The History of the Bowerman Award
The History of the Bowerman Award
Courtesy: Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA
The Bowerman is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athlete. The award, which debuted in 2009, is named for 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.
Below is a look at the past award presentations.
2009: ORLANDO, FLA.
JW Marriott Grande Lakes
Men’s Winner: Galen Rupp, Oregon
Women’s Winner: Jenny Barringer, Colorado
Galen Rupp and Jenny Barringer’s names are forever etched in the history books as the first to win The Bowerman. The first ceremony featured trophy designer Tinker Hatfield.
Rupp, Barringer Honored as Inaugural Winners of The Bowerman
Not only did Rupp pull off an individual double-double at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in 2009, he posted a new indoor American and collegiate record at 5000 meters in running 13:18.12 at the Tyson Invitational in February. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Rupp helped Oregon to a national team title, accounting for 22½ team points, garnering national titles at 3000 meters and 5000 meters and as anchor leg of the Ducks’ distance medley relay. Rupp overcame near-disaster in the 5,000 meters at the outdoor national championships as he was stepped on early in the race and had to stop to put his shoe back on. In spite of the setback, Rupp came back to win the event by three seconds.
Barringer had an amazing 2009, setting two indoor and three outdoor collegiate records on the track while adding two NCAA and two Big 12 crowns. Indoors, Barringer set all-time collegiate bests in three events over the span of five weeks. On February 14, it was a 15:01.70 clocking at Washington’s Husky Classic over 5000 meters that was the fastest time ever run by a collegian, all-conditions, indoors or outdoors. Two weeks later at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, Barringer blazed a 4:25.91 clocking in the mile to earn the conference title in the event. In another two weeks, she returned to College Station to win the NCAA 3000 meters in a collegiate record time of 8:42.03. Outdoors, Barringer broke her own collegiate 3000-meter steeplechase record twice and defended her NCAA title in the event while also recording an outdoor 5000-meter collegiate record.
Flotrack Archive of 2009 Presentation
2010: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
JW Marriott Hill Country
Men’s Winner: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Women’s Winner: Queen Harrison, Virginia Tech
Harrison, Eaton Named 2010 Winners of The Bowerman
In 2010, Eaton, a native of Bend, Ore., netted a second-straight NCAA heptathlon title during the indoor season and a third-consecutive NCAA decathlon crown outdoors. Scoring 6,499 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Eaton topped the 17-year-old world record held by Dan O’Brien. Twice during the indoor season, Eaton bettered the heptathlon collegiate record. Outdoors, Eaton scored over 8150 points in each of his three decathlons, and beat the NCAA Championships meet record in the event. Eaton was the USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season and shared the award with Ryan Whiting outdoors.
Harrision, a native of Richmond, Va., became the first female in NCAA history to win both 100- and 400-meter hurdle national titles. In addition, Harrison won the NCAA indoor crown in the 60-meter hurdles. Harrison recorded the 2010 collegiate-best times in all three hurdle events spanning the indoor and outdoor seasons and went undefeated in every final of those events. Harrison notched the fourth-best, all-time collegiate best 100-meter hurdle time in winning the Penn Relays title (12.61). Harrison was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor campaigns.
Flotrack Archive of 2010 Presentation
2011: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
JW Marriott Hill Country
Men’s Winner: Ngoni Makusha, Florida State
Women’s Winner: Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
Jessica Beard, Ngoni Makusha Win The Bowerman 2011
Beard (Euclid, Ohio) became the just the third female in NCAA Division I history, and first since 1999, to win both 400 national titles in the same year and run on both winning 4×400 relays at the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Beard, a four-time Big 12 indoor 400-meter champ, recorded the world’s fastest time over the 400-meter distance indoors with a 50.79 clocking to win the national crown. Outdoors, Beard clocked 51.10 for the NCAA win and split 49.13 for the Aggies as anchor of the NCAA-winning 4×400 relay.
Makusha (Seke, Zimbabwe) won NCAA outdoor titles in the 100 meters and long jump, joining Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, and Michigan’s DeHart Hubbard as only the fourth man in NCAA Division I history to claim such a double at a single championship. Makusha also claimed the NCAA long jump title during the indoor season, becoming the first since 2006 to sweep the event’s two titles (Arturs Abolins, Nebraska). The Seminole notched a third NCAA outdoor championship title as second-leg of 4×100-meter relay. In addition, Makusha clocked 9.97 to win the ACC outdoor 100-meter crown, and he also swept league titles in the long jump.
Flotrack Archive of 2011 Presentation
2012: ORLANDO, FLA.
JW Marriott Grande Lakes
Men’s Winner: ???
Women’s Winner: ???
Watch the 2012 Presentation LIVE:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2012
| 6:30 PM ET |
LIVE Flotrack Red Carpet Show at The Bowerman |
WEB: Flotrack |
| 7:00 PM ET |
LIVE The Bowerman Presentation |
WEB: Flotrack |