The Bowerman: 2022 Women’s Watch List Update #5

NEW ORLEANS – One athlete rejoined nine other returners as the Pre-Outdoor Conference Championships version of The Bowerman Women’s Watch List was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The ten on the Watch List are Alia Armstrong of LSU, Tyra Gittens of Texas, Anna Hall of Florida, Jasmine Moore of Florida, Favour Ofili of LSU, Camryn Rogers of California, Grace Stark of Florida, Abby Steiner of Kentucky, Jorinde van Klinken of Arizona State and Courtney Wayment of BYU.

Armstrong is on the Watch List for the first time since the Pre-Indoor Championships edition and she gives LSU its first pair of members this year, joining Ofili. That’s the first pair of women from LSU on the same Watch List since 2011, when Semoy Hackett and 2012 The Bowerman winner Kimberlyn Duncan appeared together.

Making continued news is the Florida trio of Hall, Moore and Stark with a fourth-straight appearance together; the only program with more trios on the same women’s Watch List is Oregon with 10.

Armstrong, who hails from New Orleans, Louisiana, has won all but one of the hurdle races she’s finished this year. Her most recent victory came in avenging that lone loss, to fellow Watch List member Stark in last weekend’s LSU Invitational. Indoors she had a best of 7.81, making her No. 3 all-time collegian. Armstrong opened up the outdoor season winning the Texas Relays with a wind-aided 12.33, the fastest time ever by a collegian considering all conditions. Also the SEC Indoor champ in the 60, Armstrong leads off LSU’s 4×100 relay, which has clocked 42.69 this year. This is Armstrong’s second career Watch List appearance.

Gittens, who hails from Saint Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, added the 200 to her repertoire this season, running a wind-aided 23.45 that compares favorably to her 23.43 PR from last year. Otherwise, the high jump and long jump have dominated her schedule. She has won at least one of the events in each of her outdoor meets thus far this year – three in the long jump and one in the high jump. She’s the only woman among the top-5 in both events with seasonal bests of 1.95m (6-4¾) and a wind-aided 6.82m (22-4½), respectively. A finalist for The Bowerman last year, she is the career active leader among women’s Watch List appearances with 12. 

Hall, who hails from Highland Ranch, Colorado, returned to heptathlon events since her last outing, which featured a debut 55.35 in the 400 hurdles in early April. She made huge gains in the long jump, spanning a wind-aided 6.74m (22-1½) at the LSU Invitational – in which she also added wind-legal PR of 6.33m (20-9¼) in taking just three attempts. The multi-event start won the NCAA Indoor pentathlon and owns the No. 4 score all-time among collegians in the pentathlon (4618) and heptathlon (6412). She closed out those scores with the fastest 800 in a collegiate multi both indoors (2:05.33) and outdoors (2:04.61). This is Hall’s seventh career appearance on the Watch List.

Moore, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, put her attention in the long jump this weekend, winning the LSU Invitational with a seasonal best of 6.82m (22-4½) that’s just off her PR of 6.83m (22-5) from last year. The NCAA Indoor champ in both the long jump and triple jump is most dominant in the latter, in which she twice bettered the collegiate record – ultimately to 14.57m (47-9¾), a performance only surpassed in the collegiate ranks by 2018 The Bowerman winner Keturah Orji with her outdoor CR of 14.62m (47-11¾). This is Moore’s sixth appearance on the Watch List.

Ofili, who hails from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, followed up her 200 CR of 21.96 in mid-April with two very quick 100s on her home track. The most recent was a 10.93 victory in the LSU Invitational to move to No. 8 all-time collegian after a wind-aided 10.90 as the top collegian in the LSU Alumni Gold. Ofili anchors LSU’s 4×100 relay team (42.69 best this year) and leads off the 4×400 (3:29.88). Indoors, Ofili was runner-up in the NCAA 200 while taking seventh in the 60. This is Ofili’s second Watch List appearance.

Rogers, who hails from Richmond, British Columbia, has only competed once since the last Watch List, winning the dual against Stanford in “The Big Meet” with a meet-record hammer throw of 72.46m (237-9). Earlier this spring, she improved her own CR to 75.73m (248-5) at the Mt. SAC Relays. Rogers owns the six of the nine longest efforts in collegiate history, four of which have come this spring. The two-time reigning NCAA champ in the hammer, she was at her best indoors, moving to =No. 10 collegian all-time in the weight throw at 24.06m (78-11¼) in finishing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. A semifinalist for The Bowerman last year, Rogers now has eight career Watch List appearances.

Stark, who hails from White Lake, Michigan, has been tremendous both indoors and outdoors. She equaled the collegiate record in the 60-meter hurdles while winning the NCAA Indoor Championships in 7.78 (2013 The Bowerman winner Brianna Rollins held it since her Bowerman year). Stark proved fast without hurdles as well, taking fourth in the 60 and owning a best of 7.10 (=No. 12 all-time collegiately). Outdoors she is =No. 10 all-time collegian in the 100H after her 12.58 win at the Tom Jones Memorial in mid-April. She is 3-2 in hurdle races (indoors and outdoors) this year against. fellow Watch List member Armstrong. This is Stark’s fifth Watch List appearance.

Steiner, who hails from Dublin, Ohio, continued a perfect outdoor season with yet another scintillating performance in the 200. She blazed a 22.05 to win the Kentucky Invitational in late-April, moving up to No. 4 collegian all-time. The 200 has seen many fast times from Steiner this year, including the three fastest ever by a collegian indoors led by a CR 22.09. There is also an amazing 22.38 outdoors run into a massive headwind of 5.6 m/s. Steiner is quick at shorter distances as well – outdoors leading all collegians at 10.92 (=No. 5 all-time) after rating =No. 12 all-time in the indoor 60 at 7.10. She was NCAA Indoor champ in the 200 and runner-up in the 60 and runs on both the Wildcat 4×100 (42.46) and 4×400 (3:25.79) squads. This is the 10^th career Watch List appearance for Steiner.

van Klinken, who hails from Assen, The Netherlands, is the only discus thrower over 200 feet this year, having sailed the platter past the metric equivalent of 60.96m in all four of her meets. Her best thus far is 64.75m (212-5), just short of the 65.01m (213-4) she used in a come-from-behind victory in last year’s NCAA Championships. van Klinken has the 12 farthest discus marks this spring after earning respect in the winter in a second event after winning NCAA Indoor shot put title. She is No. 6 all-time collegian indoors in the shot at 19.08m (62-7¼) and owns a best outdoors of 18.45m (60-6½). Last year she also had an exhibition effort in the discus of 70.22m (230-4), the farthest throw by a collegian regardless of competition. A semifinalist for The Bowerman last year, van Klinken now has seven career Watch List appearances.

Wayment, who hails from Layton, Utah, hasn’t competed individually since the last Watch List. But her list of accomplishments still grew, anchoring her BYU teammates to the school’s first-ever Penn Relays title as the Cougars won the distance medley relay in 10:50.22 for the third-fastest performance in collegiate history. Wayment clocked 4:32.39 for the 1600 leg. Her impressive range extends to the 5000, in which she won the NCAA Indoor title in March, and includes the 3000, in which she finished fourth (Wayment is No. 7 all-time collegian indoors in both). Nowhere is she higher all-time than in the steeplechase – she won the Mt. SAC Relays in 9:26.88, moving to No. 3 all-time during the collegiate season, and owns the fastest-ever collegiate time on an all-dates basis with her 9:23.09 from last summer. She was a semifinalist for The Bowerman last year and now has eight career Watch List appearances.

Two athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee but fell outside the Top 10: Lamara Distin of Texas A&M and Charokee Young of Texas A&M.

The next women’s Watch List is scheduled for May 18.