The Bowerman Update: Rupp's 5K Record; Bowerman Alumni at Millrose & Drake; and the Watch List in Action January 17, 2014

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The Bowerman Update: Rupp's 5K Record; Bowerman Alumni at Millrose & Drake; and the Watch List in Action
January 17, 2014

NEW ORLEANS – National records in the indoor 5000 meters race fell Thursday to former men’s The Bowerman winners Galen Rupp (2009) and Cam Levins (2012) at the Boston University Multi-Team Meet.

NATIONAL RECORDS
The Bowerman Winners/Finalists
Derek Drouin, Canada (W)
Indoor/Outdoor High Jump

Ashton Eaton, USA (W)
Decathlon (World Record)
Indoor Heptathlon (World Record)

Brianne Theisen-Eaton, Canada (F)
Indoor Pentathlon

CAM LEVINS, CANADA (W)
INDOOR 5000 METERS
Indoor Two-Mile

Ngoni Makusha, Zimbabwe (W)
Outdoor 100 Meters
Indoor/Outdoor Long Jump

Blessing Okagbare, Nigeria (F)
Outdoor 100 Meters (African Record)
Indoor Triple Jump

Brianna Rollins, USA (W)
100-Meter Hurdles

GALEN RUPP, USA (W)
INDOOR 5000 METERS
Indoor 3000 Meters
Outdoor 10,000 Meters

Jenny Simpson, USA (W)
3000-Meter Steeplechase

Tina Sutej, Slovenia (F)
Indoor/Outdoor Pole Vault

(W) – Former Winner
(F) – Former Finalist


Rupp, the recipient of the inaugural The Bowerman Award in 2009 as the most outstanding male in collegiate track & field, won the race in an indoor American-record 13:01.26 to surpass the previous record of 13:07.00 set by Lopez Lomong in 2013 by nearly six seconds, while Levins took third in an indoor Canadian-record 13:19.16.

The American record is Rupp’s third, joining his indoor 3000 and outdoor 10,000 meter national marks; for Levins, it is his second along with the indoor two-mile national record.

With these two marks, former winners and finalists for The Bowerman — an award that is just five years old — now own a combined 20 national records between 10 different athletes.

Rupp’s mark was significant not only in American track & field histor

y, but also the history of world athletics. Per Flotrack.org, his time is the fastest ever recorded in the month of January and is the eighth-fastest performance in the history of the world.

The former Oregon Duck will be back in Boston with more American records in his crosshairs as he looks to tackle the American indoor two-mile mark at the Boston University Terrier Invitational on January 24/25 and the American indoor mile standard at the BU Valentine Invitational on February 7/8.

Former The Bowerman Winners & Finalists to Headline Fields at Millrose Games & Drake Relays
Former winners of and finalists for The Bowerman will be front-and-center on some of the biggest stages in American track & field this upcoming winter and spring with the announcements of fields at the Millrose Games and Drake Relays.

Last week it was announced that 2012 The Bowerman men’s winner Cam Levins and 2009 men’s finalist German Fernandez would headline the Paavo Nurmi 2000 meters race at the Mlilrose Games on February 15th at the New York City Armory, and with this week came word that track & field’s favorite couple would also be making the trip to the Big Apple.

Ashton Eaton, the 2010 The Bowerman men’s winner, and Brianne Theisen-Eaton, a finalist for the women’s award in 2012, were announced on Wednesday as the latest addition to the nation’s premier indoor track meet.

Ashton — the reigning Olympic and World Champion and world record holder in the decathlon, and the reigning World Champion and world record holder in the indoor heptathlon — will compete in the 60-meter hurdles and pole vault as he preps for the defense of his indoor heptathlon World title. Brianne, the Canadian record holder in the indoor pentathlon, will contest the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump.

Thursday brought with it another major announcement from another major meet — the Drake Relays — that three former winners of and two more former finalists for The Bowerman would grace Drake Stadium between April 23-27 in Drake, Iowa.

Reigning The Bowerman Trophy winners Derek Drouin and Brianna Rollins will be joined by 2010 women’s winnerQueen Harrison as headliners for the meet, along with 2012 men’s finalist Andrew Riley and 2012/2013 women’s finalist Brigetta Barrett.

Rollins — the American record holder and reigning World Champion in the 100-meter hurdles — and Harrison will both contest the 100-meter hurdles, while Drouin, who claimed bronze medals at the 2012 London Olympics and 2013 IAAF World Championships, will compete in the high jump against collegiate rival and 2012 Olympics silver medalist Erik Kynard.

Barrett, a silver medalist in the high jump both in London in 2012 and the 2013 World Championships, headlines her event while Riley, competing for Jamaica, will duke it out with a host of America’s top 110-meter hurdlers.

The Bowerman Watch List in Action
One week after the announcement of The Bowerman Preseason Watch Lists, many of the early-season favorites are beginning to open their 2014 campaigns in earnest, particularly the women.

Women
As many as seven of the 10 members of the women’s list will be in action this week, with an additional six more who also received votes outside the top 10 also schedule to compete.

Friday will see the Texas debut of Ashley Spencer as her No. 1 Longhorns take on No. 7 Arkansas in a dual at both 60 and 200 meters, and also the 2014 debut of reigning outdoor discus champion Anna Jelmini of Arizona State at the Northern Arizona Lumberjack Team Challenge. She will be throwing the shot put.

The following day will feature a number of women’s Watch Listers. Up in the Northeast, cross country championAbbey D’Agostino leading her team in the Dartmouth/Yale/Columbia triangular at Dartmouth. She already owns the fastest time at 5000 meters this season.

On the opposite coast a pair of Oregon Ducks will be making their 2014 debuts in Phyllis Francis and Laura Roesler. Francis, who specializes at 400 and 200 meters, will compete at 60 meters; while 800 meter specialist Roesler will double up to the mile.

Down south the Texas A&M 10-Team Invitational and Auburn Indoor Invitational take center stage. Texas A&M will debut sprinter Kamaria Brown at 200 meters its home meet, while Auburn will see a pair of "also receiving votes" members in Georgia pole vaulter Morgann Leleux and distance runner Colleen Quigley of Florida State at 3000 meters.

Defending outdoor heptathlon champion Lindsay Vollmer of Kansas will get some work in the long jump Friday and shot put Saturday at the Nebraska Holiday Inn Invitational one week after setting personal-bests in both the 60 hurdles and high jump events.

Her teammate and defending indoor pole vault champ Natalia Bartnovskaya (also receiving votes) won’t be in Nebraska, but rather in Nevada — Reno, to be precise — for the UCS Pole Vault Summit. The event is an exhibition and won’t count toward NCAA qualifying. But, as was the case with exhibition throws by 2013 men’s The Bowerman Finalist Julian Wruck of UCLA, the marks could be taken into consideration for award purposes.

Spencer of Texas isn’t the only high-profile transfer making her debut this weekend, as Kentucky’s Dezerea Bryant(also receiving votes), formerly of Clemson, will compete for the first time in the blue and white and the Wildcats’ home invitational in the at both 60 and 200 meters.

Last but not least, Texas Tech sprinter Cierra White will also make her 2014 debut at her home Texas Tech Open Saturday at 200 meters.

Men
The men’s schedule of The Bowerman Watch List members in action is lighter than that of the women, with just four of the top 10 in action and three more who also received votes scheduled to compete.

Already the collegiate leader in the pole vault, Ole Miss’ Sam Kendricks — the defending outdoor pole vault champion — will contest his signature event at the Saturday’s Auburn Invitational as he looks to build on his early success.

One day earlier on Friday, two-time defending indoor pole vault champion Andrew Irwin of Arkansas (also receiving votes) will compete at the Arkansas-Texas Dual at Arkansas.

Speaking of indoor NCAA champions, Nick Ross of Arizona (also receiving votes) will compete in an indoor collegiate meet for the first time since winning his 2012 high jump title at Friday’s Northern Arizona Lumberjack Team Challenge after redshirting the entire 2013 campaign. In addition to his signature event, he will also long jump.

A trio of Texans in the top 10 will also be in action Saturday. Texas A&M’s 10-Team Invitational will serve as the 2014 home debuts of defending outdoor 110-meter hurdles champion Wayne Davis II and quarter-miler Deon Lendore. Davis will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, while Lendore will run a leg of the Aggies’ vaunted 4×400 relay.

The third Texan is UTEP’s Anthony Rotich — the defending outdoor steeplechase champion — who will open his season at the New Mexico Lobo Collegiate.

Wrapping up the men’s schedule for this weekend is Kansas’ Michael Stigler (also receiving votes). The 400-meter hurdles specialist will compete in the 60-meter hurdles and the 4×400 for the Jayhawks at the Nebraska Holliday Invitational on Saturday.




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