McCullough Added to May Edition of Men’s Bowerman Trophy Watch List

 

May 6, 2015  

NEW ORLEANS–Since the last edition of the Bowerman Men’s Watch List, the most notable action has been in the field. The Bowerman Watch List Committee took notice of one athlete in particular, adding Conor McCullough of Southern California to the List announced by the Committee Wednesday.
The other nine men on the Watch List for collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor were on the last edition.

The Bowerman Men’s Watch List May 2015 (Click student-athletes’ names for biographies & notes) NAME YEAR SCHOOL EVENTS HOMETOWN Shawn Barber JR Akron Pole Vault Kingwood, Texas Trayvon Bromell SO Baylor Sprints St. Petersburg, Fla. Edward Cheserek SO Oregon Distance Newark, N.J. Ryan Crouser SR Texas Throws Gresham, Ore. Marquis Dendy SR Florida Jumps Middletown, Del. Eric Jenkins SR Oregon Distance Portsmouth, N.H. Omar McLeod SO Arkansas Hurdles Kingston, Jamaica Conor McCullough SR Southern Cal Throws Canoga Park, California Garrett Scantling SR Georgia Multis Jacksonville, Florida Michael Stigler SR Kansas Hurdles Canyon, Texas   Also Receiving Votes: Rodney Brown (LSU), JaCorian Duffield (Texas Tech), Vernon Norwood (LSU), Anthony Rotich (UTEP)   Women’s Watch List: Thursday, May 7 Next Men’s Watch List: May 20

McCullough replaced UTEP steeplechaser Anthony Rotich by dint of a great hammer throw to win the UCLA-USC dual. He launched the ball and chain 75.88m (248-11) for the No. 7 spot on the all-time collegiate performers list.
Two more men climbed those all-time lists since the last announcement by the Committee. Akron vaulter Shawn Barber improved his outdoor best by a centimeter, going 5.91m (19-4.75) to win the Texas Relays. That equals his indoor best and breaks a tie with Texas’s Jacob Davis for the No. 2 spot on the all-time list. Barber has cleared 5.90 or higher twice this outdoor season, and both were at Texas.
After a monthlong hiatus from competing, Arkansas hurdler Omar McLeod had an explosive start to his outdoor season at the Drake Relays. He won the 110-meter hurdles in Des Moines in 13.21 seconds, which makes him the fifth fastest collegiate hurdler ever. That’s also nearly a quarter second faster than his previous PR.

Total Appearances by School School Appearances Athletes Florida 73 9 Oregon 31 6 Texas 27 3 Arizona 26 2 Texas A&M 22 6 Arkansas 17 6 Washington State 16 1

McLeod’s appearance on the Watch List is the seventeenth by an Arkansas athlete, which breaks a tie with Washington State for the sixth most by any school.
Similarly, Texas’s Ryan Crouser making the List broke a tie with Arizona for the No. 3 spot on the total appearances by school list. The Longhorns now only trail Florida and Oregon in that category.
The Gators and Ducks are continuing to grow that lead, though–Oregon’s Eric Jenkins and Edward Cheserek and Florida’s Marquis Dendy are in the group of ten again.
Jenkins has not competed since the last WL was released, but Cheserek and Dendy each won one event at the Penn Relays. Cheserek anchored the winning distance medley relay in Philadelphia, where Dendy won the triple jump.

Total Appearances by Conference Conference Appearances SEC 149 Pac-12 105 Big 12 81 ACC 37 Big Ten 15 Conference USA 15 Big South 14

Georgia decathlete Garrett Scantling hasn’t competed since the last List, but his score of 8,232 points is still three hundred and ninety-nine points ahead of the second best score in the NCAA this year.
Like Scantling, Kansas 400 hurdler Michael Stigler is the NCAA leader in his event. Stigler’s 48.44 at the Texas Relays in March and the 48.86 at the Rock Chalk Classic this past weekend. are the two fastest times by a collegiate hurdler this year.
Baylor sprinter Trayvon Bromell hasn’t lost an open race since the Big 12 indoor 60 meters in February. In the last three weeks, he’s again run a wind-legal 10.02 100 and tied his 200 PR with a 20.19 win at Texas’s Longhorn Invitational.
Just like last time, everyone on the List is a senior except for McLeod, Cheserek, and Bromell; those three are sophomores.
High jumper JaCorian Duffield of Texas Tech received votes for the second straight week. He’s joined in the also receiving votes category by UTEP’s Rotich and LSU teammates Rodney Brown and Vernon Norwood.
The next men’s Watch List will be released on May 20; the women’s Watch List will be released tomorrow.

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.
Oregon’s Laura Roesler and Texas A&M’s Deon Lendore 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, World Champion and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters Jenny Simpson (2009), 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013) and 2012 Olympic high jump bronze medalist Derek Drouin (2013).
In total, the winners from the award’s first four years have won three Olympic Medals, two World Championships and six World Championships medals. When considering finalists for the award, 13 individuals have earned a combined seven Olympic medals, four World Championships and 17 World Championships medals.
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.