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Update to the Women’s Watch List comes tomorrow

Beach, Derrick, Irwin Now on Bowerman Watch after NCAA Indoor Meet

First national-championship meet of the track & field season in the books

March 14, 2012

NEW ORLEANS – Duke’s Curtis Beach, Stanford’s Chris Derrick, and Arkansas’ Andrew Irwin are now on The Bowerman Watch List for the first time, the award’s watch list committee announced on Wednesday. The trio was selected for the list of ten watched for  collegiate track & field’s top award as a result of successful indoor track & field seasons that culminated last weekend at the NCAA Championships.

Beach was promoted to the watch list from the “also receiving mention” pool while Derrick and Irwin are newly recognized for either levels.

Beach was the NCAA champion in the heptathlon with an impressive score, topped off with a heptathlon world record in the 1000 meters. Derrick was the nation’s runner-up in the 3000 and 5000 meters with gutsy performances. And, Irwin, a freshman, won his first NCAA title in the pole vault last weekend.

New to the “also receiving mention” classification is Arizona State’s Jordan Clarke and Texas A&M’s Ameer Webb.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, 2012 MEN

(updated March 14, listed in alphabetical order, always ten names)

(P) – Promoted from the “also receiving mention” list

(N) – new to either list

QUICKLY – The Watch List in 2012

Miles Batty, BYU – Batty collected a pair of third-place finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships with performances in the mile and as anchor of the distance medley relay. In the national final of the DMR, Batty brought his team from seventh to third with the fastest 1600-meter split in the field (3:57.98). 

At the Millrose Games, Batty notched a new collegiate-record in the mile with a 3:54.54 clocking in taking second overall to professional Matthew Centrowitz. The time also placed seventh on the world indoor list for 2012.

He placed third overall and as the second collegian in the UW Invitational 3000 meters, clocking an all-conditions personal best 7:49.58. The time is also currently the NCAA’s No. 6 seed for the NCAA Championships. Batty has also anchored the Cougar DMR team to the nation’s best time of the year – 9:29.00 (OT) in a winning effort at MPSF Championships. Winner of the MPSF 800 meters in 1:49.17 (OT). Only Batty and Southern Utah’s Cam Levins have clocked sub-1:50 or better in the 800, sub-4:00 in the mile, and sub-7:50 in the 3000 meters this season.

Curtis Beach, Duke – Beach was the indoor season’s NCAA and ACC Champion of the heptathlon. With a score of 6,183 points, a score that finished fourth in the world in 2012, at the national championships, Beach became the third-best performer in the collegiate history of the event. He sits only behind world-record holder Ashton Eaton (Oregon) and Olympic medalist and two-time World Champion Trey Hardee (Texas) on the all-time list. Also at the NCAA Championships, Beach reset his own heptathlon world record by four seconds in the 1000 meters with a run of 2:23.63 to secure overall victory. The time also placed him in the collegiate top ten of the open 1000 for the season. Beach won the ACC title in the heptathlon by nearly 600 points with a score of 5,862.

Jeff Demps, Florida – Demps won his third-consecutive NCAA 60-meter title during the indoor season, joining Pitt’s Lee McRae (1986-87-88, 55 meters), Texas A&M’s Curtis Dickey (1978-79-80, 60 yards), and Nebraska’s Charlie Greene (1965-66-67, 60 yards) as three-time national indoor sprint champs. In the national preliminary, Demps clocked a personal-best and collegiate-leading 6.52 to move to eighth on the all-time collegiate list in the event. Demps finished third in the 60-meter final at the SEC meet (6.64). In total, Demps clocked sub-6.60 on six occasions in the 60, a national best. Demps’6.52 placed him sixth on the world list for 2012.

Chris Derrick, Stanford – At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Derrick had a pair of gutsy runner-up performances in the distance events that had the track world buzzing. In the 5000 meters, Derrick took the race’s lead with four laps to go (800 meters) from Arizona duo Lawi Lalang and Stephen Sambu. Sambu would drop off by the next lap and it became a one-on-one battle with Lalang. At the bell, the two were just seven-hundredths-of-a-second from each other side-by-side. Although Lalang would close with a 28.09 final lap to take victory, Derrick’s 29.79 and final 400 meters of 60.32 gained great acclaim. The following evening in the 3000 meters, the two squared off again. Derrick took the lead with two laps to go and the duo again was side-by-side through the tape where Lalang was declared the victor by just 17-hundreths-of-a second. In the final lap of the 3000, Derrick split 27.39 and finished the final 400 in 56.22.

Derrick anchored the Cardinal to a second-place showing at the MPSF Championships in the DMR and was second in the mile at 3:59.13 (OT).

Jarret Eaton, Syracuse – Eaton won the 60-meter hurdles national title during the indoor season, clocking 7.54 in the NCAA’s final. In all, he recorded four of the top five collegiate 60-meter hurdle marks in 2012, including the collegiate-leading mark of 7.49 at the Penn State National. The 7.49 time is the fastest collegiate time since 1997 and only Reggie Torian of Wisconsin – the collegiate record holder has run faster (7.47). Eaton won the Big East title (7.70) and New Balance Collegiate Invite title (7.90). The 7.49 finished the season ranked No. 5 in the world for 2012.

Marquise Goodwin, Texas – At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Goodwin placed third in the long jump. The Longhorn won the Big 12 title in the long jump and finished fifth at the league meet in the 60. He finished the season ranked second in the collegiate ranks in the long jump with season-best leap of 26-7 (8.10m), captured in winning at the Razorback Invitational in January. He also had a season-best time of 6.70(A) in the 60 meters.

Andrew Irwin, Arkansas – Irwin won the NCAA indoor title in the pole vault as just a freshman. He was the only to clear 18-2½ (5.55m) at the national meet which also turned out to be the collegiate-season’s best. Irwin won the SEC title as the only to clear 18-1¾ (5.53m). Throughout the indoor season, Irwin cleared 18-feet or higher on four occasions, a national high.

Lawi Lalang, Arizona – Lalang had one of the most noteworthy collegiate indoor seasons of all-time. In a total of five distance races, Lalang never lost to a collegian, set a new collegiate record in the 5000 meters, and won two NCAA titles.

At the NCAA Championships, Lalang scored the 3000-5000 double with titles in both events – the first to do so since Oregon’s Galen Rupp in 2009. In the 5000, Lalang claimed a new NCAA-Championships record with a 13:25.11 run, clocking 28.09 in the final 200 meters, in holding off Stanford’s Chris Derrick. The next night, Lalang again held off Derrick and won the 3000 by a sixth-of-a-second in 7:46.64, just off the meet record of 7:46.03. Lalang closed the 3000 with laps of 28.60 and 27.28. Earlier in the season, Lalang toppled the collegiate record in the 5000 meters by 10 seconds with a 13:08.28 run at the Millrose Games where he finished second only to professional Bernard Lagat. Lalang also won the MPSF 3000-meter title in 7:44.48 (OT) and opened the season by winning the Razorback Invitational mile in 3:55.09, the third-fastest time in collegiate history.

Tony McQuay, Florida – McQuay won the NCAA indoor title in the 400 meters with a collegiate-leading time of 45.77 – a performance that also placed him in the world’s top ten for 2012. In event’s preliminary, he ran a then-collegiate leading 45.85 to lead all qualifiers.

Maurice Mitchell, Florida State – At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Mitchell placed third in the 200 meters (20.66) and sixth in the 60 meters (6.62). In the preliminaries of both events, Mitchell ran season bests of 6.59 (60) and 20.60 (200). Mitchell claimed the ACC title in the 200 meters and was the conference’s runner-up in the 60.

ALSO RECEIVING MENTION

(D) – Demoted from the watch list

(N) – new to either list

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.

Florida State’s Ngoni Makusha and Texas A&M’s Jessica Beard are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

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.

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Tom Lewis

U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association

Communications Manager

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