wildcats to their first NCAA distance medley relay title since 1995 in anchoring the team to victory with a 4:29.91, 1600-meter split. The squad’s time of 10:52.52 turned out to be the second-best all-time DMR in history. Only Tennessee’s 2009 run of 10:50.98 has been better. Reid came back from the DMR run to finish runner-up the next evening in the 3000 meters by a slim margin to Hasay (9:13.71 to 9:13.86).
In one of the more impressive showings by anyone at a conference championship this year, Reid won three Big East titles this indoor season. Starting off, she was the winner of the 1000 meters in a very fast 2:43.70, was the third leg of the Wildcats’ winning DMR, and anchor of the squad’s 4×800 team that won a conference crown. Reid claimed the second-best mark among collegians this year in the 3000 meters, having run 8:56.92. At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, Reid ran a would-be NCAA-leading mark in the mile with an impressive showing against a bevy of professionals, finishing third in that event with a 4:35.30 clocking.
Jeneba Tarmoh, Texas A&M
Junior, Sprints, San Jose, Calif. (Mt. Pleasant HS/Tennessee)
OUTDOOR: Jeneba Tarmoh repeated her triple victory at the Big 12 Championships, earning high point honors for the second consecutive year with 22½ points off a 100-200 sprint double while also running the second leg of the winning 4 x 100 relay. Tarmoh, who has a season best of 10.94w in winning the Texas Relays 100, recorded a career best of 22.46 for her victory at the Big 12 Outdoor meet. Tarmoh broke a 29-year-old stadium record set by Merlene Ottey (Nebraska) at Oklahoma’s John Jacobs Stadium.
Tarmoh has been the second leg of the Aggies 4 x 100 relay, which claimed victories at San Diego State, Arizona State, LSU, Texas Relays, and Penn Relays prior to winning the conference meet. Texas A&M holds the collegiate leading time of 42.87 from their Texas Relays victory. In the 4 x 200 relay Tarmoh was the lead-off leg for the Aggies when they set a collegiate leading time of 1:29.96 to win the Penn Relays title, recording the third fastest collegiate mark ever.
In the 4×400 Tarmoh also had first leg duties when the Aggies claimed its first-ever Texas Relays title in the event with a school record, and collegiate leading, 3:27.33.
Tarmoh has qualified for the Des Moines rounds of the 100- and 200-meter dash and is a member of Texas A&M’s qualified 4×100 and 4×400.
INDOOR: Tarmoh won the Big 12 200 title in a personal indoor best of 22.88 and matched that time in earning NCAA Indoor silver. Tarmoh set a meet record of 22.98 to win the 200 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Tarmoh ran a personal best of 7.24 in the 60 meters, as runner-up in the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. She placed second in the 60 with a 7.29 at the Big 12 Indoor meet.
Ran opening leg of 4 x 400 as Texas A&M set a Big 12 meet record in winning with a 3:32.85, then was part of the relay effort that set a school record of 3:29.72 in winning the NCAA Indoor championship.
Kim Williams, Florida State
Senior, Jumps, Kingston, Jamaica (Vere Technical HS)
OUTDOOR: Won ACC titles in the long and triple jumps, sweeping both events for the third time at the conference meet. In addition, the triple jump title was won by Williams in each of her four years, indoor and outdoor in the league. Leads the nation in the triple jump with wind-aided triple jump mark of 46-9 (14.25m), set in winning the Texas Relays.
Williams will compete in the national final of the long jump and triple jump in Des Moines.
INDOOR: Williams became the first in NCAA D-I women’s history to win the national title in the triple jump for a third time. Williams in the 2011 version, used a 45-9¾ (13.96m) mark on her final attempt to post the best mark among all collegians for the season. However, it was not easy as Williams posted fouls on her first two attempts in the competition, but notched a 43-1¾ (13.15m) in round three to secure a spot in the event’s finals. In addition, Williams placed second in the long jump at the NCAA Championships.
Williams also netted impressive performances in both long and triple jumps at the ACC Championships. In becoming the first in ACC Championship history to win an event for a fourth time, Williams triple jumped to a collegiate-leading mark of 45-9¾ (13.96m). In addition, the previous day, Williams won the ACC long jump title with a leap of 21-6 (6.55m) – a performance that finished the season ranked No. 2 in the NCAA for the indoor season.
ALSO RECEIVING MENTION (29)
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Jackie Areson | SR | Tennessee | Distance | Delray Beach, Fla. |
| Marie Louise Asselin | SR | West Virginia | Distance | Sarnia, Ont. |
| Joanna Atkins | SR | Auburn | Sprints | Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| Gwen Berry | SR | Southern Illinois | Throws | St. Louis, Mo. |
| LaKya Brookins | SR | South Carolina | Sprints | Seneca, S.C. |
| Ti’erra Brown | SR | Miami (Fla.) | Hurdles | Hampton, Va. |
| Dominique Duncan | JR | Texas A&M | Sprints | Houston, Texas |
| Colleen Felix | JR | Georgia | Jumps | St. Andrews, Grenada |
| Sheniqua Ferguson | SR | Auburn | Sprints | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Melissa Gergel | SR | Oregon | Pole Vault | Glenwood, Ill. |
| Semoy Hackett (D) | JR | LSU | Sprints | Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago |
| Anna Jelmini | RS FR | Arizona State | Throws | Bakersfield, Calif. |
| Amber Kaufman | SR | Hawai’i | Jumps | San Jose, Calif. |
| Liz Lawton | SR | Chicago | Distance | North Easton, Mass. |
| Lindsay Lettow | JR | Central Missouri | Combined Events | Urbandale, Iowa |
| Chantel Malone | SR | Texas | Jumps/Sprints | Tortola, British V.I. |
| Gabby Mayo | JR | Texas A&M | Sprints/Hurdles | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Chantae McMillan | SR | Nebraska | Combined Events | Rolla, Mo. |
| Lauryn Newson | JR | Oregon | Jumps | Richmond, Calif. |
| Holly Ozanich | SR | UW Oshkosh | Throws | Green Bay, Wis. |
| Ashton Purvis | FR | Miami (Fla.) | Sprints | Oakland, Calif. |
| Brianna Rollins | SO/FR | Clemson | Hurdles | Miami, Fla. |
| Faith Sherrill | SR | Indiana | Throws | Ft. Wayne, Ind. |
| Karen Shump | SO | Oklahoma | Throws | Media, Pa. |
| Neely Spence | JR | Shippensburg | Distance | Shippensburg, Pa. |
| Brianne Theisen | SR | Oregon | Combined Events | Humboldt, Sask. |
| Kate Van Buskirk | SR | Duke | Mid-Distance | Brampton, Ont. |
| Lucy Van Dalen | SR | Stony Brook | Distance | Wanganui, N.Z. |
| Lea Wallace | SR | Sacramento State | Mid-Distance | Napa, Calif. |
(D) – demoted from the watch list this update
(N) – new to either list this update
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the magnificent trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org. Keep up with Bowerman candidates on the USTFCCCA’s weekly results page (http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results) and by following the organization’s twitter feed twitter.com/TheBowerman and Facebook page facebook.com/TheBowerman.
About The Bowerman
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the top male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton and Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.
Men’s Watch List Remains The Same With Des Moines on Horizon
June 1, 2011 Share
NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Wednesday their seventh update of the men’s watch list for collegiate track & field’s biggest award – The Bowerman. No changes were announced from the committee from their previous release in mid-May. This is the last watch list for the 2011 year as semifinalists will be named on June 20 and three finalists announced on July 13.
The ten men on the watch list will compete next week, June 8-11, at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships’ final rounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Live coverage will be aired on CBS on Saturday, June 11, cable’s CBS Sports Network on Friday, June 10, and streaming online at NCAA.com throughout the weekend.
The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four of its members to comprise The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee and another four of its members to make up The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee. The men’s watch committee will release their next name ten semifinalists for the award on Monday, June 20. On July 13, The Bowerman Advisory Board will release the names of the three finalists.
THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST 2011 MEN
(updated June 1, 2011, listed in alphabetical order, always ten names)
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Jeshua Anderson | SR | Washington State | Hurdles | Woodland Hills, Calif. |
| Miles Batty | JR | BYU | Distance | Sandy, Utah |
| Sam Chelanga | RS SR | Liberty | Distance | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Will Claye | JR | Florida | Jumps | Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Jeff Demps | SO/JR | Florida | Sprints | Winter Garden, Fla. |
| Kirani James | SO | Alabama | Sprints | Gouyave, Grenada |
| Ngonidzashe Makusha | JR | Florida State | Jumps/Sprints | Zimbabwe |
| Omo Osaghae | SR | Texas Tech | Hurdles | Lubbock, Texas |
| Mookie Salaam | JR | Oklahoma | Sprints | Edmond, Okla. |
| Christian Taylor | JR | Florida | Jumps | Fayetteville, Ga. |
Bowmeran Men’s Watch List – NCAA Championships Schedule
* if advanced to next round
^ if chosen as a relay member
| Local Time | Event | Round | Athlete | School |
| Wednesday, June 8 | ||||
| 5:45 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | Semifinal^ | Jeff Demps | Florida |
| 5:45 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | Semifinal^ | Ngoni Makusa | Florida State |
| 5:45 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | Semifinal^ | Christian Taylor | Florida |
| 7:30 PM CT | 100m Dash | Semifinal | Jeff Demps | Florida |
| 7:30 PM CT | 100m Dash | Semifinal | Ngoni Makusa | Florida State |
| 7:30 PM CT | 100m Dash | Semifinal | Mookie Salaam | Oklahoma |
| 8:30 PM CT | 400m Hurdles | Semifinal | Jeshua Anderson | Washington State |
| 8:30 PM CT | 400m Dash | Semifinal | Kirani James | Alabama |
| Thursday, June 9 | ||||
| 5:35 PM CT | Long Jump | FINAL | Will Claye | Florida |
| 5:35 PM CT | Long Jump | FINAL | Ngoni Makusa | Florida State |
| 5:35 PM CT | Long Jump | FINAL | Christian Taylor | Florida |
| 5:45 PM CT | 200m Dash | Semifinal | Mookie Salaam | Oklahoma |
| 6:15 PM CT | 1500m Run | Semifinal | Miles Batty | BYU |
| 7:10 PM CT | 110m Hurdles | Semifinal | Omo Osaghae | Texas Tech |
| 8:20 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | Semifinal^ | Kirani James | Alabama |
| 8:20 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | Semifinal^ | Christian Taylor | Florida |
| 8:50 PM CT | 10,000m Run | FINAL | Sam Chelanga | Liberty |
| Friday, June 10 | ||||
| 6:45 PM CT | 400m Hurdles | FINAL* | Jeshua Anderson | Washington State |
| 7:02 PM CT | 100m Dash | FINAL* | Jeff Demps | Florida |
| 7:02 PM CT | 100m Dash | FINAL* | Ngoni Makusa | Florida State |
| 7:02 PM CT | 100m Dash | FINAL* | Mookie Salaam | Oklahoma |
| 8:02 PM CT | 400m Dash | FINAL* | Kirani James | Alabama |
| Saturday, June 11 | ||||
| 11:05 AM CT | Triple Jump | FINAL | Will Claye | Florida |
| 11:05 AM CT | Triple Jump | FINAL | Christian Taylor | Florida |
| 12:11 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | FINAL*^ | Jeff Demps | Florida |
| 12:11 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | FINAL*^ | Ngoni Makusa | Florida State |
| 12:11 PM CT | 4×100m Relay | FINAL*^ | Christian Taylor | Florida |
| 12:30 PM CT | 1500m Run | FINAL* | Miles Batty | BYU |
| 12:49 PM CT | 200m Dash | FINAL* | Mookie Salaam | Oklahoma |
| 1:16 PM CT | 110m Hurdles | FINAL* | Omo Osaghae | Texas Tech |
| 1:21 PM CT | 5000m Run | FINAL | Sam Chelanga | Liberty |
| 1:50 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | FINAL*^ | Kirani James | Alabama |
| 1:50 PM CT | 4×400m Relay | FINAL*^ | Christian Taylor | Florida |
Jeshua Anderson, Washington State
Senior, Hurdles, Woodland Hills, Calif. (Taft HS)
OUTDOOR: Anderson won his fourth-straight Pac-10 Conference title in the 400 hurdles in dramatic fashion, clocking a personal-best 48.13 to win by over a second. The time not only is the second-best in the world so far in 2011, it moves Anderson to the all-time collegiate top five in the event. Also at the Pac-10 meet, Anderson finished fourth in the 110 hurdles in 13.88 after running a personal-best 13.78 in the preliminary. The Cougars also finished second in the conference 4×400 with Anderson as the anchor.
Anderson finished third at the Texas Relays in the 400 hurdles and anchored his 4×400-relay team to victory at the Mt. SAC Relays (3:07.87). Anderson was also the winner of the 110-meter hurdles in a dual at Washington.
Anderson will run the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA meet’s final rounds.
INDOOR: His indoor season best in the 400-meter dash of 46.93 placed him in the collegiate top 35. The outdoor season is where Anderson is expected to shine when he can compete in his specialty event – the 400-meter hurdles.
Miles Batty, BYU
Junior, Distance, Sandy, Utah (Jordan HS)
OUTDOOR: In his first 1500-meter race of the season at the Mt. SAC Relays, Batty finished behind two pros, but clocked 3:36.25, three seconds ahead of all collegians. The time is the fastest to be claimed by a collegian since 1995 and is the fifth-best all-time. At the Penn Relays, Batty anchored BYU to a third-place finish in the DMR and fifth-place showing in the 4×800. At the Mountain West Championships, Batty claimed the league’s 1500-meter title (3:56.62A) and placed sixth in the 800 meters.
Batty will competed in the 1500-meter run at the NCAA meet’s final rounds.
INDOOR: Batty, the USTFCCCA’s National Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, spurred BYU’s run to the podium for a third-place team finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships with national titles in the mile and as anchor of the squad’s DMR team. Batty was one of two to finish the national mile final in sub-four fashion as he topped Tulsa’s Chris O’Hare for the national crown with a 3:59.49 clocking. Batty, the day previous, led the Cougars to their first national crown in the DMR since 1978, holding off fast closing Indiana and Minnesota, with a 3:56.14, 1600-meter anchor split. The relay’s time of 9:29.28 is the seventh-best in collegiate history.
Batty was the Mountain West Conference mile champion (4:15.23) and again was anchor of the BYU crew to a DMR conference title. Batty notched the fastest mile time of the collegiate season with a 3:55.79 run to win the Flotrack Husky Classic on Washington’s oversized track.
Sam Chelanga, Liberty
RS Senior, Distance, Nairobi, Kenya (Bartolimo HS/Fairleigh Dickinson)
OUTDOOR: Opened the season with a win in the 10,000 meters at the Raleigh Relays in a then-collegiate-leading time of 28:15.64. Chelanga currently sits third on the collegiate list for 2011. Chelanga’s only other race so far this year came on April 30 when he won the 5000 at the Radford Highlander Invitational in 14:02.57.
Chelanga qualified for the NCAA’s national final of for both the 5000- and 10,000-meter runs.
INDOOR: At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Chelanga placed runner-up in the 5000 meters to Iona’s Leonard Korir with a 13:27.34 clocking. Chelanga, finished 15th overall at the NCAA meet in the 3000. In his first 5k of the indoor season, Chelanga recorded a then world-leading time of 13:41.35 on his home 200-meter, flat track on January 29. Chelanga notched a would-be collegiate leader of 7:48.24 in the 3000 meters at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix where he finished fourth in a professional-loaded field. In addition, Chelanga tallied a 7:50.92 clocking at 3000 meters in placing fifth overall at the Flotrack Husky Classic. Chelanga added to his tally of Big South Championships with a mile crown (4:16.88) this season.
Will Claye, Florida
Junior, Jumps, Phoenix, Ariz. (Mountain Pointe HS/Oklahoma)
OUTDOOR: Claimed an impressive double win at the SEC Championships with crowns in the long and triple jumps. In the long jump, Claye bested a field that had six performers over 26 feet with a personal-best, third-round jump of 27-2½ (8.29m, 1.9 m/s), marking one of his two jumps over eight meters in the competition. Claye’s best moved him to second on the performers list in the world for the year. The following day, Claye won the league title in the triple jump with a wind-aided mark of 56-6¾ (17.24m). Another jump in the series was a wind-legal 56-2¾ (17.14m) for Claye’s new personal best.
Claye finished third at the Penn Relays long jump. Also at the Penn Relays, Claye was the leadoff leg for the Gators’ 4×200 relay that finished third.
Claye qualified for the long jump and triple jump finals at the NCAA Championships.
INDOOR: At the NCAA indoor meet, Claye left his best for the last attempt in the triple jump. After five rounds, Claye had the lead at 55-8¼ (16.967m), but teammate and defending champ Christian Taylor staked his claim for the crown on his final attempt with a jump of 55-9 (16.99m). Claye responded with the event’s final salvo with a mark of 56-10 (17.32m) to win the national crown, set a new personal best, land as the all-time fourth-best collegiate performer in the event, and reset the NCAA meet record by a centimeter.
Adding to the national triple jump crown, Claye finished second in the long jump at the NCAA meet with a personal best of 26-4½ (8.04).
Claye landed a mark of 56-4 (17.17m) achieved in finishing runner up to teammate Christian Taylor at the SEC Championships. Claye added a third-place showing in the long jump at the SEC meet, placing behind only Arkansas’ Tarik Batchelor and LSU’s Zedric Thomas – both members of the national top five of the event this year.
Jeff Demps, Florida
Sophomore (indoor)/Junior (outdoor), Sprints, Winter Garden, Fla. (South Lake HS)
OUTDOOR: Demps false started in the 100 meters at the SEC Championships, but redeemed himself by anchoring the Gators’ 4×100 to a conference victory and collegiate-leading time of 38.83. Prior to the SEC Championships, Demps won two 100-meter races with slightly wind-aided times of 10.07 and 9.96. The latter came at Florida’s Tom Jones Memorial and is a mark that is the all-conditions collegiate-leader this season and will place him as the No. 1 seed going into the preliminary rounds of the NCAA Championships. Demps also anchored Florida’s 4×100 to a 38.91 for second place at the Penn Relays.
Demps qualified for the national semifinal of the 100 meters and is slated as a member of the 4×100 that qualified past the NCAA quarterfinal.
INDOOR: Demps claimed his second-straight NCAA indoor 60-meter title with a personal-best run in the finals of 6.53 seconds. Demps is the first back-to-back NCAA indoor short-sprint champ since DaBryan Blanton of Oklahoma in 2004 and 2005.
After opening the season with a 6.57 in winning the Virginia Tech Elite, Demps has four times more clocked sub-6.60 in the 60 meters, including when he won the SEC title in the event for the second-straight year with a 6.55.
Kirani James, Alabama
Sophomore, Sprints, Gouyave, Grenada
OUTDOOR: Won the SEC title in the 400 meters with a personal-best time of 44.86. The time is second-best among collegians this year (Tabarie Henry, Texas A&M, 44.83) and is tied for third in the world for 2011. James also ran the second-leg of Alabama’s 4×400 relay (3:07.87) that placed a close second to Mississippi State (3:07.65). Earlier in the year, with a 20.41 clocking in the 200 meters at the UTEP Invitational, James finished the regular season with a national top-ten time in that event.
James will compete in the 400-meter dash in Des Moines and as a member of Alabama’s 4×400 relay.
INDOOR: Prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships, on every occasion in which he has stepped on the track for the 400 meters during the 2011 indoor season, Kirani James set a new world leader. Starting on Feb. 12 when he ran 45.47 (oversized) to win Notre Dame Meyo Invitational, then on Feb. 26 for the preliminary round of the SEC Championships when he ran 45.37. And, for the trifecta, James, who is only 18, clocked 44.80 in the SEC final to not only set another world record, but it also set a new world junior all-time best. The time places him in the top five of the all-time world indoor list and only Kerron Clement’s (Florida)world record of 44.57 set in 2005 stands as a better all-time collegiate mark.
At the NCAA meet, James tripped and fell shortly after completing the first lap of the qualifying round and did not finish the race.
Ngonidzashe Makusha, Florida State
Junior, Jumps/Sprints, Zimbabwe (Mandedza HS)
OUTDOOR: A three-event winner at the ACC Outdoor Championships with titles in the 100 meters, long jump, and as second leg of the 4×100 relay. The 100-meter conference title was won in a collegiate-leading time of 9.97. To win the Texas Relays title in the long jump, Makusha claimed an all-conditions collegiate leading jump of 27-6¾ (8.40m) to win by over a foot. At the Florida State Twilight on May 6, Makusha recorded three wind-aided marks of over eight meters and had a wind-aided best of 27-4¾ (8.35m) to win by a wide margin.
Makusa is in the national final of the long jump, qualified for the remaining rounds of the 100 meters, and is a member of Florida State’s 4×100 relay.
INDOOR: Won his first NCAA indoor long jump crown to go with two outdoor crowns with a fourth-round winning leap of 26-8½ (8.14m). Makusha won the event by four inches over Florida’s Will Claye. Makusha claimed the collegiate season’s best mark of 26-9 (8.15m) in winning his second ACC indoor crown in the event.
Omo Osaghae, Texas Tech
Senior, Hurdles, Lubbock, Texas (Monterey HS)
OUTDOOR: Osaghae won the Big 12 title and topped the championships record in the 110 hurdles with a personal-best 13.23 clocking to win by three-tenths of a second. The time moved him to third among all performers in the world this season, is the wind-legal collegiate leader for the year, and placed him inside the all-time collegiate top five.
Osaghae won 110-meter hurdle titles at the Penn and Mt. SAC Relays. But, it was at the Texas Tech Open where he would run a wind-aided 13.18 (altitude). All told, Osaghae has won seven hurdle titles this season. Additionally, Texas Tech claimed the title in the shuttle hurdle relay at the Penn Relays in a time of 54.67 with Osaghae as the leadoff man. The time moved Texas Tech to No. 4 all-time in the event.
Osaghae qualified for the remaining rounds of the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA meet.
INDOOR: With no indoor eligibility remaining, Osaghae competed unattached through the indoor season. Osaghae managed a breakthrough in the 60-meter hurdles as he won the USATF Indoor title in the event at altitude in 7.52.
Mookie Salaam, Oklahoma
Junior, Sprints, Edmond, Okla. (North HS)
OUTDOOR: Salaam claimed Big 12 titles in the 100 and 200 meters with runs of 10.23 and 20.05, respectively. The 20.05, a conference meet-record, in the 200 is the No. 2 performance in the world so far in 2011 and stands as the collegiate leader. Salaam won the Big 12 crown in the 200 by 34 hundredths of a second. For Oklahoma, Salaam also placed fourth with the 4×100 relay and seventh with the 4×400 and ended the league meet as the high-point scorer. Salaam’s wind-aided time of 10.19 in the conference preliminary gained him a top-20 national seed for the NCAA meet in the 100 meters.
Salaam won the 100-meter title at the Drake Relays (10.20).
Salaam made it through qualifying rounds in both the 100 and 200 meters for Des Moines.
INDOOR: Salaam won the NCAA indoor title at 200 meters with one of the closest finishes possible. Florida State’s Maurice Mitchell clocked 20.41 in section one of the national final, and Salaam matched that mark in winning section two. When the times were examined closer to the thousandths, Salaam got the nod over Mitchell with official times of 20.401 to 20.403. Salaam would run a world’s season best time in the preliminaries earlier in that same evening in posting a 20.39 time, moving the Sooner to the all-time collegiate top ten in the process.
Salaam also placed eighth at the NCAA’s 60-meter final and appeared to be suffering some sort of injury. The previous day, Salaam recorded the fastest time in the preliminary round of 6.55, ironically two-thousandths better than Mitchell again (6.546 to 6.548). Salaam would run sub-6.60 in the 60 five times during the season, including when he completed the 60-200 double at the Big 12 Indoor Championships and won the 60 at the Tyson Invitational.
Christian Taylor, Florida
Junior, Jumps, Fayetteville, Ga. (Sandy Creek HS)
OUTDOOR: Taylor finished the regular season with NCAA top-ten seeds in the 400 meters, long jump, and triple jump. In only his second triple jump competition of the outdoor season, Taylor finished second to teammate Claye at the SEC Championships with a wind-legal, personal-best jump of 56-3¼ (17.15m) on his third attempt. The jump ranks second among all collegians in 2011 and sixth in the world. Taylor passed on his final three attempts in the triple jump to run on Florida’s conference-champion 4×100 relay squad. With Taylor as the second-leg, the Gators recorded a collegiate-leading time of 38.53. Taylor also led off Florida’s 4×400 relay to a third-place finish. Taylor also finished fourth at the SEC meet in the long jump with a 26-3 (8.00m) season-best leap – a mark that is among the top ten in the NCAA this year.
As a quarter-miler to open the season, Taylor claimed a win at the Florida Relays in the 400 meters, clocking a 45.46 that ranks eighth in the NCAA this season. Taylor has also tried various sprinting distances through the season and has been a member of several relay teams, including 4×100 (preliminaries), 4×200, and sprint medley squads at the Penn Relays. Florida’s 4×200 finished third and the sprint medley took second at the meet.
Taylor will be in the national finals of the long jump and triple jump and is listed as a relay member for Florida’s qualifying 4×100 and 4×400 relay squads.
INDOOR: Taylor sent quite a message in winning the SEC Championship triple jump on his final attempt. With a mark of 56-11½ (17.36m) that not only won the event for the third-straight time and set a new SEC record, he became the third all-time best collegian indoors in the event. Only Charlie Simpkins (Baptist, 17.50m, 57-5, 1986) and Mike Conley (Arkansas, 17.40m, 57-1, 1985) have jumped farther in indoor collegiate history than Taylor. The Gator also finished eighth at the SEC meet in the long jump and has a season’s best in the event of 25-0 (7.62m), good for the national top 25.
Taylor placed second at the NCAA meet to teammate Claye with a last-round best of 55-9 (16.99m).
ALSO RECEIVING MENTION (19)
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Robby Andrews | SO | Virginia | Distance | Englishtown, N.J. |
| Andy Bayer | RS SO | Indiana | Distance | Leo, Ind. |
| Charles Clark | SR (out) | Florida State | Sprints | Virginia Beach, Va. |
| Derek Drouin | JR | Indiana | Jumps | Corunna, Ontario |
| German Fernandez | JR/SO | Oklahoma State | Distance | Riverbank, Calif. |
| Mason Finley | SO | Kansas | Throws | Salida, Colo. |
| Eric Flores | SR | Cal Lutheran | Throws | Custer, S.D. |
| Marquise Goodwin | SO | Texas | Jumps/Sprints | Garland, Texas |
| Leford Green | JR | Johnson C. Smith | Sprints | St. Catherine, Jamaica |
| Walter Henning | SR | LSU | Throws | Kings Park, N.Y. |
| Tabarie Henry | SR | Texas A&M | Sprints | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Leonard Korir | JR | Iona | Distance | Iten, Kenya |
| Erik Kynard | SO | Kansas State | Jumps | Toledo, Ohio |
| Torrin Lawrence | JR | Georgia | Sprints | Jacksonville, Fla. |
| Marcel Lomnicky | JR | Virginia Tech | Throws | Nitra, Slovakia |
| Maurice Mitchell | JR | Florida State | Sprints | Kansas City, Mo. |
| Demetrius Pinder | SR | Texas A&M | Sprints | Freeport, Bahamas |
| Dorian Ulrey | SR | Arkansas | Distance | Port Byron, Ill. |
| Craig Van Leeuwen | JR | Ramapo | Pole Vault | Little River Falls, N.J. |
(D) – demoted from the watch list this update
(N) – new to either list this update
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the magnificent trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org. Keep up with Bowerman candidates on the USTFCCCA’s weekly results page (http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results) and by following the organization’s twitter feed twitter.com/TheBowerman and Facebook page facebook.com/TheBowerman.
About The Bowerman
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the top male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton and Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.