The Bowerman: Looking Back At The Fan Vote
Fan support is critical to collegiate track & field.
That is why, since the inception of The Bowerman in 2009, that the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) opened a portion of the ballot to the fans. After all, it is collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor and with fans playing such an important role, why shouldn’t they have a say in who wins the iconic 35-pound award?
Even though the Fan Vote is a small fraction of the overall tally, fans correctly picked eight past winners: four men (Ngoni Makusha, 2011; Cam Levins, 2012; Deon Lendore, 2014; Jarrion Lawson, 2016) and four women (Jenny Barringer, 2009; Jessica Beard, 2011; Laura Roesler, 2014; Raevyn Rogers, 2017).
The Bowerman – Men’s Historical Fan Votes Results |
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|
Year
|
Name
|
Program
|
Total (%)
|
Margin (%)
|
|
2009
|
German Fernandez
|
Oklahoma State
|
41.7
|
9.1
|
|
2010
|
Ryan Whiting
|
Arizona
|
38.7
|
3.8
|
|
2011
|
Ngoni Makusha*
|
Florida State
|
42.1
|
14.7
|
|
2012
|
Cam Levins*
|
Southern Utah
|
48.0
|
7.4
|
|
2013
|
Julian Wruck
|
UCLA
|
40.6
|
2.0
|
|
2014
|
Deon Lendore*
|
Texas A&M
|
52.7
|
19.7
|
|
2015
|
Shawn Barber
|
Akron
|
45.7
|
11.5
|
|
2016
|
Jarrion Lawson*
|
Arkansas
|
39.9
|
1.2
|
|
2017
|
Fred Kerley
|
Texas A&M
|
40.8
|
2.0
|
Deon Lendore owns both Men’s Fan Vote records for the greatest ratio of votes cast (52.7 percent) and the largest margin of victory (19.7 percent). The former Texas A&M standout won the Men’s Fan Vote over Arizona’s Lawi Lalang and Oregon’s Edward Cheserek in 2014 and later captured the Aggies’ second The Bowerman.
When it comes to the smallest margin of victory in the Men’s Fan Vote, that distinction belongs to Jarrion Lawson in 2016. Lawson, the eventual winner of The Bowerman, outlasted former Texas A&M standout Donavan Brazier for a head-start on the rest of the competition.
The Bowerman – Women’s Historical Fan Vote Results |
||||
|
Year
|
Name
|
Program
|
Total (%)
|
Margin (%)
|
|
2009
|
Jenny Barringer*
|
Colorado
|
39.5
|
2.6
|
|
2010
|
Lisa Koll
|
Iowa State
|
53.4
|
10.5
|
|
2011
|
Jessica Beard*
|
Texas A&M
|
49.2
|
7.5
|
|
2012
|
Brianne Theisen
|
Oregon
|
65.7
|
41.5
|
|
2013
|
Kori Carter
|
Stanford
|
53.5
|
26.3
|
|
2014
|
Laura Roesler*
|
Oregon
|
41.7
|
7.6
|
|
2015
|
Demi Payne
|
Stephen F. Austin
|
55.3
|
31.1
|
|
2016
|
Keturah Orji
|
Georgia
|
44.8
|
9.2
|
|
2017
|
Raevyn Rogers*
|
Oregon
|
35.5
|
2.5
|
There have been a bevy of runaway winners in the Women’s Fan Vote over the years. Three women have won the Fan Vote by more than 25 percentage points: Brianne Theisen in 2012, Kori Carter in 2013 and Demi Payne in 2015.
Theisen holds the Women’s Fan Vote records for the greatest ratio of votes cast (65.7) and the largest margin of victory (41.5). That year The Bowerman went to Kimberlyn Duncan of LSU.
Raevyn Rogers won the closest Women’s Fan Vote in the history of The Bowerman last year. Rogers edged ahead of Georgia’s Keturah Orji, the winner of the 2016 Women’s Fan Vote, in the last day.
Overall, fans helped athletes from the likes of Texas A&M and the University of Oregon as well as the Pac-12 to Fan Vote greatness. Fans buoyed three Aggies and three Ducks to Fan Vote titles, while six Pac-12 athletes have won crowns, compared to four from the Big 12 and three from the SEC.
Which man and woman will win the Fan Vote this year? We’ll find out later this week.
Men’s finalists for The Bowerman in 2018 are the Southern California duo of Rai Benjamin and Michael Norman along with Florida’s Grant Holloway. CLICK HERE to read more about Benjamin, Holloway and Norman.
Women’s finalists for The Bowerman in 2018 are Arizona State’s Maggie Ewen, Kentucky’s Sydney McLaughlin and Georgia’s Keturah Orji. CLICK HERE to read more about Ewen, McLaughlin and Orji.
Remember: You can vote up to five times per day per valid email address for who you think the winner of collegiate track & field’s Heisman Trophy should be. The Fan Vote will close Thursday, June 28 at 10 pm ET.
CLICK HERE to vote for The Bowerman!