After NCAA Indoor Fireworks, McCorory and Okagbare Join The Bowerman Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Wednesday the third update of the official watch list for The Bowerman as selected by The Bowerman Women’s Watch Committee.  This edition of the watch list update includes Hampton’s Francena McCorory and UTEP’s Blessing Okagbare.

The outstanding group of ten has accounted for 11 NCAA titles and 11 collegiate-leading marks this indoor season. In addition, the tandem has been responsible for two national records, including an American record, a collegiate record, and two NCAA Championship meet records.

McCorory was added to the list after claiming a new American record in the 400-meter dash via her NCAA Championship winning performance of 50.54 seconds. Okagbare was a jump-sprint double champ at the NCAA meet, claiming victories in the 60 meters and long jump.

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 Tuesday, April 6. The three men and three women finalists will be named on July 13.

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.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL WATCH LIST, 2010 WOMEN

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

Also Receiving Mention

BOWERMAN WATCH LIST PROFILES

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

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.

Flotrack Video of Harrison after winning NCAA 60-meter hurdle title

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Kylie Hutson, Sr., Indiana State,
Pole Vault, Terre Haute, Ind., Terre Haute North HS

Hutson won her second-consecutive NCAA indoor pole vault title with a 2010 collegiate-best clearance of 14-9 (4.50m) … Hutson joins Melissa Price, Amy Linnen, and Ellie Rudy as two-time NCAA indoor champs … Huston attempted a meet- and collegiate-record height of 14-11 (4.55m) in the NCAA competition and was the only to clear 14-9, which places her No. 3 on the all-time indoor collegiate performers list  … Earlier in the season, Hutson leaped to a clearance of 14-8¼ (4.48m) to become the first Missouri Valley pole vaulter to win four-straight conference crowns in the event … Hutson was undefeated in the event during the indoor season, and has cleared more than 14 feet on five occasions.

Flotrack Interview with Hutson after winning NCAA pole vault title

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

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 … The Gator is undefeated this season and has won 13 competitions in a row, dating back to 2008 … At the SEC Championships, Kevkhisvili broke her own SEC meet record in winning the conference crown for the second-straight year.

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

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.

Flotrack Interview with Koll after winning 5000 meters at NCAA Indoor Championships

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Porscha Lucas, Sr., Texas A&M,
Sprints, Plano, Texas, Plano HS

Lucas won her third-straight Big 12 title at 200 meters with a 23.12 clocking … At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Lucas did not make it out of the qualifying round after dealing with an injury for a majority of the indoor season.

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

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.

Francena McCorory with Flotrack after 400-meter prelims at NCAA Championships

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

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.

Blessing Okagbare talks to Flotrack after 60-meter, long jump double win at NCAAs

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

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.

Theisen talks to Flotrack after NCAA Indoor Championships

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

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.

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

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.

Phoebe Wright speaks with Flotrack after winning 800m NCAA Indoor crown

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