Wruck and Berry Join the April Men's Bowerman Watch List

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Wruck and Berry Join the April Men's Bowerman Watch List
April 10, 2013

NEW ORLEANS – The 2013 outdoor season may be young, but a number of student-athletes have put up times and marks that are worthy of inclusion on the first outdoor edition of The Bowerman Watch List, which was released Wednesday by the Bowerman Watch List Committee.

Chief among the newcomers to the Watch List is senior UCLA thrower Julian Wruck, the 2011 NCAA discus champion who was taken the event by storm this season. Three meets into the season, Wruck — the first UCLA student-athlete on the Watch List — has already recorded three all-time collegiate top-10 marks, including the No. 6 mark at 216-8 (66.05m).

Oregon sprinter Mike Berry makes his first appearance on the Watch List, becoming the third Oregon student-athlete to make it to the list with 2010 Bowerman winner Ashton Eaton and Andrew Wheating. His is the 16th total Oregon Watch List appearance, tied with Washington State for second all time behind Florida’s 54.

Galen Rupp, the 2009 Bowerman winner, was also from Oregon, but the Watch List did not yet exist in 2009.

Staying in the Pac-12, Arizona distance runner Lawi Lalang makes his 13th career appearance on the list, tied for fourth-most with Christian Taylor of Florida. Florida’s Jeff Demps has 19, Washington State’s Jeshua Anderson has 15, and Liberty’s Sam Chelanga has 14 — none of whom ended up ultimately claiming the Bowerman.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, APRIL 2013
(Updated April 10, 2013. Listed in alphabetical order by last name.)

NAME YEAR SCHOOL EVENTS HOMETOWN
Mike Berry JR Oregon Sprints Seattle, Wash.
Marquis Dendy SO Florida Jumps Middletown, Del.
Derek Drouin RS SR Indiana Jumps/Cmb. Events Corunna, Ontario
Kennedy Kithuka JR Texas Tech Distance Thika, Kenya
Erik Kynard SR Kansas State High Jump Toledo, Ohio
Lawi Lalang JR Arizona Distance Eldoret, Kenya
Kevin Lazas JR Arkansas Combined Events Brentwood, Tenn.
Eddie Lovett JR Florida Hurdles West Palm Beach, Fla.
Ameer Webb SR Texas A&M Sprints Tustin, Calif.
Julian Wruck RS JR UCLA Throws Brisbane, Australia



QUICKLY – THE WATCH LIST
Mike Berry, Oregon

Courtesy: goducks.com This Season: Won the 400 at the Oregon Pepsi Invitational – his first 400 of the outdoor season – in 46.20. Finished runner-up at the NCAA Indoor Championship 400 in 45.83 after running a 45.64 in the prelims. Won an MPSF title at 400 meters.



Marquis Dendy, Florida

Courtesy: gatorzone.com
This Season: Leads all collegians in the outdoor long jump at 26-9¾ (8.17m) at the Texas Relays in his only outdoor competition so far. Won the NCAA Indoor long jump with a mark of 27-2 (8.28m), making him the sixth-best performer in collegiate history, and jumped 27-0 (8.23m) on another attempt. Finished fourth in the NCAA Indoor triple jump at 53-1¾ (16.20m). Recorded a then-collegiate-best long jump mark of 2013 with a 27-1 (8.25m) in winning the SEC Individual Championship in the event. He surpassed 27 feet twice in the competition, and recorded another just a quarter of an inch shy. He is the only collegiate jumper to surpass 27 feet this season.



Derek Drouin, Indiana

Courtesy: IUHoosiers.com
This Season: Won the Texas Relays high jump with a collegiate-leading clearance of 7-6½ (2.30m) in his only outdoor high jump of 2013 so far. Earned 2013 DI National Indoor Field Athlete of the Year honors. Won the NCAA Indoor title in the high jump with a No. 2 all-time collegiate mark and Canadian record of 7-8½ (2.35m) without missing through seven heights. Nearly cleared but missed on three attempts at a collegiate-record 7-9¾ (2.38m) at the Indoor Championships. Cleared a then-nation-leading 7-7¼ (2.32m) in the high jump at the Hoosier Hills Open, good for the tenth-best clearance in collegiate history. Set the all-time world-best in the heptathlon high jump with a clearance of 7-6½ (2.30m). Won the Big Ten title in the high jump with a mark of 7-5 (2.26m) and finished third in the heptathlon (5,817) with the eighth-best collegiate score this season. Has won his past seven indoor high jump events against collegians dating back to the 2011-12 season.



Kennedy Kithuka, Texas Tech

Courtesy: TexasTech.com
This Season: Won the NCAA Indoor title at 5000 meters, winning in a collegiate-leading 13:25.38. Also ran the nation’s fastest time at 5000 meters in 13:26.65 in a solo effort at the Tyson Invitational – more than 10 seconds faster than the next-best time. Ran 7:50.26 over 3000 meters at the Meyo Invitational. Won 2013 Big 12 individual titles at both 3000 and 5000 meters. Won the 2012 NCAA DI Cross Country Championship in his first season at Texas Tech after transferring from Wayland Baptist University. Went undefeated in seven meets in 2012 en route to Big 12 and Mountain Regional championships and set four course records, including a 28:31.3 at the NCAA National Championship Meet at the E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky.



Erik Kynard, Kansas State

Courtesy: KStateSports.com
This Season: Finished runner-up to Drouin at the Texas Relays high jump with a clearance of 7-5¼ (2.27m) in his only outdoor competition of 2013 thus far. Finished third on misses at the NCAA Indoor high jump with a mark of 7-6 (2.29m). Posted a then-collegiate-leading mark of 7-7¾ (2.33m) at the KSU Open, tying his indoor career-best and No. 3 all-time collegiate mark. Has won each of his five events this season and 24 of his past 26 events – indoors and outdoors – against collegians dating back to the 2010-11 season. Claimed the 2013 Big 12 high jump individual title with a mark of 7-7 (2.31m), defeating the field by more than five inches. Has cleared heights of 7-6 or higher in five of his six events this season.



Lawi Lalang, Arizona

Courtesy: ArizonaWildcats.com
This Season: Earned 2013 DI National Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors. Appears on the Bowerman Watch List for the 13th time, most among all active student-athletes and tied for fourth all-time. Completed an NCAA Indoor double championship in the mile and at 3000 meters, both of which were in meet-record fashion: 3:54.74 for the mile and 7:45.94 at 3000 meters. First to complete this double since Bernard Lagat of Washington State in 1999. Ran the third-fastest indoor mile in collegiate history when he finished fifth overall and second among collegians at the Millrose Games with a 3:54.56. Became the third-fastest performer in the 3000 in collegiate history when he clocked a solo 7:42.79 at the Razorback Invitational to win by 15 seconds over the then-No. 2 performer in DI.




Kevin Lazas, Arkansas

Courtesy: ArkansasRazorbacks.com
This Season: Won the NCAA indoor title in the heptathlon with a score of 6,175, making him the third-best performer in collegiate history and giving him the fourth-best score. Posted the highest heptathlon score of the 2013 indoor collegiate season, and two of the top six scores with a 6,024 point effort at the Razorback Invitational. Won three components of the NCAA indoor heptathlon (pole vault – 17-8½/5.40m; 60 meters – 6.90; shot put – 49-2½/15.00m) and also set personal bests in three components.



Eddie Lovett, Florida

Courtesy: gatorzone.com
This Season: Ran a 13.47 (+2.6m/s) in his 2013 outdoor debut at the Texas Relays, which stands as the No. 3 qualifying time in the division. Ran the fourth-fastest time in collegiate history at 7.50 en route to an NCAA indoor title in the 60 hurdles, breaking the previous meet record of 7.51 held by Aries Merritt of Tennessee in 2006. Became the third-fastest all-time collegiate performer in the 60 hurdles with the fourth-fastest time. Also ran a 7.53 in the prelims at the NCAA indoors, and a 7.54 at the SEC Championships. Won five of six hurdles events (one at 55 meters) this season, including an SEC title.



Ameer Webb, Texas A&M

Courtesy: AggieAthletics.com
This Season: Won the Texas Relays 100 in a collegiate-leading 10.14 (+1.6m/s) and won the Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational 200 in 20.74 (+0.8m/s), which is the No. 7 time in DI this outdoor season. Defended his NCAA indoor title at 200 meters with a time of 20.42, after running a 20.37 that made him the eighth-fastest performer in collegiate history. Ran the two fastest times in the collegiate ranks this season with his performances at the NCAA indoor championships.



Julian Wruck, UCLA

Courtesy: UCLABruins.com
This Season: Has thrown three all-time collegiate top-10 marks in the discus in his three meets in 2013, improving with each meet. Won the discus in a dual against LSU/TCU with a mark of 216-8 (66.05m), which is the No. 6 throw in collegiate history. The week prior he launched a 216-7 (66.01m) at the Texas Relays, good for No. 7 all time, and a 215-10 (65.80m), No. 10 all time. Owns the top 13 throws of the 2013 outdoor season.



ALSO RECEIVING MENTION
NAME YEAR SCHOOL EVENTS HOMETOWN
Curtis Beach RS JR Duke Combined Events Albuquerque, N.M.
Jordan Clarke RS SR Arizona State Throws Anchorage, Ala.
Tim Glover SR Illinois State Javelin Normal, Ill.
Sam Humphreys SR Texas A&M Throws Laredo, Texas



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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