Bowerman Women's Watch List Announced
Bowerman Women's Watch List Announced
Preseason Women’s Watch List for The Bowerman Unveiled
January 9, 2014
NEW ORLEANS – A set of newcomers comprise a majority of the Women’s Preseason Watch List for The Bowerman Trophy — collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor — which was announced Thursday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Women’s Watch List (via Image of Sport)
Of the ten collegiate women who have been singled out as early top contenders for college track & field’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in college football, only two return as semifinalists from a year ago and just three have ever appeared on a Watch List. The Men’s Preseason Watch List was announced Wednesday.
With 2013 women’s winner Brianna Rollins of Clemson and finalists Kori Carter of Stanford and Brigetta Barrett of Arizona having exhausted their eligibility and/or turned professional, two-time semifinalist Ashley Spencer — the sprinter now of Texas after transferring from Illinois — and 2013 semifinalist Dartmouth distance runner Abbey D’Agostino are the most senior members of the Preseason Watch List.
D’Agostino is the active leader among women with six total Watch List appearances, while Spencer — the lone active two-time semifinalist, male or female — has appeared five times, including on last year’s Preseason Watch List.
Arizona State thrower Anna Jelmini is the lone remaining selection to have appeared on a Watch List, while San Diego State jumper Shanieka Thomas is on the list for the first time after having previously received votes but not made the top 10.
Thomas is the first Mountain West student-athlete, male or female, to have been included on the Watch List in the award’s history.
The remainder of the list is comprised of newcomers to the Watch List: Texas A&M sprinter Kamaria Brown; Oregon sprinter Phyllis Francis; Colorado distance runner Shalaya Kipp; Florida mid-distance runner Cory McGee; Oregon mid-distance runner Laura Roesler and Kansas combined-event athlete Lindsay Vollmer.
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NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
Kamaria Brown | JR | Texas A&M | Sprints | Baton Rouge, La. |
Abbey D’Agostino | SR | Dartmouth | Distance | Topsfield, Mass. |
Phyllis Francis | SR | Oregon | Sprints | Queens, N.Y. |
Anna Jelmini | RS SR | Arizona State | Throws | Bakersfield, Calif. |
Shalaya Kipp | SR | Colorado | Distance | Salt Lake City, Utah |
Cory McGee | SR | Florida | Mid-Distance | Pass Christian, Miss. |
Laura Roesler | SR | Oregon | Mid-Distance | Fargo, N.D. |
Ashley Spencer | JR | Texas | Sprints | Indianapolis, Ind. |
Shanieka Thomas | SR | San Diego State | Sprints/Jumps | Clarendon, Jamaica |
Lindsay Vollmer | JR | Kansas | Combined Events | Hamilton, Mo. |
Also Receiving Votes (Alphabetically by last name): Natalia Bartnovskaya (Kansas); Emma Bates (Boise State); Dezerea Bryant (Kentucky); Bethany Firsick (Buell) (South Dakota); Morgann Leleux (Georgia); Natalja Piliusina (Oklahoma State); Colleen Quigley (Florida State); Cierra White (Texas Tech) |
The Watch List is determined by the Women’s Watch List Committee, which is made up of four individuals. Each of the four submit a rank-ordered top 10 list (vote totals will not be disclosed) and the 10 student-athletes who garner the most vote-points are included on the Watch List. Student-athletes who received votes but did not make the top 10 are also listed.
With the inclusion of Brown and McGee, the SEC is the first women’s conference to surpass 100 total watch list appearances with 101. The SEC also has surpassed the mark on the men’s side with 107 total appearances.
The Pac-12 improves to 88 total appearances with Roesler, Francis, Kipp and Jelmini, and the Big 12 raised its total to 40 with Vollmer and Spencer.
Roesler and Francis also give Oregon 46 total all-time appearances on the Women’s Watch List as a program between seven different women — both of which are all-time bests.
Second on the list in both categories is Texas A&M, which now boasts 27 total appearances between six different student-athletes.
If last year is any indication, the Preseason Watch List is the place to be for the women: six of the 10 eventual semifinalists in 2013 were present on the very first Watch List of the year, while a seventh received votes outside the top 10.
However, only Barrett emerged from that group as a Finalist, and eventual winner Rollins joined the list in the second edition.
Spencer is looking to make some history of her own with the potential to become just the fourth three-time semifinalist in the history of the women’s award. She would join 2012 Finalist Brianne Theisen of Oregon (2010-12), 2012 winner and two-time Finalist Kimberlyn Duncan (2011-13) and two-time Finalist Barrett (2011-13).
The first regular-season edition of the Women’s Watch List for The Bowerman will be released Thursday, February 6.
Preseason Women’s Watch List Biographies |
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Junior
Baton Rouge, La. |
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Senior
Topsfield, Mass. |
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Senior
Queens, N.Y. |
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Senior
Bakersfield, Calif. |
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Senior
Salt Lake City, Utah |
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Senior
Pass Christian, Miss. |
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Senior
Fargo, N.D. |
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Junior
Indianapolis, Ind. |
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Senior
Clarendon, Jamaica |
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Junior
Hamilton, Mo. |
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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.
Indiana’s Derek Drouin and Clemson’s Brianna Rollins are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman. In addition to their collegiate achievements, Rollins is the reigning World Champion in the 100 meter hurdles — an event for which she also holds the American Record — while Drouin has won bronze medals at both the 2012 Olympics and 2013 IAAF World Championships.
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), and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters, Jenny Simpson (2009).
In total, the winners from the award’s first four years have won three Olympic Medals, three World Championships and eight World Championships medals. When considering finalists for the award, 13 individuals have earned a combined six 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.
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.