Baker, Ferguson Claim Spots in Women’s Watch for The Bowerman

NEW ORLEANS – Oregon’s Keshia Baker and Auburn’s Sheniqua Ferguson was added to The Bowerman women’s watch list The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee announced in conjunction with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday. In addition, Miami (Fla.)’s Ti’erra Brown, Penn State’s Bridget Franek, LSU’s Samantha Henry, and Texas A&M’s Jeneba Tarmoh were added to the award’s receiving mention list.

Baker became the first woman ever to win three straight Pac-10 400-meter titles, running the fastest time in the nation of 50.76 to break the meet record at the Pac-10 Championship final on Sunday. Baker also ran the third leg of Oregon’s 4×100 meter relay team (43.27) which won the Pac-10 title for just the second time in school history and broke the Pac-10 meet record of 43.47 set by USC in 2000.

Ferguson won the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as the high point scorer (22½) at the SEC Outdoor Championships this past weekend with championship-title runs at 100 meters, 200 meters and as part of Auburn’s 4×400-meter relay team. Ferguson’s winning time in the 100 meters of 11.19 ranks tied for fifth in the nation this year.

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.

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 WOMEN

(updated May 19, 2010, listed in alphabetical order)

(P1) promoted to the watch list for the first time, (N) new addition to either list

Also Receiving Mention (28)

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

THE BOWERMAN WATCH LIST PROFILES

Keshia Baker, Sr., Oregon,
Sprints, Sacramento, Calif., Fairfield HS

OUTDOOR: Baker became the first woman ever to win three straight Pac-10 400 meter titles, running the fastest time in the nation in the Pac-10 final, 50.76, and breaking Monique Henderson’s 2004 conference meet record … Baker also ran the third leg of Oregon’s 4×100 meter relay team (43.27) which won the Pac-10 title for just the second time in school history and broke the Pac-10 meet record of 43.47 set by USC in 2000.

INDOOR: Was NCAA runner-up at 400 meters, running 51.63 to win the first section of the championship final … ran second leg on NCAA Champion 4×400-meter relay team (3:32.97) which helped the Ducks to their first NCAA team title.

TFRRS Report

Sheniqua Ferguson, Jr., Auburn,
Sprints, Nassau, Bahamas, Southwest Mississippi JC

OUTDOOR: Won the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as the high point scorer (22½) at the SEC Outdoor Championships with wins at 100 meters, 200 meters and as part of 4×400-meter relay team … Won the 100 meters with a time of 11.19 that ranks tied for fifth in the nation this year … Won the 200 meters in 23.09 after clocking a 23.08 in the prelims that ranks tied for 10th in the NCAA this year.

INDOOR: NCAA Champion at 200 meters, clocking 23.09 in the final for the crown … Also finished fourth at the NCAA Championships in the 60 meters (7.23) … SEC Champion at 200 meters with 23.14 clocking.

TFRRS Report

Queen Harrison, Sr., Virginia Tech,
Hurdles, Richmond, Va., Hermitage HS

OUTDOOR: Harrison has the started the outdoor season with a bang, compling a world- and collegiate-leading 12.61 in the 100-meter hurdles in winning at the Penn Relays … Harrison won the ACC title in the sprint hurdles with a wind-aided (5.3 m/s) 12.44, the best ever time by a collegian in all conditions … Harrison also tallied an ACC title in the 400-meter hurdles with a collegiate-leading 54.66, a time that also ranks second in the world this year.

INDOOR: Harrison completed a fantastic collegiate season with an NCAA title in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking 7.95 in the final and winning by six hundredths of a second … Harrison was the only collegian in 2010 to run under eight seconds in the event, and did so a total of five times … Harrison’s collegiate-leading and personal-best mark of 7.94 came in winning the ACC crown … The 7.94 also placed Harrison as the sixth-best performer in collegiate history … Harrison was a double winner at the ACCs, capturing victory in the 400 meters with a personal-best 53.06 time.

TFRRS Report

Mariam Kevkhisvili, Sr., Florida,
Throws, Tbilisi, Georgia, Varketili Secondary

OUTDOOR: Collegiate-leading mark of 60-6¾ (18.46m) was claimed in winning at the Tom Jones Memorial … the Gator is undefeated this season and has now won 18 collegiate competitions in a row, dating back to 2008.

INDOOR: Kevkhisvili won her second-consecutive NCAA indoor shot put crown and third overall with a personal best of 61-0 (18.59m) … The distance is also a national record for her home country of the Republic of Georgia and places her as the third-best performer all-time in the collegiate ranks … At the SEC Championships, Kevkhisvili broke her own SEC meet record in winning the conference crown for the second-straight year.

TFRRS Report

Lisa Koll, Sr., Iowa State,
Distance, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Fort Dodge HS

OUTDOOR: Opened the season with a collegiate record clocking of 31:18.07 in the 10,000 meters at the Stanford Invitational, topping the previous mark of 31:25.45 set by Texas Tech’s Sally Kipyego in 2008 … on May 1, Koll posted a 15:17.76 collegiate-leading time over 5000 meters in placing fourth overall and as the first collegiate at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational, again at Stanford … anchored DMR team with a 4:31.8, 1600-meter split to a Drake Relays title … Went on to win Big 12 titles in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters and reset the 5000 meet record with a 15:22.42 clocking previously held by Sara Slattery of Colorado.

INDOOR: Koll won her first NCAA indoor crown with a 15:39.65 run at 5000 meters and beat the field by more than 10 seconds … Koll nearly pulled off the NCAA distance double, but was outdueled by Illinois’ Angela Bizzarri in the 3000 meters by just 12 hundredths of a second to take runner-up honors (8:57.52) … Koll claimed double Big 12 Championship titles and double collegiate-best marks of the season at the conference meet in Ames … Combining times on 200 meter and oversized tracks, Koll would be the fifth-best collegiate performer all-time in the 5000m and sixth-best all-time in the 3000m from times recorded at the Big 12 meet.

TFRRS Report

Francena McCorory, Jr., Hampton,
Sprints, Hampton, Va., Bethel HS

OUTDOOR: Holds the third-best collegiate time for 200 meters this season with a 22.92 run in winning the Florida Relays … captured the MEAC title at 400 meters and scored 23½ team points in the championship.

INDOOR: McCorory floored those watching the NCAA Indoor Championships by winning her second-straight national indoor title at 400 meters with an American-, collegiate-, and meet-record clocking of 50.54 … The time also ended the 2010 indoor season as the World-leading mark … McCorory became the third two-time winner of the event, joining Maciel Malone of Arizona State (1990-91-92) and Suziann Reid of Texas (1998-99) … At the MEAC Championships, McCorory claimed titles in the 400- and 200-meter events, placed fourth in the 60 and lead her team to a 4×400-meter relay crown for a total of 27½ team points.

TFRRS Report

Blessing Okagbare, Sr., UTEP,
Jumps/Sprints, Umuahi, Nigeria, Delta State

OUTDOOR: At the Texas Relays, Okagbare stole the show, notching a collegiate-leading mark of 22-7 (6.88m) in the long jump and adding a title in the 100-meter dash with an all-conditions collegiate-leader of 11.10 … history certainly could have been made at the UTEP Invitational on April 10, but a timing malfunction only allowed for a hand time of Okagbare’s 100-meter run that was on the stopwatch at 10.7h … Won Conference USA titles in the 100 meters and long jump and anchored the Miners’ 4×100-meter squad to a second-place showing.

INDOOR: Okagbare was the NCAA Indoor Champion in both the 60-meter dash and long jump … Okagbare matched former Texas great Marshevet Hooker (2006) as a sprint-jump double national champ … In the long jump, Okagbare topped the former championships record twice, leaping to 22-5¼ (6.84m) in the second round and followed with a 22-6½ (6.87m) mark in the third to win the event by seven inches … In the 60-meter dash, Okagbare clocked a 7.18 in the final to match her collegiate-best of the season set previously in the heats of the Conference USA Championships … At the conference championships, Okagbare claimed crowns in four events, adding titles in the 200 meters and triple jump to go with the 60 and long jump … Okagbare ended the season ranked among the collegiate top five in all four events and second in the world in the long jump … Among indoor collegians all-time, Okagbare ranks tied for second in the long jump.

TFRRS Report

Brianne Theisen, Jr., Oregon,
Combined Events, Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Humboldt Collegiate Institute

OUTDOOR: Caputred another Pac-10 title in winning the heptathlon at the Pac-10 Championships with a score of 5,917 … In the week following, Theisen placed fourth in the open 100-meter hurdle event and second in the open high jump at the Pac-10 meet … Despite some windy conditions, Theisen scored an all-conditions collegiate leader of 5,942 in winning the heptathlon at the Texas Relays.

INDOOR: Theisen added the NCAA pentathlon title holder to her resume after scoring a personal best of 4,396 in the competition that she won by more than 150 points … As a result of three personal individual-event personal bests, Theisen now ranks fourth among collegians all-time in the event … Earlier in the year, Theisen scored 4,198 points at the Texas A&M Challenge in January in a winning effort … Among the pentathlon’s five events, Theisen claimed personal bests in four of the events … Theisen finished third in the 60-meter hurdles at the MSPF Championships.

TFRRS Report

Kim Williams, Jr., Florida State,
Jumps, Kingston, Jamaica, Vere Technical

OUTDOOR: Recorded a collegiate-leading triple jump in winning the Seminole Invitational on April 10 with a mark of 44-4½ (13.52m) … winner of the triple jump at the ACC Championships with a heavily wind-aided mark of 44-2½ (13.47m) … notched season best of 20-3½ (6.18m) in the long jump at the Seminole Invite on May 8.

INDOOR: Williams notched her second-consecutive NCAA indoor triple jump title with a mark of 45-9¼ (13.95m) … Williams joined Yvette Bates of Southern California (1986-87-88), Leah Kirklin of Florida (1991-92), Telisa Young of Texas (1993-94) and Erica McClain of Stanford (2007-08) as two-time winners of the event … Williams also took fifth place in the long jump at the national championships … Earlier in the season, Williams notched a new collegiate-leading triple jump of 46-8¼ (14.24m) in winning the ACC title, a mark that placed her just two centimeters shy of the collegiate record held by Suzette Lee of LSU (46-9, 14.25m) … The mark also ended the season as the national-leading mark for Jamaica … Williams was runner-up at the ACC meet in the long jump and as well.

TFRRS Report

Phoebe Wright, Sr., Tennessee,
Mid-Distance, Signal Mountain, Tenn., Red Bank HS

OUTDOOR: Helped the Lady Vols to a Penn Relays distance trifecta for the second-straight year, anchoring Tennessee’s 4×800-meter relay with a 2:00.89 split and the 4×1500-meter relay with a 4:17.3 split … Wright ran the 800-meter third leg in the DMR with a 2:02.12 split for the other relays title … also notched wins at the Florida State Relays 800 meters (2:05.98) and at the Florida Relays in the 1500 meters (4:18.29) … her 800-meter time this season is No. 2 on the 2010 outdoor collegiate list.

INDOOR: Wright claimed her first NCAA indoor 800-meter title with a run of 2:02.55, a day after guiding the Lady Vols to their third-straight NCAA crown in the distance medley relay … Wright has been a part of each of the DMR wins by Tennessee over the past three years (lead off twice, 800-meter leg in 2008), and lead off this year’s team to a 3:22.21 split and a two-second lead … Wright was the collegiate leader by a substancial margin for the entire season, starting with a 2:04.00 run in late January … Wright bested her that time twice, clocking a 2:02.84 at Texas A&M in mid-February and running her personal best of 2:01.47 in winning the SEC title for the second-straight time … Only Tennessee’s Nicole Cook (2:00.75) has had a faster indoor run among collegians all-time … Shortly after winning the SEC 800m crown, Wright lead-off her SEC Champ DMR team to a 3:29.58, 1200-meter split.

TFRRS Report