The Bowerman: 2023 Women’s Mid-Outdoor Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – The outdoor season has continued to fan the flames of hot performances collegiately from the indoor campaign.

The Mid-Outdoor edition of The Bowerman Women’s Watch List, released Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), provides ample proof as nine of the ten athletes on the Watch List have set at least one individual collegiate record during this year’s indoor or outdoor season, with two coming in the last month.

One athlete rejoins the Watch List – Rhasidat Adeleke of Texas. There are nine returners: Julien Alfred of Texas, Talitha Diggs of Florida, Lamara Distin of Texas A&M, Jasmine Moore of Florida, Ackera Nugent of Arkansas, Masai Russell of Kentucky, Katelyn Tuohy of NC State, Jorinde van Klinken of Oregon and Britton Wilson of Arkansas. Six of those – Alfred, Diggs, Distin, Moore, van Klinken and Wilson – have appeared on all five Watch Lists this year.

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.

Adeleke, who hails from Dublin, Ireland, has run just two individual events outdoors – 49.60 in the 400 to become No. 6 collegian all-time a PR 22.38 in the 200 at the Tom Jones Memorial. Two weeks earlier she was on four winning foursomes at the Texas Relays, with three setting CRs – 42.00 4×100 (third leg), 1:28.78 4×200 (second leg) and 3:36.10 sprint medley (second leg). In her fourth relay, she anchored the 4×400 with a 49.47 split. Indoors she set a short-lived CR in the 400 of 50.33 and finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships. This is Adeleke’s second career Watch List appearance.

Alfred, who hails from Castries, St. Lucia, was rocket fast in her first two individual events outdoors – a wind-aided 100 of 10.72 and wind-legal 200 of 21.91 to sweep the Tom Jones Memorial sprints. The 100 time is the fastest all-conditions performance in collegiate history (the CR is 10.75 by 2019 The Bowerman winner Sha’Carri Richardson), and the 200 is second only collegiately to 2022 The Bowerman winner Abby Steiner’s 21.80. Alfred joined Adeleke on four winning foursomes at the Texas Relays, running leadoff on three that set CRs – 42.00 4×100, 1:28.78 4×200 and 3:36.10 sprint medley (she split 51.63 on the third leg of the victorious 4×400). She was undefeated indoors, sweeping the NCAA Indoor Championships with CRs in the 60 (6.94) and 200 (22.01). This is Alfred’s eighth career Watch List appearance.

Diggs, who hails from Saucon Valley, Pennsylvania, has limited her sprinting to the 100 and 200 outdoors thus far, clocking wind-aided times of 10.92 and 10.96 in the 100 and a wind-legal 22.67 in the 200. The reigning NCAA champ in the 400 finished third in that event at the NCAA Indoor Championships after setting a one-time CR of 50.15 in the 400, plus PRs of 7.14 in the 60, 22.61 in the 200 and 36.12 in the 300 earlier in the winter. This is Diggs’ fifth career Watch List appearance.

Distin, who hails from Hanover, Jamaica, has jumped only once outdoors this year, taking second with a collegiate-leading 1.93m (6-4) at the Mt. SAC Relays. The reigning NCAA champ outdoors, she was undefeated indoors, winning a second-straight NCAA Indoor title after clearing a seasonal best earlier in the winter of 1.97m (6-5½) that rates her =No. 3 collegian all-time. This is Distin’s fifth career Watch List appearance.

Moore, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, opened up her outdoor season at the Tom Jones Memorial. The reigning NCAA long jump/triple outdoor champ won the long jump with a wind-aided leap of 6.98m (22-11) and finished runner-up as the top collegian in the triple jump at 13.91m (45-7¾). The long jump mark makes her No. 4 all-time collegian under all conditions outdoors. Indoors she was undefeated and completed a second-straight sweep of the NCAA Indoor Championships, setting CRs of 7.03m (23-0¾) in the long jump and 15.12m (49-7¼) in the triple jump – the latter also breaking the American record. This is Moore’s 13^th career Watch List appearance – second-most of active women.

Nugent, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, has hurdled just once outdoors this year, running a wind-aided 12.95 in the Texas Relays prelims. She lowered her 200 PR to 23.10 and also ran 11.12 in the 100 at the Tom Jones Memorial. Indoors she won the NCAA Indoor 60-meter hurdles in a CR 7.72. This is Nugent’s second career Watch List appearance.

Russell, who hails from Potomac, Maryland, set a CR of 12.36 in winning the Texas Relays 100-meter hurdles, breaking the 12.39 by 2013 The Bowerman winner Brianna Rollins. She has also run 55.39 in the 400 hurdles (third on the seasonal list) and carried the baton on Kentucky’s 42.81 4×100 team (second on the seasonal list). Indoors she was runner-up in the NCAA Indoor 60 hurdles, matching her PR of 7.75 that was a CR when she first ran as fast in January. This is Russell’s fourth career Watch List appearance.

Tuohy, who hails from Stony Point, New York, has yet to compete outdoors this year. She won a 3000/5000 double at the NCAA Indoor Championships, including the fastest collegiate 3000 time (9:10.07) ever achieved at over 1000 meters (3280 feet) of altitude. She set CRs at three distances earlier in the winter – 1500 meters (4:06.49), mile (4:24.26) and 3000 (8:35.20) – and recorded the distance medley relay’s fastest 1600 collegiate split of 4:23.36. This is Tuohy’s fifth career Watch List appearance.

van Klinken, who hails from Assen, The Netherlands, has competed twice outdoors and racked up the year’s seven best discus marks by a collegian – all at 63.95m (209-10) or longer. Three of those rate among the all-time collegiate top-10, topped by a 67.05m (220-0) that is the No. 3 all-time performance (she owns the CR of 70.22m/230-5 from two years ago and is a two-time NCAA champion). Indoors she was sixth in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor Championships at 17.77m (58-3¾) after earlier setting a CR of 19.57m (64-2½). van Klinken is the active women’s Watch List leader with 14 career appearances.

Wilson, who hails from Henrico, Virginia, debuted outdoors in two of her specialties at the Tom Jones Memorial with exceptional performances. She won both, moving to No. 3 all-time collegian in the 400H at 53.23 before setting a CR 49.51 in the open 400 a day later, breaking the 49.57 set by 2021 The Bowerman winner Athing Mu. Indoors Wilson was also incredible in the 400 indoors, winning the NCAA title in a CR (and American record) 49.48 and anchoring the Arkansas 4×400 squad with a 49.20 split as the Razorbacks set an all-time world best of 3:21.57. She broke another of Mu’s records indoors, the 600 in 1:25.16. This is Wilson’s seventh career Watch List appearance.

Three athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee but fell outside the Top 10: Favour Ofili of LSU, Michaela Rose of LSU and Juliette Whittaker of Stanford.

The next women’s Watch List is scheduled for May 3.