The Bowerman: 2023 Men’s Mid-Indoor Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – Competition is already fierce for The Bowerman.

Five men on The Bowerman Mid-Indoor Watch List already cracked the all-time top-10 this season – two of them are now either collegiate record holders or second-best in their event. Don’t forget about the other five men, either, who are bound to leave their mark throughout the year.

Add them up and here are the ten men on the newest Watch List, as released on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA): Mykolas Alekna of California, Matthew Boling of Georgia, Drew Bosley of Northern Arizona, Sean Burrell of LSU, Kyle Garland of Georgia, Sondre Guttormsen of Princeton, Zach McWhorter of Duke, Ayden Owens-Delerme of Arkansas, Joe Waskom of Washington and Micah Williams of Oregon.

The Bowerman – collegiate track & field’s highest honor – will be awarded in December at the USTFCCCA Convention in Denver, Colorado. Only marks from the 2023 indoor or outdoor collegiate track & field seasons are to be considered for the award.

Alekna, who hails from Vilnius, Lithuania, redefined collegiate discus throwing in 2022. Try this on for size: Alekna posted eight of the top-12 marks in collegiate history, including the collegiate record of 68.73m (225-6) that he whirled at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships. That effort is also the farthest heave by a collegian in any setting (2013 The Bowerman finalist Julian Wruck launched the disc 68.16m (223-8) at a meet nine years ago that was deemed an exhibition by USTFCCCA standards). Alekna also has the Nos. 2, 4, 7-8, 10-12 all-time marks. He finished runner-up at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.

Boling, who hails from Houston, Texas, has competed in three different meets so far this season – but it’s what he did at the Clemson Invitational in mid-January that had people talking. The Georgia standout covered 300 meters in 32.40 to move up to No. 3 on the all-time collegiate chart. Boling then added 100 meters the following week and cut that distance in half one week after that for a 400-meter effort of 46.13 as well as a 20.42 mark over 200 meters. He is also a member of the collegiate-leading 4×400 relay that clocked a mark of 3:03.74 this past weekend.

Bosley, who hails from Thiensville, Wisconsin, broke the collegiate record in the 3000 meters this past weekend with his 7:36.42 effort at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. That shaved more than two seconds off the previous all-time best of 7:38.13 established by Yared Nuguse last year. Back in December, Bosley moved up to No. 6 on the all-time collegiate chart in the 5000 meters when he PR’d in 13:13.26 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in Boston.

Burrell, who hails from Zachary, Louisiana, has competed three times this season – twice on a relay team and once in an open 400. He finished second in the 400 this past weekend at the Razorback Invitational in 46.37. Burrell is more known for sprinting 400 meters and clearing ten hurdles in succession, which is an event in which he has won back-to-back NCAA titles.

Garland, who hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, decided the collegiate record in the decathlon wasn’t enough, so he nearly topped Ashton Eaton’s legendary best in the heptathlon. Competing at the Texas Tech Open & Multi, Garland compiled 6415 points over seven events to come within 84 points of Eaton’s former world record. Garland turned in a historic first day, as he amassed 3732 points for an all-time collegiate best. He PR’d in four events during the multi.

Guttormsen, who hails from Ski, Norway, climbed to No. 7 in collegiate history at the H-Y-P meet when he cleared 5.84m (19-2). The double NCAA champion in 2022 is now one spot back of McWhorter, who sits tied for fifth all-time at 5.85m (19-2¼) with a vault from last year. Guttormsen and McWhorter have yet to compete against each other this season, but should provide fireworks soon enough.  

Owens-Delerme, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has yet to compete in the heptathlon, but notched a PR in the shot put in his first meet of the season. The Arkansas standout, who was a finalist for The Bowerman in 2022, is expected to make another charge at the all-time chart when he finally does debut in the seven-eventer this year. Owens-Delerme is currently third, a spot he occupies with 6272 points from his total at the Razorback Invitational last year.

Waskom, who hails from Snoqualmie, Washington, is quickly proving that his NCAA title in the 1500 meters last year wasn’t going to be an outlier. The Washington star just clocked the third-fastest mile in collegiate history, regardless of track size, this past weekend at the UW Invite. He covered the distance in 3;51.90 and led seven other teammates under the four-minute barrier. Two weeks earlier, Waskom registered the third-fastest 1000-meter effort in collegiate history, regardless of track size, with his 2:18.77 at the Washington Indoor Preview.

Williams, who hails from Portland, Oregon, captured the collegiate lead in the 60 meters this past weekend when he stopped the clock at 6.49. That is a shade off his PR of 6.48, which he equaled twice last year in back-to-back meets. Williams is the only athlete in collegiate history with more than two marks on the all-time top-15 (He actually has five now.  Yes, five. And they’re all under 6.50!).

Eight other athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee, but fell short of the tally needed to be on the Watch List: Christopher Bailey of Arkansas, Jordan Geist of Arizona, Charles Hicks of Stanford, Dylan Jacobs of Tennessee, Carey McLeod of Arkansas, Wayne Pinnock of Arkansas, Turner Washington of Arizona State and Nico Young of Northern Arizona.

The next Watch List will be released on Thursday, March 2.