Reigning Bowerman Trophy Winner Lendore Returns to Men’s Watch List

 

May 20, 2015  

NEW ORLEANS — All ten men on the last Bowerman Watch List before the NCAA Preliminary Rounds kick off won conference championships this past weekend. The Bowerman Watch List Committee announced the list Wednesday afternoon, adding two men who posted top ten all-time performances in their events at the SEC Championships.

The Bowerman Men’s Watch List May 2015 — Post-Regular Season (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. Deon Lendore SR Texas A&M Sprints Arima, Trinidad and Tobago Omar McLeod SO Arkansas Hurdles Kingston, Jamaica Conor McCullough SR Southern Cal Throws Canoga Park, California Michael Stigler SR Kansas Hurdles Canyon, Texas Maicel Uibo JR Georgia Multis Polva, Estonia   Also Receiving Votes: Rodney Brown (LSU), Andre De Grasse (USC), JaCorian Duffield (Texas Tech), Eric Jenkins (Oregon), Anthony Rotich (UTEP)   Women’s Watch List: Thursday, May 21 Next Men’s Watch List: June 3

Georgia’s Maicel Uibo won the decathlon and Texas A&M’s Deon Lendore won the 400 at the SEC meet this weekend. Uibo scored 8,326 points–the fourth best in collegiate history–and Lendore covered one lap in 44.41 seconds, the ninth best time ever.
Of course, Lendore already has the eighth best time in collegiate history. He won the Bowerman Trophy last year after running 44.36 seconds at the 2014 SEC meet and following that up with an NCAA title a month later.

Total Appearances by School School Appearances Athletes Florida 74 9 Oregon 32 6 Texas 28 3 Arizona 26 2 Texas A&M 23 6 Arkansas 18 6 Washington State 16 1

Uibo and Lendore replaced Georgia decathlete Garrett Scantling and Oregon distance runner Eric Jenkins on the List.
The other eight members of this edition of the List didn’t turn in career-best marks, but still overpowered (in some cases very strong) competition at their conference
Jenkins lost to his teammate and Watch Lister Edward Cheserek by 0.08 seconds in the 5000 at the PAC-12 championships on Sunday. Cheserek and Lendore are the two returning finalists from last year; Cheserek has been on every list, while Lendore has been on four out of seven.
One other Watch List member competed in Los Angeles this weekend: Conor McCullough of Southern California won the hammer at UCLA, giving him career conference championships in the PAC-12 and the Ivy League.
Arkansas hurdler Omar McLeod, like McCullough, won his current conference for the first time. The sophomore took the 110 hurdles at the SEC meet in 13.28. His fellow hurdles Watch Lister Michael Stigler of Kansas won the 400 hurdles at the Big 12 championships; both men also ran the 4×400 and 4×100 relays for their team.

Total Appearances by Conference Conference Appearances SEC 153 Pac-12 107 Big 12 84 ACC 37 Big Ten 15 Conference USA 15 Big South 14

The last four men on the Watch List have been on all seven editions this year.
Akron vaulter Shawn Barber, Florida jumper Marquis Dendy, Baylor sprinter Trayvon Bromell, and Texas thrower Ryan Crouser all won outdoor conference championships for at least the second straight year.
For Barber, it was his third straight MAC vault championship; for Dendy, it was his second straight SEC triple jump championship (and first long jump championship); for Bromell, it was his second straight Big 12 100 title (and first 200 title), and for Crouser, it was his third straight Big 12 shot put title and second straight win in the discus.
Everyone except for Cheserek and Bromell is also the collegiate leader in their event heading into the NCAA first rounds, which begin next weekend. The fields for the first rounds will be announced tomorrow afternon. Barber, Dendy, Uibo will compete in the East prelims, while Bromell, Cheserek, Crouser, Lendore, McCullough, McLeod, and Stigler will compete in the West.
Rodney Brown (LSU), Andre De Grasse (Southern California), JaCorian Duffield (Texas Tech), Eric Jenkins (Oregon), and Anthony Rotich (UTEP) all received votes but did not crack the top ten.
The next men’s Watch List will be released on June 3; 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.