May 21, 2015
NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Watch List Committee released its final Watch List before the NCAA first rounds, and eight out of the ten women on it are recent conference champions in their events. The other two remained on the strength of their all-time great sprinting results from earlier in the season.
The Bowerman Women’s Watch List – May 2015 — Final Regular Season
(Click student-athletes’ names for biographies & notes)
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This marks the first-ever Bowerman consideration for an athlete from Mississippi State.
Goule remained undefeated for her collegiate career in the open outdoor 800. In her three stops at South Plains, LSU, and Clemson, she’s never been beaten in an open two-lapper outdoors.
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Prandini (of Oregon) and Burchell (of Alabama) didn’t win their conference meets–Prandini was held out from PAC-12s with reported illness, while Burchell took second in the SEC 100–but by any measure, they are having two of the best collegiate sprint campaigns ever.
Prandini is the fastest low-altitude 100 woman in NCAA history and scored twenty-three points at indoor nationals, while Burchell has the collegiate record in the indoor 60 meters and won a national title in that event two months ago.
Okolo’s low-key racing schedule continues to work for her. In just her second open 400 of the outdoor season (and sixth overall of 2015), she ran 51.55 for her second straight Big 12 title. That helped the Texas women take the team championship for the second straight year.
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That record previously belonged to Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin, who established the old standard at the Southland Conference meet a week prior.
Four champions crowned at last weekend’s SEC meet were voted onto this edition of the list. Bougard and Scheper were the two new Watch Listers; Kendra Harrison of Kentucky made her fifth straight appearance and Shelbi Vaughan of Texas A&M joined the List for the third straight time.
With Harrison’s appearance, Kentucky moved into a tie for the eighth most from any one school. The Wildcat senior won the 100 hurdles in Starkville in 12.50 seconds. That makes her the third fastest in-season hurdler ever, and the second fastest in the world this year.
Vaughan, of Texas A&M, won the discus with a throw of 64.52 meters (211-8), which moves her up to one spot to the fifth best college discus performer ever.
This was a brutally difficult group of ten women to crack. Indoor NCAA champions Leah O’Connor of Michigan State and Emily Sisson of Providence landed in the "also receiving votes" category, as did collegiate leaders Courtney Frerichs of UMKC, Keturah Orji of Georgia, Quanesha Burks of Alabama, Irena Sediva of Virginia Tech, and Kyra Jefferson of Florida. Texas sprinter Morolake Akinosun was the other woman to get a top ten vote this week.
The men’s Watch List was released yesterday and the next women’s Watch List comes out Thursday, June 4.
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 five 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.
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