The Bowerman: 2023 Men’s Post-Outdoor Conference Championships Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – The Bowerman is up for grabs!

Eighteen different athletes received votes for the Men’s Post-Outdoor Conference Championships Watch List, which was released on Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). That means that The Bowerman Watch List Committee feels that the race for this iconic award is still wide-open.

Here are the ten athletes who landed on the Watch List as the NCAA postseason begins in earnest over the next several weeks: Mykolas Alekna of California, Kyle Garland of Georgia, Jordan Geist of Arizona, Sondre Guttormsen of Princeton, Jaydon Hibbert of Arkansas, Dylan Jacobs of Tennessee, Fouad Messaoudi of Oklahoma State, Ayden Owens-Delerme of Arkansas, Kenneth Rooks of BYU and Ryan Willie of Florida.

The Bowerman – collegiate track & field’s highest individual 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, has been a Tour de Force in the discus. Nine of Alekna’s throws this season have landed in the all-time top-10, including his collegiate record of 71.00m (232-11) from The 128th Big Meet three weeks ago. Alekna registered four of those nine marks this past weekend at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships, hitting a best of 70.40m (231-0) that is currently ranked No. 2 all-time.

Garland, who hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shook off a DNF at the Mt. SAC Relays earlier this season to prove why he is the NCAA’s premier combined event athlete. He won the decathlon at the SEC Outdoor Championships with 8589 points, which is the second-best total in collegiate history behind his own CR of 8720 points. During the indoor season, Garland obliterated the CR in the heptathlon and nearly equaled the world record in the process with his winning, 6639-point total at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Geist, who hails from Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, swept the shot put and hammer at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships. He currently sits second on the All-College Descending Order List in the shot put at 21.25m (69-8¾) and third in the hammer at 74.14m (243-3). Geist won the shot put crown at the NCAA Indoor Championships back in March with a heave of 21.15m (69-4¾).

Guttormsen, who hails from Ski, Norway, continued his undefeated season at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships with a victory in the pole vault. The Princeton standout previously topped 5.90m (19-4¼) this outdoor season and equaled the collegiate indoor record of 6.00m (19-8¼) to win the NCAA title in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  

Hibbert, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, is now the undisputed King of the Triple Jump in collegiate history. The Arkansas freshman shattered the 41-year-old collegiate outdoor record – and the World U20 record – with a winning mark of 17.87m (58-7½) at the SEC Outdoor Championships. That gives Hibbert both the indoor and outdoor collegiate records. Hibbert set the indoor CR of 17.54m (57-6½) at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Jacobs, who hails from Orland Park, Illinois, returned to the track in winning fashion this past weekend at the SEC Outdoor Championships. The Tennessee standout smashed a longstanding meet record in the 5000 meters when he covered the distance in 13:36.93. Earlier in the season, he set a PR of 28:01.53 in the 10,000 meters. Don’t forget that Jacobs won the NCAA 5000-meter crown indoors is among the fastest men in collegiate history in both the 3000 meters (No. 2) and 5000 meters (No. 3) under a roof.

Messaoudi, who hails from Oujda, Morocco, added another title to his 2023 haul this past weekend at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships when he broke the tape first in the 1500 meters. That event has proven to be Messaoudi’s best outdoors, as he earlier moved up to No. 4 in collegiate history with a 3:35.16 effort at the Bryan Clay Invitational back in April. During the indoor season, Messaoudi won the NCAA 3000-meter crown and led off Oklahoma State’s first-place DMR squad. The same quartet set a collegiate record in the relay earlier that season.

Owens-Delerme, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, showed that his talent transcends events this past weekend at the SEC Outdoor Championships. The Arkansas star won the 400-meter hurdles with a collegiate-leading 48.26. Indoors, Owens-Delerme surpassed the collegiate record in the heptathlon with his 6518-point, runner-up showing at the NCAA Championships. He also helped the Razorbacks capture the 4×400 relay crown with a 46.55 split.

Rooks, who hails from Walla Walla, Washington, made headlines at the Sound Running Track Fest when he clocked the second-fastest time in collegiate history in the steeplechase at 8:17.02. The BYU standout is undefeated this season in the steeplechase with victories at the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Stanford Invitational.

Willie, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland, burst onto the scene this past weekend at the SEC Outdoor Championships. The Florida standout won the 400 meters at 44.27 and later split 43.16 on the anchor leg of a collegiate record-setting 4×400 relay of 2:57.76. Earlier in the meet, Willie helped the Gators dip under the former collegiate record in the 4×100 relay at 37.93 (LSU won the relay and has the CR at 37.90). Willie was runner-up in the 400 at the NCAA Indoor meet.

Here are the eight men who received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee, but not enough to land on the Watch List: Caleb Dean of Texas Tech, Elija Godwin of Georgia, Duncan Hamilton of Montana State, Terrence Jones of Texas Tech, Wayne Pinnock of Arkansas, Keyshawn Strachan of Auburn, Cordell Tinch of Pittsburg State and Vernon Turner of Oklahoma.

The next Watch List will be released on June 6.