Gator Christian Taylor Jumps to The Bowerman Post-NCAA Indoor Watch

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 Men’s Watch Committee.  Florida’s Christian Taylor was added to the list after producing first- and second-place showings in the jumping events at last weekend’s NCAA Indoor Championships, helping the Gators to their first national indoor title.

The ten men on the watch list accumulated several feats during the indoor season, including eight NCAA titles, nine collegiate-leading marks, four American-leading marks, two world-leading marks, two collegiate records, an American record, and a world record.

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, following the NCAA Indoor Championships, 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 MEN

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

Also Receiving Mention

BOWERMAN WATCH LIST PROFILES

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

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.

Jeshua Anderson on Flotrack

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

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.

Ronnie Ash talks with Flotrack following NCAA victory

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

Eaton not only won the NCAA heptathlon title for the second-straight year last weekend in Fayetteville, 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).

Eaton Talks with Flotrack after running 4×400 on the same day as breaking world record in the heptathlon

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German Fernandez, So., Oklahoma State,
Distance, Riverbank, Calif., Riverback HS

Fernandez clocked a 7:51.02 (OT) over 3000 meters at the Husky Invitational for the third-best time run among collegians this season … Fernandez qualified for the Big 12 final of the mile run, but was unable to finish … Fernandez did not participate at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Fernandez after 7:51 clocking in February

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Walter Henning, Jr., LSU,
Throws, Kings Park, N.Y., St. Anthony’s HS/North Carolina

Henning claimed his first NCAA indoor title with a toss of 77-3¾ (23.56m), winning the event by over a foot … Henning broke the SEC Championship meet record with a 78-1 (23.80m) collegiate-leading toss to win back-to-back SEC crowns in the event … Henning’s toss also places him among the top five collegiate performers all-time in the event … Henning also scored a fifth-place showing with the shot at the SEC meet.

Henning after 76-6½ mark made at the New Balance Invitational in February

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Torrin Lawrence, So., Georgia,
Sprints, Jacksonville, Fla., Andrew Jackson HS

Lawrence had his dream indoor season conclude with his first NCAA title as he won the day with a 45.23 clocking over the 400-meter distance … Lawrence made headlines all season … The sophomore shocked the country with a 32.32, 300-meter race at the Hokie Invitational for an all-time collegiate best in late January … For an encore, Lawrence ran a collegiate-leading 45.03 at the Tyson Invitational over 400 meters to now rank No. 5 all-time in the world indoors and as the No. 3 collegian all time … Lawrence has also been responsible for splits of 45.00 and 45.04 for the Bulldog 4×400-meter relay team … Lawrence won the SEC 400m title in a meet record of 45.10 to become only the third person in history to run under 45.10 indoors twice (Michael Johnson, Danny Everett).

Lawrence with Flotrack after winning NCAA 400m title

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

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.

David McNeill with Flotrack after winning 5000m NCAA crown

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

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.

Christian Taylor after winning second-straight NCAA triple jump title

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

Wheating helped the Ducks to their second-straight NCAA championship in the distance medley relay with an anchor 1600-meter split of 4:01.23 … In 2009, Wheating ran the 800-meter leg of the DMR … Wheating took runner-up (1:48.40) in the NCAA at 800 meters after being caught at the tape by Virginia frosh Robby Andrews … Wheating started his season on February 13 with a the best collegiate mark of the season, 1:46.36 (OT), at the Husky Classic in Seattle … at the MPSF Championships, Wheating won the mile crown with a 3:58.20 (OT) clocking on that same track in Seattle.

Wheating after runner-up showing in NCAA 800m

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

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.

Flotrack with Whiting after winning third-straight NCAA indoor shot title

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