Arkansas’ Alain Bailey Added to The Bowerman Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – Arkansas’ Alain Bailey was promoted to The Bowerman men’s watch list as announced by The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday.

Along with Bailey’s recognition, Alabama’s Kirani James, earned praise by the watch list committee in being added to the “also receiving mention” list.

The Bowerman Advisory Board appointed four of its members to comprise The Bowerman Men’s Watch Committee and another four of its members to make up The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee. The committee will release its next update on Monday, June 7, following the opening rounds of the NCAA Championships that occur May 27-29. The three men and three women finalists will be named on July 13. Award winners will be announced at the USTFCCCA Convention, held December 13-16 in San Antonio, Texas.

For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the recently-debuted trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org. Keep up with Bowerman candidates on the USTFCCCA’s weekly results page (/weekly-results) and by following the organization’s twitter feed twitter.com/TheBowerman and Facebook page facebook.com/TheBowerman.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, 2010 MEN

(updated, May 17, 2010, listed in alphabetical order)

(N) new addition to either list

Also Receiving Mention (28)

(D) demoted from watch list, (N) new addition to either list

THE BOWERMAN WATCH LIST PROFILES

Jeshua Anderson, Jr., Washington State,
Hurdles, Woodland Hills, Calif., Taft HS

OUTDOOR: Anderson became the third man to win three Pac-10 400-meter hurdles titles (since 1976), and only the second student-athlete to win three consecutive times (UCLA’s Kevin Young) … Anderson clocked a new collegiate-leading season best of 48.63 in defense of his title … the time is also No. 7 in the world this year … notched previous season’s best 400-meter hurdle time (49.11) in winning at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 17 … Anderson is undefeated this year in the 400-meter hurdles this year.

INDOOR: Anderson notched a 46.38 indoor personal best over 400 meters in earning runner-up honors at the MSPF Championships, a mark that ranks No. 10 in the NCAA this season … Anderson, the 400-meter hurdle standout in the outdoor season, put together a solid 2010 indoor campaign and tallied a season best of 8.04 in the short-distance hurdles.

TFRRS Report

Ronnie Ash, Jr., Oklahoma,
Hurdles, Raleigh, N.C., Knightdale HS/Bethune-Cookman

OUTDOOR: Ash clocked 13.31 in the 110-meter hurdles for the Big 12 title on May 16 for a meet record and the third-best in the World in 2010 … Ash won the 110-meter hurdles at the Texas Relays in a wind-aided 13.50… at the Texas Invitational on May 1, Ash ran a wind-legal season’s best of 13.54 … Ash has went the season undefeated in the 110-meter hurdles.

INDOOR: Ash captured his second-straight 60-meter hurdle NCAA crown this indoor season, joining Antwon Hicks of Mississippi (2004-05), Terrence Trammell of South Carolina (1999-2000), Tony Li of Washington State (1990-91, 55mH), Renaldo Nehemiah of Maryland (1978-79, 55mH), and Danny Smith of Florida State (1974-75, 55mH) as back-to-back high hurdle champs … Ash notched his personal best and collegiate-leading time of the season in the preliminary round of the NCAA Championships at 7.55 … Ash blazed a 7.59 in winning his first Big 12 Championship in Ames … Ash’s performance not only helped the Sooners to a Big 12 team title, but it also placed him among the all-time top 10 collegians in the event.

TFRRS Report

Alain Bailey, Sr., Arkansas,
Jumps, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston College

OUTDOOR: Bailey notched a world-, American-, and collegiate-leading mark in winning the SEC Outdoor title on May 15, marking 27-4¾ (8.35m) … finished second at the Penn Relays in the long jump and was winner of the long jump in Arkansas’ dual at Texas.

INDOOR: NCAA Champion and SEC Champion in the long jump … marked 26-9¾ (8.17m) to win both titles, ending the season as the collegiate-best mark of the season.

TFRRS Report

Sam Chelanga, RS Jr., Liberty,
Distance, Nairobi, Kenya, Bartolimo HS/Fairleigh Dickinson

OUTDOOR: Opened the outdoor season by smashing his own collegiate record with a 27:08.39 billing, topping his previous mark set a year ago of 27:28.48, at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford.

INDOOR: Took runner-up honors in the 5000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a season-best time of 13:37.01 … picked up two Big South titles this season and helped his squad grab their 13th-straight conference title with runs in the 3000 meters and the DMR.

TFRRS Report

Jeff Demps, Fr. (indoor) /So. (outdoor), Florida,
Sprints, Winter Garden, Fla., South Lake HS

OUTDOOR: Demps became Florida’s first SEC 100-meter champ since 2000 with a 10.06 collegiate-leading (wind legal) time … Demps anchored the 4×100 to a second-place showing at the conference meet as well … Earlier in the season, Demps took the 100-meter dash title at the Florida Relays with a time of 10.11 … also at the Florida Relays, Demps anchored the Gator 4×100-meter relay squad to a collegiate-leading time of 38.93.

INDOOR: Won the NCAA Indoor 60-meter title in 6.57 seconds and clocked 6.60 or better on three occasions during the season … his 6.56 in the preliminaries of the 60 meters was the fastest time by a collegian during the season … Demps placed second at the SEC Championships at 60 meters and was the winner of the Tyson Invitational 60.

TFRRS Report

Ashton Eaton, Sr., Oregon,
Combined Events, Bend, Ore., Mountain View HS

OUTDOOR: Eaton caped off the regular season in winning three Pac-10 titles with victories in the decathlon, the 110-meter hurdles, and the long jump … Eaton scored 8,154 points for the conference decathlon win for a wind-legal American- and collegiate-leading mark on May 8-9 … Eaton followed with a 25-7½ (7.81m) measure to win the Pac-10 long jump and a personal best 13.54 to win the 110-meter hurdle title … Eaton scored 8,310 points in his first decathlon of the season at the Texas Relays for a new personal best and the collegiate and American lead in the event … scoring 4,494 on the first day, Eaton recorded an all-time collegiate best tally for the first five events.

INDOOR: Eaton not only won the NCAA heptathlon title for the second-straight year, but he did it in world-record fashion … Scoring 6,499 points, Eaton reset what was Dan O’Brien’s 1993 record of 6,476 with five new personal bests over the seven-event bonanza … In January, Eaton topped what was Trey Hardee’s collegiate record with a 6,256 tally … Eaton would better each of his marks from that January weekend to claim the world record in March … Only a few hours after breaking the world record, Eaton returned to the NCAA meet to run the second leg of the Ducks 4×400 and helped the team to a sixth-place national finish … At the MPSF Championships in Seattle, Eaton claimed scoring positions in the pole vault (fourth) and as a member of the Ducks’ 4×400-meter relay team (second).

TFRRS Report

David McNeill, Sr., Northern Arizona,
Distance, Melbourne, Australia, Xavier College

OUTDOOR: Ran to a collegiate-leading time of 13:25.63 in the 5000 meters to win the Stanford Invitational … won Big Sky titles in the 1500- and 5000-meter events … placed third in the 1500m at the Australian National Championships in Perth.

INDOOR: McNeill won the NCAA title in the 5000 meters with a the collegiate-season’s best time of 13:36.41 in holding off Liberty’s Sam Chelanga … McNeill nearly also won the 3000-meter title, but was outkicked to the finish by Arkansas’ Dorian Ulrey … Earlier in the season, McNeill claimed two collegiate-leading marks in the distance events on back-to-back weekends … in mid-February, McNeill ran to a 7:47.52 (OT) win over 3000 meters at the Husky Classic in Seattle, marking the best time ever run by a collegian on an oversized track … the following weekend, McNeill claimed an altitude-hindered 14:17.92 clocking over 5000 meters for his second collegiate leader of the season (when converted to 13:39.32) … McNeill also picked up Big Sky titles in the 3000-meter run and the DMR during the indoor season.

TFRRS Report

Christian Taylor, So., Florida,
Jumps, Fayetteville, Ga., Sandy Creek HS

OUTDOOR: Taylor popped off a personal best leap of 26-10½ (8.19m) in placing runner-up in the SEC Championships, a performance that is in the World’s top 10 in 2010 … In the 4×400, Taylor ran the third leg to help the Gators to a Florida Relays win and a world-leading time of 3:00.31 on April 3.

INDOOR: Taylor claimed his second-straight NCAA indoor triple jump title with an American- and collegiate-best for the 2010 indoor season of 56-4½ (17.18m) … Taylor’s best mark in the NCAA meet was preceded by his third-round performance that was just a half-inch shorter … Taylor also used a season’s best of 26-¼ (7.93m) in the long jump to place second nationally … In total, Taylor scored 18 team points for the Gators who went on to win their first NCAA indoor crown … Earlier in the season, Taylor won his second-straight SEC triple jump title and helped the Gators 4×400 to the conference crown.

TFRRS Report

Andrew Wheating, Sr., Oregon,
Distance, Norwich, Vt., Kimball Union Academy

OUTDOOR: Wheating notched collegiate-leading times in the 800 (1:47.71) and 1500 (3:37.83) at the Oregon Relays on April 30 and May 1 … his 3:37.83 also stands as the American-leading time … at the Penn Relays, Wheating anchored the Ducks DMR team with a 3:59.84, 1600-meter split for victory … in the 4×800, Wheating’s anchor of 1:47.77 led to a second-place showing … at the Pac-10 Championships, Wheating again went sub-1:48 with an actual clocking of 1:47.77.

INDOOR: Anchored DMR with a 4:01.23 split to a second-straight NCAA title … was runner-up in the 800 for the second-straight year as well at the national championships … clocked 1:46.36 over 800 meters at the Husky Classic on February 13 for the American all-track best of the season. .

TFRRS Report

Ryan Whiting, Sr., Arizona State,
Throws, Harrisburg, Pa., Central Dauphin HS

OUTDOOR: Currently holds the world-leading mark in the shot put, having tossed 71-2¾ (21.71m) at the Sun Angel Classic on April 10 … has claimed throws of over 69-8¾ and 21.25m in each of his five competitions this outdoor season … has yet to lose to a collegian with the shot put in 2010 and leads the collegiate ranks by more than seven feet in the event.

INDOOR: Whiting won his third-consecutive NCAA indoor shot put title, becoming the first to grab three straight since UTEP’s Hans Hogland (1973-74-75) … Whiting matched his collegiate-leading season best with a 70-7¼ (21.52m) toss in the fourth round at the NCAA Championships and ultimately defeated his competition by over seven feet … Whiting finished the season No. 3 in the world standings and as the second-best performer in America … Whiting finished second at the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, earning him a berth on the IAAF Indoor World Championship team … Unfortunately, the world championship in Doha, Qatar, conflicted with the NCAA Indoor Championship.

TFRRS Report