2015 Bowerman Trophy Fan Voting Begins Today
NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman Trophy – collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor – can go to only one of the three men’s finalists and one of the three women’s finalists announced earlier this month.
But how do you narrow down to one a trio of men who combined for 10 national titles and a collegiate record, and three women who together won five national titles and own a collegiate record?
That will be the task of track & field fans around the world starting today as the annual Fan Vote component of The Bowerman selection process is open at TheBowerman.org.
Fans will have to choose between Shawn Barber of Akron, Edward Cheserek of Oregon and Marquis Dendy for the men’s Bowerman Trophy, and between Kendra Harrison of Kentucky, Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin and Jenna Prandini of Oregon for the women’s Trophy.
Fans can vote once per device over the course of the July 27-August 11 voting period.
A quick recap of the Finalists:
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Barber broke the indoor collegiate pole vault record four times and swept the indoor and outdoor national titles in the pole vault. Cheserek won three individual national titles (indoor mile, outdoor 5000- and 10,000-meter titles) and ran the anchor leg of the winning indoor distance medley relay. Dendy swept the indoor and outdoor long jump national titles both at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships, moving to No. 3 on the all-time college triple jump list both indoors and outdoors. Harrison became the only woman in college history currently ranked top-five all-time in the 60-meter hurdles, 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles, winning national titles in the first two and finishing runner-up in the latter. Payne notched the highest pole vault clearance in collegiate history with an indoor collegiate record, and defeated outdoor college record holder Sandi Morris of Arkansas for the outdoor national title. Prandini scored a combined 49 points at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, winning the indoor long jump and outdoor 100-meter titles, finishing runner-up in the indoor 200, outdoor 200 and outdoor long jump, and fourth in the indoor 60. |
Once fans cast their vote, they can spread the word about their favorite Finalists and encourage their friends to vote. Share the voting link and use the following hashtags on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to promote your favorite finalists:
#Barber4Bowerman – Shawn Barber
#Cheserek4Bowerman – Edward Cheserek
#Dendy4Bowerman – Marquis Dendy
#Harrison4Bowerman – Kendra Harrison
#Payne4Bowerman – Demi Payne
#Prandini4Bowerman – Jenna Prandini
Posts containing these hashtags will not count in the overall vote total.
More than just bragging rights are at stake in the fan vote. The results will count in the overall voting process as one vote alongside those of the nation’s top track & field media members, statisticians, administrators and coaches.
When placing votes, fans should only consider performances that occurred from the beginning of the indoor season through the end of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Any performance that occurred during that timeframe — even if it wasn’t a purely collegiate competition — can be counted. Anything before that time (cross country) or after (USA Championships, select Diamond League meetings, etc.) should not factor into the decision.
Online fan voting started in 2009 with more than 200,000 votes having been cast since, and more than 25,000 votes have been cast each year. Last year saw more than 30,000 votes cast as Deon Lendore and Laura Roesler earned fan vote victories before both eventually hoisted The Bowerman Trophy later that year.
Paper balloting by The Bowerman Advisory Board, past winners, selected media personnel, statisticians, and collegiate administrators, is also underway until August 11. An independent accounting firm will collect, tabulate, and certify final results and will keep the result secret until the envelope is opened in December.
The award, in its seventh year of existence, will be presented in a ceremony at the USTFCCCA Convention on December 17 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.
WINNER SELECTION PROCESS
The Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner.
The Bowerman Voters consist of:
- The Bowerman Advisory Board (10 members)
- Select media personnel, statisticians, and collegiate administrators
- Galen Rupp, 2009 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Ashton Eaton, 2010 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Ngoni Makusha, 2011 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Cam Levins, 2012 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Derek Drouin, 2013 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Deon Lendore, 2014 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Jenny (Barringer) Simpson, 2009 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Queen Harrison, 2010 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Jessica Beard, 2011 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Kimberlyn Duncan, 2012 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Brianna Rollins, 2013 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Laura Roesler, 2014 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
- Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
Paper balloting will conclude in the coming weeks while online voting will begin on Monday, July 27 and will last until Tuesday, August 11. An independent accounting firm will collect, tabulate, and certify final results and will keep the result secret until the envelope is opened December 17 at The Bowerman Trophy Award Show.
THE BOWERMAN PAST FINALISTS & AWARD HISTORY
MEN
2009
Winner: Galen Rupp, Oregon
Finalist: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: German Fernandez, Oklahoma State
2010
Winner: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: Andrew Wheating, Oregon
Finalist: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
2011
Winner: Ngoni Makusha, Florida State
Finalist: Jeshua Anderson, Washington State
Finalist: Christian Taylor, Florida
2012
Winner: Cam Levins, Southern Utah
Finalist: Tony McQuay, Florida
Finalist: Andrew Riley, Illinois
2013
Winner: Derek Drouin, Indiana
Finalist: Lawi Lalang, Arizona
Finalist: Julian Wruck, UCLA
2014
Winner: Deon Lendore, Texas A&M
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon
Finalist: Lawi Lalang, Arizona
WOMEN
2009
Winner: Jenny Barringer, Colorado
Finalist: Destinee Hooker, Texas
Finalist: Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M
2010
Winner: Queen Harrison, Virginia Tech
Finalist: Lisa Koll, Iowa State
Finalist: Blessing Okagbare, UTEP
2011
Winner: Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
Finalist: Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Finalist: Tina Sutej, Arkansas
2012
Winner: Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Finalist: Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Finalist: Brianne Theisen, Oregon
2013
Winner: Brianna Rollins, Clemson
Finalist: Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Finalist: Kori Carter, Stanford
2014
Winner: Laura Roesler, Oregon
Finalist: Sharika Nelvis, Arkansas State
Finalist: Courtney Okolo, Texas
Combined Genders
Multiple Finalists by School (2009-2015)
Oregon (9): Ashton Eaton (2)*, Galen Rupp*, Laura Roesler*, Brianne Theisen, Andrew Wheating, Edward Cheserek (2), Jenna Prandini
Arizona (4): Brigetta Barrett (2), Lawi Lalang (2)
Florida (3): Tony McQuay, Christian Taylor, Marquis Dendy
Texas A&M (3): Jessica Beard*, Porscha Lucas, Deon Lendore*
LSU (2): Kimberlyn Duncan (2)*
Texas (2): Courtney Okolo, Destinee Hooker
* Previous Winner
All-Time Finalists by Conference
(using conference affiliation for seasons in question, change in affiliation is noted by finalists listed. Includes both men and women.)
Pac-12 (17):
OREGON – 9
ARIZONA – 4
ARIZONA STATE – 1
STANFORD – 1
UCLA – 1
WASHINGTON STATE – 1
SEC (8):
FLORIDA – 3
LSU – 2
ARKANSAS – 1
TEXAS A&M – 1
KENTUCKY
– 1
Big 12 (7):
TEXAS – 2
TEXAS A&M – 2
COLORADO – 1 (Barringer, 2009)
IOWA STATE – 1
OKLAHOMA STATE – 1
ACC (3):
CLEMSON – 1
FLORIDA STATE – 1
VIRGINIA TECH – 1
Big Ten (2):
ILLINOIS – 1
INDIANA – 1
One Each:
Conference USA (UTEP), Summit League (Southern Utah), Sun Belt (Arkansas State), Southland (Stephen F. Austin), Mid-American (Akron)
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.
Oregon’s Laura Roesler and Texas A&M’s Deon Lendore are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Past winners include Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters Jenny Simpson (2009), 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013) and 2012 Olympic high jump bronze medalist Derek Drouin (2013).
In total, the winners from the award’s first five years have won three Olympic Medals, two World Championships and six World Championships medals. When considering finalists for the award, 13 individuals have earned a combined seven Olympic medals, four World Championships and 17 World Championships medals.
Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
ABOUT THE USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 9,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
