NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Watch List Committee replaced nearly half of the Bowerman Trophy Watch List in its second outdoor edition of 2015. The Committee announced the latest List of the ten women under the strongest consideration for collegiate track & field’s highest honor on Thursday.
 

After missing one WL, NCAA record holders Demi Payne and Emily Sisson returned after turning in great marks competing against the world’s best in their respective events. Payne, of Stephen F. Austin, broke the college outdoor record in the pole vault at Drake Relays. Competing for the second time that week in Des Moines, Payne cleared 4.66m (15-3½) for second place. Overall, three of her Drake vaults were in the collegiate outdoor all-time top five.

Providence’s Sisson was the first collegian in the Payton Jordan 10k, running 31:38.03 for fifth place. That makes her the fourth fastest collegian ever over 10,000 meters.

This was the fourth Watch List appearance for Payne and the third for Sisson.

Two more women made their Bowerman debuts this week: Quintunya Chapman made sure that one Georgia heptathlete would stay on the Watch List. Her 6,146 points at the Georgia Relays put her at No. 8 on the all-time list in that event, and No. 1 on the 2015 list.

UMKC’s Courtney Frerichs made the List after running a 9:32.12 steeplechase at Payton Jordan–that makes her the No. 3 steepler in collegiate history.

Payne, Sisson, Chapman, and Frerichs replaced Kendall Williams, Natoya Goule, Keturah Orji, and Kyra Jefferson on the Watch List.

Frerichs’s appearance on the list was the first ever for a male or female athlete from the WAC, and Chapman making the list ensured that Georgia would pass Florida State for the seventh most appearances from a school.

Though Payne has the most recent win in their rivalry, the Committee recognized the historic excellence that the pole vault is producing in the 2015 – The Year of the Vault – and kept Arkansas vaulter Sandi Morris on the List. Morris, the NCAA indoor champ in the vault, is 9-0 in meets where Payne is not entered and 3-2 against Payne this year. Her appearance on the list pushed Arkansas into third on the appearances by school list, one ahead of Arizona.

With 100-meter/400-meter hurdles collegiate leader Kendra Harrison on the list again, Kentucky moved into a three-way tie with Oklahoma and Florida for ninth on the list.

Jenna Prandini of Oregon was already known as one of the best sprinters in the NCAA. With her wind-legal 10.92 100 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays, she’s marked herself as one of the best sprinters in the world. That time is the fastest ever wind-legal run by a collegian at sea level.

Suddenly, the matchup between Prandini and Alabama’s Remona Burchell could be one of the most compelling at the NCAA championships in June. Burchell, the defending outdoor 100 meter champ and indoor 60 meter titlist, has competed just once this outdoor season. She was the first collegian in the 100 a month ago at the Florida Relays.

Shelbi Vaughan of Texas A&M and 2014 Bowerman Trophy finalist Courtney Okolo of Texas have not lost in their primary events and possess the NCAA-leading mark in those events. Okolo won the 400 at Baylor’s Michael Johnson Classic in 50.99 seconds, and Vaughan’s season-opening 61.48m (201-8) discus throw from over a month ago has stood up as the collegiate leader.

A whopping eight women received votes but did not crack the top ten. Former Watch Listers Kendell Williams (Georgia), Natoya Goule (Clemson), Kyra Jefferson (Florida), Leah O’Connor (Michigan State), and Keturah Orji (Georgia), were joined by Tori Bliss (LSU), Jeannelle Scheper (South Carolina), and Irena Sediva (Virginia Tech).