The Bowerman: 2023 Men’s Pre-NCAA Outdoor Championships Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – Step up. Show out. Get recognized.

That’s the theme of the Pre-NCAA Outdoor Championships Watch List for The Bowerman, as released on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) after a careful deliberation by The Bowerman Watch List Committee.

Here are those ten men who made their presence known throughout the 2023 track & field campaigns thus far: Mykolas Alekna of California, Kyle Garland of Georgia, Jordan Geist of Arizona, Sondre Guttormsen of Princeton, Duncan Hamilton of Montana State, Jaydon Hibbert of Arkansas, Dylan Jacobs of Tennessee, Fouad Messaoudi of Oklahoma State, Ayden Owens-Delerme of Arkansas and Cordell Tinch of Pittsburg State.

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 in late April. Alekna registered four of those nine marks at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships, hitting a best of 70.40m (231-0) that is currently ranked No. 2 all-time. Now, the California standout heads to the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas, where he will look to add an NCAA title to his growing collection of accolades in the discus.

Garland, who hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enters the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships as the preeminent combined event athlete in collegiate history. It wasn’t too long ago that the Georgia standout 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. 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, will contest both the hammer and shot put at the upcoming NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. He could become the first athlete to sweep both of those titles since Denzel Comenentia of Georgia in 2018. Geist 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). He 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, hopes to cap a near-undefeated season at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. The Princeton standout won each of his last eight finals, including a collegiate record-tying 6.00m (19-8¼) effort under a roof to win the NCAA indoor title.

Hamilton, who hails from Bozeman, Montana, is a dynamic steepler who thrives in the NCAA postseason. Just this past weekend, Hamilton became the second-fastest performer in collegiate history thanks to his 8:16.23 clocking at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships First Round in Sacramento, California. Don’t forget that one year ago, Hamilton went 8:18.88 in a runner-up showing at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships to become the No. 3 performer, at the time.

Hibbert, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, is the undisputed King of the Triple Jump in collegiate history and will look to add the outdoor crown to his treasure chest. 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 last month. That gave 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, will contest both the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the upcoming NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. The Tennessee standout could become the first athlete to complete the distance double since three-time The Bowerman finalist Edward Cheserek from 2014 to 2016. Jacobs has been stout throughout the year, especially during the indoor season where he won the 5000-meter crown and became one of the fastest performers in collegiate history in both the 3000 meters (No. 2) and 5000 meters (No. 3).

Messaoudi, who hails from Oujda, Morocco, sets his sights on winning the 1500-meter title at the upcoming NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. The Oklahoma State standout could be considered a favorite, based on his collegiate-leading mark of 3:35.16 that also landed him at No. 4 on the all-time collegiate chart. During the indoor season, Messaoudi topped the podium at the NCAA Championships in both the 3000 meters as well as part of the DMR.

Owens-Delerme, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is showing unprecedented range for a collegiate male athlete. The Arkansas star enters the upcoming NCAA DI Outdoor Championships as the collegiate leader in the 400-meter hurdles at 48.26, three months after finishing runner-up in the heptathlon indoors with the second-best total in collegiate history. Rewind one full year, Owens-Delerme capped a sensational 2022 by winning the decathlon at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships.

Tinch, who hails from Green Bay, Wisconsin, flew under the radar for most of the 2023 season – but no longer. How can you ignore him becoming the first male athlete in NCAA DII history to win three individual titles at the same NCAA Outdoor Championships? Tinch completed a remarkable triple, winning the 110-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump in Pueblo, Colorado. Not only that, but he did so with exceptional marks: a wind-aided 12.87 in the 110H, which made him the fastest all-conditions performer in collegiate history (one day after he went a wind-legal 13.16 to take over the collegiate lead); as well as an 8.16m (26-9¾) leap in the long jump that shattered the meet record and moved him up to No. 3 on the All-College Descending Order List. Earlier in the season, Tinch clocked a wind-aided 12.97 in the 110H for what was the second-fastest all-conditions mark in collegiate history. During the indoor season, Tinch ended the campaign with the three fastest performances in the 60H, including his 7.50 winner at the NCAA DII Indoor Championships that equaled the No. 7 performer in collegiate history.

Here are the four 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, Kenneth Rooks of BYU and Ryan Willie of Florida.

Semifinalists for The Bowerman will be announced on June 20.