The Bowerman: What’s At Stake In 2017
PHOENIX – Tomorrow night we present The Bowerman, collegiate track & field’s highest honor, to one man and one woman at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa.
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The men’s award in 2017 will either go to Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley or Lindon Victor. Coleman is a former standout sprinter at Tennessee, while Kerley and Victor both starred at Texas A&M.
The women’s award will be in the hands of Maggie Ewen, Keturah Orji or Raevyn Rogers. Ewen is a tremendous thrower from Arizona State. Orji is a record-breaking horizontal jumper at Georgia and Rogers turned professional after a dynamite junior year at Oregon.
Let’s take a closer look to find out what’s at stake for The Bowerman this year.
You can watch The Bowerman Arrival Party and Red Carpet Show beginning at 8 pm ET on FloTrack and then stay tuned for The Bowerman Presentation an hour later on Facebook Live and FloTrack.
SEC: The Bowerman Country
A male athlete from the SEC didn’t win The Bowerman until 2014.
That’s when Texas A&M’s Deon Lendore held the 35-pound award the last time the USTFCCCA Convention was in Phoenix.
Well, would you look at what Lendore started?
The past two honors on the men’s side went to the SEC with Florida’s Marquis Dendy in 2015 and Arkansas’ Jarrion Lawson in 2016. No conference had won more than two in a row before then and now the SEC is primed to make it four consecutive victories as all three of the men’s finalists this year hail from the powerhouse league, so there is a 100-percent chance the streak continues.
On the flip side, a female athlete from the SEC hasn’t won The Bowerman since 2012. That’s when LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan topped Brigetta Barrett and Brianne Theisen. Keturah Orji is the lone opportunity for the SEC this year after the conference had two on stage in 2016.
Texas (A&M) Two-Step
This is the first time since 2010 where one program had two finalists of the same gender.
Back then it was Oregon with Ashton Eaton and Andrew Wheating, which followed 2009’s run with Eaton and eventual winner Galen Rupp.
Now it’s Texas A&M’s turn with Fred Kerley and Lindon Victor.
The Aggies should feel pretty good about their chances. When two Ducks were on stage in 2009 and 2010, The Bowerman went back to Eugene with one of them (Rupp in 2009; Eaton in 2010). Could Texas A&M be next?
Hop, Skip And Throw?
Maggie Ewen and Keturah Orji have a chance to make some history tomorrow night.
If Ewen wins The Bowerman, she’d be the first thrower to win collegiate track & field’s highest honor. There have only been three other throwers who have been finalists: Arizona State’s Ryan Whiting in 2010, Julian Wruck in 2013 and Raven Saunders in 2016.
If Orji wins The Bowerman, she’d be the first female horizontal jump specialist to do so.
Speaking Of First-Time Winners
Three of the five programs represented on the stage tomorrow night have a chance to capture The Bowerman for the first time: Arizona State, Georgia and Tennessee.
Oregon nabbed four since 2009, while Texas A&M earned its pair with victories in 2011 (Jessica Beard) and 2014 (Deon Lendore).
This will be the second time in the history of The Bowerman that both the Bulldogs and Sun Devils had finalists. Arizona State’s Ryan Whiting was a finalist for the men’s award in 2010 and Keturah Orji returns for the second year in a row.
Christian Coleman is the first finalist for the Volunteers and could be the first male sprint specialist to win The Bowerman.
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 (11 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
- Marquis Dendy, 2015 men’s winner of The Bowerman
- Jarrion Lawson, 2016 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
- Jenna Prandini, 2015 women’s winner of The Bowerman
- Courtney Okolo, 2016 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)
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
2015
Winner: Marquis Dendy, Florida
Finalist: Shawn Barber, Akron
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon
2016
Winner: Jarrion Lawson, Arkansas
Finalist: Donavan Brazier, Texas A&M
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon
2017
Finalist: Christian Coleman, Tennessee
Finalist: Fred Kerley, Texas A&M
Finalist: Lindon Victor, Texas A&M
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
2015
Winner: Jenna Prandini, Oregon
Finalist: Kendra Harrison, Kentucky
Finalist: Demi Payne, Stephen F. Austin
2016
Winner: Courtney Okolo, Texas
Finalist: Keturah Orji, Georgia
Finalist: Raven Saunders, Ole Miss
2017
Finalist: Maggie Ewen, Arizona State
Finalist: Keturah Orji, Georgia
Finalist: Raevyn Rogers, Oregon
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.
Past winners include two-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp (2009), Olympic bronze medalist and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters Jenny Simpson (2009), Olympic gold medalist and 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013) as well as two-time Olympic medalist in the high jump and 2015 World Champion Derek Drouin (2013).
Bill 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, NJCAA 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.