http://www.thebowerman.org/news/five-past-winners-espn-john-anderson-to-return-for-the-bowerman-award-ceremony
Five Past Winners, ESPN’s John Anderson to Return for The Bowerman Award Ceremony
October 18, 2012
NEW ORLEANS – In a few weeks, collegiate track & field’s top honor – The Bowerman – will be awarded to the most outstanding male and female athlete of 2012. Like the previous last three years, the award will be presented in a special ceremony that coincides with the USTFCCCA Convention. This year’s ceremony is poised to be the best to date as five of six past winners will be on hand to anoint the latest additions to their exclusive club.
Circle your calendars for Wednesday, December 19, 7 p.m., eastern – that’s when this year’s finalists, past winners, and ESPN’s John Anderson will take center stage in what is sure to be a night of celebration and spectacle. For Anderson, who anchors SportsCenter on a regular basis and is co-host of ABC’s Wipeout, this will be his second time as the night’s master of ceremonies. On November 4, you can catch him as a commentator on ABC and ESPN’s coverage of the ING New York City Marathon.
Past winners Jenny Simpson (Barringer), Queen Harrison, Jessica Beard, Ashton Eaton, and Ngoni Makusha will dawn The Bowerman stage once again for the largest gathering to date of those who have won the prestigious award. Eaton, the male winner of the award in 2010, garnered the biggest headlines this year, breaking world records in the heptathlon and decathlon to go along with a gold-medal-winning performance in this summer’s Olympics.
The finalists for the award in 2012 include a great mix of talent in several disciplines. The men’s finalists are Cam Levins (Southern Utah), Tony McQuay (Florida), and Andrew Riley (Illinois) with women’s finalists Brigetta Barrett (Arizona), Kimberlyn Duncan (LSU), and Brianne Theisen (Oregon).
While the award’s criteria mandate that the selection of winners is based on the collegiate season ending with the NCAA Championships, it is worth noting that five of the six finalists in 2012 were Olympians. In fact, Arizona’s Barrett claimed a silver medal in the high jump while McQuay won a silver medal as the third-leg of Team USA’s 4x400 relay.
Voting has already taken place, and the winners will not be revealed until the ceremony in a few weeks. Fan voting, which occurred in July and constituted one full vote in the process, picked Cam Levins and Brianne Theisen as leading candidates.
The Bowerman Ceremony and the USTFCCCA Convention (December 17-20) will take place at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla. Registration for the convention is open to USTFCCCA members only.
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athlete in the nation. The award is named for is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Florida State’s Ngoni Makusha and Texas A&M’s Jessica Beard are the reigning winners of The Bowerman. Makusha won bronze in the long jump at 2011 IAAF World Championships.
Past winners include Olympic gold medalist and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters, Jenny Simpson (2009).
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 trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
ABOUT THE USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels.
The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and the NJCAA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations.
The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches' interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
For more information, visit USTFCCCA.org.
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Tom Lewis
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
Director of Communications
1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750
New Orleans, LA 70163
(O) 504-599-8904 (F) 504-599-8909
Email: tom@ustfccca.org
Follow Us: twitter.com/USTFCCCA
REGISTER NOW FOR THE
2012 USTFCCCA CONVENTION
DEC 17-20, 2012 • ORLANDO, FL
http://www.ustfccca.org/ustfccca-convention
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