The Bowerman Women’s 2013 Preseason Watch List Announced

January 10, 2013

NEW ORLEANS – The stage is set for not only a historic 2013 season in women’s collegiate track and field, but also for a historic race to win its most prestigious individual award, The Bowerman, bestowed to the sport’s most outstanding male and female athletes each year. The reigning winner, a finalist and three semifinalists from last season all appear on the preseason Watch List, which was released Thursday.

Two of the three semifinalists from 2012 –winner Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU and Arizona high jumper Brigetta Barrett – headline the first watch list of the 2013.

Duncan is the first student-athlete in the five-year history of the award to compete collegiately after winning the award, setting her up to potentially become the first multiple-winner of the award. She was also a finalist for The Bowerman in 2011, and could become the first three-time finalist in the history of the award.

Oklahoma thrower Tia Brooks; sprinter English Gardner of Oregon; and sprinter Ashley Spencer of Illinois also return from last season’s semifinalist pool.

Kansas sprinter Diamond Dixon and Washington distance runner Katie Flood appear on the preseason watch list after making the regular-season list in 2012.

Arizona hurdler Georganne Moline, Iowa State distance runner Betsy Saina and thrower Brittany Smith of Illinois State all make their first appearances on the watch list.

The men’s preseason watch list for The Bowerman was released Wednesday.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, PRESEASON 2013 WOMEN
(Updated January 10, 2013. Listed in alphabetical order by last name)

NAME YEAR SCHOOL EVENTS HOMETOWN
Brigetta Barrett SR Arizona High Jump Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Tia Brooks RS SR Oklahoma Throws Grand Rapids, Mich.
Diamond Dixon JR Kansas Sprints Houston, Texas
Kimberlyn Duncan SR LSU Sprints Katy, Texas
Katie Flood JR Washington Distance Des Moines, Iowa
English Gardner JR Oregon Sprints Voorhees, N.J.
Georganne Moline SR Arizona Hurdles Phoenix, Ariz.
Betsy Saina RS SR Iowa State Distance Eldoret, Kenya
Brittany Smith SR Illinois State Throws Oak Park, Ill.
Ashley Spencer SO Illinois Sprints Indianapolis, Ind.


QUICKLY, THE WATCH LIST
Brigetta Barrett, Arizona – Was a finalist for The Bowerman in 2012 and semifinalist in 2011. Silver medalist at 2012 London Olympics in the high jump with a mark of 6-8 (2.03m), the all-time best mark by a collegiate woman. Won both the indoor and outdoor NCAA high jump titles in both 2012 and 2011, becoming the first woman in DI history to accomplish the feat. Has won 17 consecutive meets against collegians dating back to 2011, including two indoor Mountain Pacific Sports Federation high jump titles and two outdoor Pac-12 titles during that span.

Tia Brooks, Oklahoma – Semifinalist for The Bowerman in 2012. Qualified for the 2012 London Olympics in the shot put. Won both the indoor and outdoor NCAA shot put titles in 2012, after finishing runner-up in both in 2011. An indoor PR of 62-4 (19.00m) makes her the second-best performer in the event in NCAA history, and is one of just two collegiate women all-time to throw farther than 62 feet. Ranked fourth among all Americans in 2012 in the shot put. Her outdoor championship-winning mark of 60-6 (18.44m) was the meet’s best mark since 1998, and she was the only student-athlete in the field to record any throws over 18 meters (59-¾) with four.

Diamond Dixon, Kansas – Appeared on The Bowerman Watch List in 2012. Gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics as a member of the U.S. 4×400 relay team. Earned four All-America honors in 2012 with an indoor 400 meters national title and a third-place 400 finish outdoors, and as a leg of the third-place indoor and eighth-place outdoor 4×400 relay teams. Set the outdoor 400 school record (50.88) in a fifth-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – which made her the fifth-fastest American in the event for 2012 – and broke the indoor school record (51.78) at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU – Winner of the 2012 Bowerman, and a finalist in 2011. Will look to become the first two-time winner of the award. Won the 200 meters at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in 2011 and 2012, making her the first woman to accomplish that feat. Her outdoor NCAA 200 finals time was 22.19, fourth-best among Americans in 2012. Her contributions – not only in the 200, but also with a runner-up showing in the 100 – propelled LSU to a team national championship. She was untouchable in the 200 in 2012, winning all six finals indoor and four more outdoor, en route to an individual SEC Championship in the indoor and outdoor 200, and the outdoor 100, in which she ran a 10.96, making her the fifth-fastest American in the event in 2012. She also garnered USTFCCCA Outdoor National Track Athlete of the Year and Honda Sport Award honors for women’s track and field.

English Gardner, Oregon – Semifinalist for The Bowerman in 2012. Earned 2012 individual national championships in the 100 meters and the 60 meters, in addition to the outdoor 4×400 relay, helping Oregon to its third consecutive indoor national championship. Did not lose a collegiate final at any distance in 2012 en route to three Pac-12 individual titles (100, 200, 4×100 relay). Her 7.12 in the 60 at the 2012 Indoor National Championships is the fourth-fastest in collegiate history, and placed her fourth among Americans in 2012, and her 11.10 at the outdoor championships put her eighth among Americans. Qualified for the finals of the 100 at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trial.

Katie Flood, Washington – Earned NCAA Championship honors in the 1500 meters and the distance medley relay in 2012, becoming the first female Washington athlete to earn multiple individual championships, both in a season and in a career. She took the lead on the final turn of the 1500 to claim the victory, which came on her hometown track in Des Moines, Iowa, and help lead the Huskies to a program-best eighth-place finish. Indoors, she set a school record in the mile with a 4:28.48, the fourth-fastest in NCAA history and fourth-best among Americans in 2012. Her mile time was the fastest by an American indoors in 2012. Set another school record in the 3000 at 8:55.31, fifth-best among female collegians all-time, indoors or outdoors, and tenth among Americans in 2012.

Georganne Moline, Arizona – Finished fifth in the 400 hurdles final with a school-record 53.92 at the 2012 London Olympics as the youngest competitor in the field, making her the second-fastest American woman of 2012. Finished runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. After redshirting the indoor season, she went undefeated in the outdoor season until a fall in the preliminary rounds of the 400 hurdles at the NCAA Championships caused her to miss the final. Earned 2012 All-American honors in the 4×400 relay with a sixth-place finish outdoors. Won 2012 Pac-12 individual championships in the 400 hurdles and the 4×400 relay.

Betsy Saina, Iowa State – Won the 2012 individual NCAA Cross Country Championship in 19:27.9. Won a 2012 individual national championship in the 5000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while also finishing third in the 3000. Has earned six All-America honors between indoor and outdoor track. Finished 12th in the 10,000 meters at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 32:32.45. Won the Payton Jordan Invitational 10,000 in a personal-best 31:15.97. Named the USTFCCCA Athlete of the Year in Cross Country for 2012.

Brittany Smith, Illinois State – Finished runner-up in both the shot put and the hammer throw at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships, scoring all of Illinois State’s 16 team points en route to a program-high 14th-place finish. Her school-record mark of 224-6 (68.45m) in the NCAA championship hammer throw makes her the 12th-best American in the event for 2012, and her school-record shot put mark of 58-9½ (17.92m) at the Sea Relays puts her eighth. Won gold in the shot put at the 2012 North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-23 Championships and took silver in the hammer throw. Finished third in the weight throw at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships, and earned second-team All-America honors in the hammer throw in 2011.

Ashley Spencer, Illinois – Semifinalist for The Bowerman in 2012. Won the 400 meters at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships in a then-collegiate-leading 50.95, making her the first freshman to win the event since Sanya Richards (-Ross) of Texas in 2003. Won two golds at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships in the 400 and the 4×400 relay. Her time of 50.50 in the IAAF 400 made her the fourth-fastest American of 2012 and the 16th-fastest in the world. After one academic year already owns six school records and has won six Big Ten individual championships. Earned All-America honors in the indoor 200 meters with a sixth-place finish. Was the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Championships and the Freshman of the Year both indoors and outdoors.

ALSO RECEIVING MENTION
NAME YEAR SCHOOL EVENTS HOMETOWN
Emma Coburn SR Colorado Distance Crested Butte, Colo.
Octavious Freeman SO UCF Sprints Lake Wales, Fla.
Andrea Geubelle SR Kansas Jumps University Place, Wash.
Jordan Hasay SR Oregon Distance Arroyo Grande, Calif.
Morgann Leleux SO Georgia Pole Vault New Iberia, La.
Kai Selvon SR Auburn Sprints St. Joseph, Trinidad & Tobago

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 athletes in the nation.

Southern Utah’s Cam Levins and LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

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 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.




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Kyle Terwillegar

U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association

Communications Assistant

1100 Poydras St., Suite 1750

New Orleans, LA 70163

(O) 504-599-8905 (F) 504-599-8909

Email: kyle@ustfccca.org

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