Sprinters Off to a Fast Start on The Bowerman Men's Watch List for April

Sprinters Off to a Fast Start on The Bowerman Men's Watch List for April
April 16, 2014

NEW ORLEANS – It’s fitting that the members of the April edition of the Men’s Watch List for The Bowerman released Wednesday who are off to the fastest starts to their 2014 outdoor campaigns are the two sprints specialists.

Lone newcomer Dedric Dukes of Florida and Watch List mainstay Deon Lendore of Texas A&M both posted world-leading times within the past two weeks to boost their profiles in the race for collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor: The Bowerman Trophy.


The Bowerman Men’s Watch List - April 2014
(Click student-athletes’ names for biographies & notes)


NAME YEAR SCHOOL EVENTS HOMETOWN
Curtis Beach SR Duke Combined Events Albuquerque, N.M.
Edward Cheserek FR Oregon Distance Newark, N.J.
Ryan Crouser JR Texas Throws Gresham, Ore.
Dedric Dukes JR Florida Sprints Miami, Fla.
James Harris SR Florida State Sprints/High Jump Lanett, Ala.
Lawi Lalang SR Arizona Distance Eldoret, Kenya
Jarrion Lawson SO Arkansas Jumps Texarkana, Texas
Deon Lendore JR Texas A&M Sprints Arima, Trinidad & Tobago
Anthony Rotich JR UTEP Distance Nairobi, Kenya
Julian Wruck RS SR UCLA Throws Brisbane, Australia

Also Receiving Votes: Shawn Barber (Akron); Trayvon Bromell (Baylor); Arman Hall (Florida); Sam Kendricks (Mississippi); Omar McLeod (Arkansas); Garrett Scantling (Georgia); Michael Stigler (Kansas)







Two weeks ago Dukes became just the ninth man in collegiate history and the first since Walter Dix’s collegiate record in 2007 to dip below 20 seconds with legal wind during the college season with his 19.97 performance to win the Florida Relays, into a 0.6 m/s headwind, no less.

With the performance he moved up to No. 8 on the all-time collegiate performers list. The junior followed that performance up with a leg of Florida’s 2:59.73 4×400 relay to jump to No. 2 in collegiate history.

Lendore answered this week with a pair of big quarter-mile performances of his own at the Arizona State Sun Angel Classic. He first blazed to a 44.90 win at 400 meters for a new personal record before two hours later anchoring the Aggies’ 4×400 with a 44.7 split.

Joining Lendore among the returners from the end of the indoor season are Division I leaders Anthony Rotich of UTEP at 1500 meters and in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Ryan Crouser of Texas in the shot put, and 2013 The Bowerman Finalist Julian Wruck of UCLA in the discus.

Wruck is accompanied on the list once again by fellow 2013 Finalist and all-time Men’s Watch List appearance leaderLawi Lalang of Aizona with his 21st inclusion. He needs only one more to tie Oregon’s Brianne Theisen as the all-time leader, regardless of gender, since the Watch List began in 2010.

One more appearance for Wruck and Duke’s Curtis Beach, who now both have been included nine times, would also make them the seventh and eighth men to reach the double-digit s.

However, none of their other six double-digit men went on to claim The Bowerman Trophy. Ashton Eaton of Oregon, the 2010 winner, with eight total would likely have reached 10+ appearances had the Watch List existed during his 2009 Finalist campaign.

Oregon’s Edward Cheserek, Florida State’s James Harris and Arkansas’ Jarrion Lawson rounded out the Watch List.

On the outside looking in for this April edition in the "also receiving votes" column are collegiate leaders Trayvon Bromell of Baylor (100 meters), Sam Kendricks of Mississippi (pole vault) and Garrett Scantling of Georgia (decathlon), along with Akron’s Shawn Barber, Florida’s Arman Hall, Arkansas’ Omar McLeod and Kansas’ Michael Stigler.

With Dukes, Lendore and Lawson, the SEC increased its all-time best appearances total to 119, while the Pac-12 was boosted by Cheserek, Lalang and Wruck to 84.

Biographies and notes for each of the members of the Watch List can be found here.



ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman Trophy, which was first awarded in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.

Indiana’s Derek Drouin and Clemson’s Brianna Rollins are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman. In addition to their collegiate achievements, Rollins is the reigning World Champion in the 100 meter hurdles — an event for which she also holds the American Record — while Drouin has won bronze medals at both the 2012 Olympics and 2013 IAAF World Championships.

Past winners include Olympic gold medalist, World Champion 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).

In total, the winners from the award’s first four years have won three Olympic Medals, six World Championships (one relay, two indoor) and 11 World Championships medals (two relay, one indoor). When considering finalists for the award, 13 individuals have earned a combined six Olympic medals, eight World Championships (one relay, four indoor) and 23 World Championships medals (three realy, six indoor).

Former winners of and finalists for The Bowerman currently hold 21 national records. Each former winner of the men’s Bowerman Trophy holds at least two national records, while two of the five women’s winners are current national record-holders.

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.


U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
1100 Poydras Street, Suite 1750
New Orleans, LA 70163

Contact: Kyle Terwillegar
Communications Assistant
kyle@ustfccca.org
(504) 599-8905