The Bowerman: Women’s Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List
NEW ORLEANS – Once again, collegiate record setters dominate The Bowerman Women’s Watch List.
Seven of the ten women on the Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List have set at least one collegiate record this year. The Watch List was released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Five of the women on the latest Watch List broke CRs in February, up from four in January. Those were Rhasidat Adeleke of Texas (400 meters), Julien Alfred of Texas (60 meters), Talitha Diggs of Florida (400 meters), Katelyn Tuohy of NC State (3000 meters) and Jorinde van Klinken of Oregon (shot put). Joining that quintet on the Watch List are Lamara Distin of Texas A&M, Jasmine Moore of Florida, Favour Ofili of LSU, Masai Russell of Kentucky and Britton Wilson of Arkansas.
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.
The Bowerman Women’s Watch List
2023 Update #2 — March 1
| Year | Team | Events | Hometown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhasidat Adeleke | JR | Texas | Sprints | Dublin, Ireland |
| Julien Alfred | SR | Texas | Sprints | Castries, St. Lucia |
| Talitha Diggs | JR | Florida | Sprints | Saucon Valley, Pa. |
| Lamara Distin | JR | Texas A&M | Jumps | Hanover, Jamaica |
| Jasmine Moore | SR (i)/JR (o) | Florida | Jumps | Grand Prairie, Texas |
| Favour Ofili | JR | LSU | Sprints | Port Harcourt, Nigeria |
| Masai Russell | SR | Kentucky | Sprints/Hurdles | Potomac, Md. |
| Katelyn Tuohy | JR | NC State | Mid-Distance/Distance | Stony Point, N.Y. |
| Jorinde van Klinken | SR | Oregon | Throws | Assen, The Netherlands |
| Britton Wilson | JR | Arkansas | Sprints | Henrico, Va. |
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES Michaela Rose, LSU (Mid-Distance); Roisin Willis, Stanford (Mid-Distance)
UPCOMING: Wednesday, March 22 – Update #3
Adeleke, who hails from Dublin, Ireland, makes her debut Watch List appearance after breaking the CR in the 400 meters in winning the Big 12 Championships in 50.33. Her record was short-lived, lasting some 90 minutes to fellow Watch List member Diggs. Adeleke also has the No. 5 collegiate performance all-time with a 50.45 from the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. She is undefeated at both 400 and 200, clocking 22.52 in the latter. Adeleke is also a member of the Longhorns’ 4×400 team, splitting 50.74 as Texas ran 3:26.73 to rate No. 2 on the seasonal list. Adeleke gives Texas its 11th woman to earn Watch List distinction as the Longhorns trail only Oregon (17) and Texas A&M (15) in number women named all-time.
Alfred, who hails from Castries, St. Lucia, dominates the 60-meter all-time list, now owning the top-4 marks and six of the top-8 (and that doesn’t count one of her times from last year). She has lowered the CR in each meet she’s competed in the event, starting with a 7.02 in January at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Invitational, then lowering it two weeks later with a return trip to the Albuquerque Convention Center at 7.00 before crushing the record with a 6.97 to win the Big 12 Championships. She won another Big 12 title in the 200 at 22.26 to become the second-fastest collegian ever behind 2022 The Bowerman winner Abby Steiner’s 22.09. This is Alfred’s sixth career Watch List appearance.
Diggs, who hails from Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania, broke a 90-minute-old CR in the 400 in winning the SEC Championships in 50.15, adding an American record in the process. She has just one loss in the 400 this year and also leads the 300 at 36.12, making her =No. 3 all-time collegiately. In addition, she has clocked PRs of 7.14 in the 60 and 22.61 in the 200. This is Diggs’ third career Watch List appearance.
Distin, who hails from Hanover, Jamaica, leads the nation in the high jump with a best of 1.97m (6-5½), set in winning the Tiger Paw Invitational to become =No. 3 collegian all-time. Undefeated in four meets – including the SEC Championships, where she had three attempts at a would-be CR 2.00m (6-6¾) – she owns the nation’s top four clearances this year, all at 1.93m (6-4) or better. This is Distin’s third career Watch List appearance.
Moore, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, is unbeaten by collegians and leads the nation in the long jump and triple jump while posting high-ranking marks in both events. In the long jump, she won the SEC Championships with a leap of 6.91m (22-8) to move to =No. 2 collegian all-time. In addition, she added a jump of 6.86m (22-6¼) – the No. 8 performance all-time – in becoming the only collegiate woman with two efforts that far or better. In the triple jump, she won the SEC Championships and has the top-9 jumps of the year, with three in the all-time top-10 topped by a 14.44m (47-4½) that is the No. 4 performance ever by a collegian. Only two collegians have gone further – herself last year with the CR 14.57m (47-9¾) and 2018 The Bowerman winner Keturah Orji. This is Moore’s 11th career Watch List appearance.
Ofili, who hails from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, extended her undefeated season in the 200 meters, winning the SEC Championships in 22.36 to become the No. 3 collegian all-time. She has also run a PR 7.15 in the 60. This is Ofili’s seventh career Watch List appearance.
Russell, who hails from Potomac, Maryland, now has the top-2 collegiate 60 hurdles times in history after her 7.77 win at the SEC Championships. That was just 0.02 seconds off the CR 7.75 she set in January at the Red Raider Open. She is undefeated in five hurdles finals. Also this winter she has PRed in the 200 (23.51) and tied her best in the 60 (7.41). This is Russell’s second career Watch List appearance.
Tuohy, who hails from Stony Point, New York, set her third CR of the winter in chopping more than six seconds off the 3000-meter standard in finishing as the top collegian at the Millrose Games in 8:35.20. That adds to her mile (4:24.26) and en-route 1500 (4:06.49) CRs from January, also set at The Armory. Unbeaten by collegians at any distance, she leads a third championship event – the 5000 at 15:15.92 that puts her No. 9 all-time collegiately – and has anchored the NC State distance medley relay team in 4:23.36 for 1600 – the fastest split recorded by a collegian. This is Tuohy’s third career Watch List appearance.
Van Klinken, who hails from Assen, The Netherlands, captured the shot put CR with a 19.57m (64-2½) heave to win the Don Kirby Elite Invitational. With just one loss this winter, she has two other efforts in seasonal top-10 performances. This van Klinken’s 12th career Watch List appearance.
Wilson, who hails from Henrico, Virginia, debuted in a new event – the 800 – in February and ran a pair of identical times of 2:02.13, the most recent giving her a runner-up finish in the SEC Championships. In January she set a CR 1:25.80 in 600, breaking the record held by 2021 The Bowerman winner Athing Mu. With only two losses this winter, she also has run 51.14 in her lone 400 race this year. This is Wilson’s fifth career Watch List appearance.
Two athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee but fell outside the Top 10: Michaela Rose of LSU and Roisin Willis of Stanford.
The next women’s Watch List is scheduled for March 22.