The Bowerman: 2023 Women’s Semifinalists

NEW ORLEANS – Watch List time is over for The Bowerman in 2023.

Ten women have been named as semifinalists for collegiate track & field’s highest honor – The Bowerman – as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced The Bowerman Women’s Watch List Committee’s semifinalist selections on Wednesday.

The semifinalists are Rhasidat Adeleke of Texas, Julien Alfred of Texas, Jasmine Moore of Florida, Ackera Nugent of Arkansas, Michaela Rose of LSU, Masai Russell of Kentucky, Ackelia Smith of Texas, Katelyn Tuohy of NC State, Jorinde van Klinken of Oregon and Britton Wilson of Arkansas. Only achievements from the 2023 indoor or outdoor collegiate track & field seasons were considered by the Committee.

Half of the semifinalists represent Arkansas or Texas, who become the seventh and eighth programs in award history to have multiple women’s semifinalists in the same year. The Longhorns join an additional exclusive group, as only Oregon (2014) and Kentucky (2018) have also had three women’s semifinalists in the same year.

All 10 semifinalists had at least one performance this year that landed No. 1 or No. 2 on the all-time collegiate list.

The three finalists for The Bowerman will be announced on June 26, to be followed by the voting period. The Bowerman winner will be announced in December as part of the USTFCCCA Convention in Aurora, Colorado.

Adeleke, who hails from Dublin, Ireland, won the 400 meters at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 49.20, becoming the second-fastest collegian in history, and finished the outdoor season with two marks in the top-7 as part of four sub-50 times. She joined teammate (and fellow semifinalist) Alfred as part of four outdoor relay teams that won titles at the Texas Relays, setting collegiate records in three of them (4×100, 4×200 and sprint medley); in fact, her duty on the third leg of the 4×100 squad lowered the CR three times with a best of 41.55 in prelim work before winning the NCAA title. In the winter, she set a short-lived indoor CR in the 400 of 50.33, finished runner-up at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships and owns three of the top-7 collegiate times in indoor history.

Alfred, who hails from Castries, St. Lucia, went four-for-four in national titles, sweeping the 100 and 200 at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships after taking the 60 and 200 at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. She lowered the CR in the indoor 60 five different times (ultimately to 6.94), producing eight of the top-11 marks in collegiate history. In the indoor 200, her CR 22.01 is second-fastest in world history. Her outdoor season started with four relay wins (along with fellow semifinalist Adeleke) on her home track at the Texas Relays – three as the leadoff leg in CRs (4×100, 4×200 and sprint medley). Her kickstart led the Longhorn 4×100 squad in lowering the CR three times with a best of 41.55 in prelim duty before winning the NCAA title. In individual events outdoors she registered the fastest all-conditions 100 and 200 marks by a collegian in the 100 (10.72w, twice) and 200 (21.73w), while also clocking wind-legal times of 10.83 and 21.91 in becoming No. 4 and No. 2 all-time, respectively, by a collegian. Alfred was also a semifinalist in 2022.

Moore, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, won three national titles – all with collegiate records. Her sweep of the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships made her the first woman in meet history to sweep the horizontal jumps twice. She started with the long jump at 7.03m (23-0¾), then finished in dominating fashion in the triple jump as she obliterated her own CR of 14.57m (47-9¾) by almost two feet as her five measured efforts – all surpassing the CR – were topped by a 15.12m (49-7¼) that was also an absolute American record. She also became the first woman in world history to surpass 7 meters in the long jump and 15 meters in triple jump indoors in the same meet. Outdoors she completed a second-straight SEC Championships jump quad (winning LJ & TJ both indoors and out) in moving to =No. 10 collegian all-time in the long jump at 6.88m (22-7). She bounded a CR 14.78m (48-6) to win a second-straight triple jump crown at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Moore was also a semifinalist in 2022.

Nugent, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, won national hurdle titles indoors and outdoors impressively. Her win in the 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships was over a familiar field, as she and two of her opponents had become the first collegiate trio to run sub-12.50 in the same race earlier at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Nugent – runner-up that day in a PR 12.43 in becoming No. 6 all-time collegian – moved up a notch in Austin, winning the NCAA crown in a wind-aided 12.25, merely the fastest-ever by a collegian under all conditions. Indoors, she turned back then-CR holder (and fellow semifinalist) Russell in 7.73 to win the 60 hurdles at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships. That time was just an eyelash away from the 7.72 CR that Nugent clocked in the prelims as she holds the two fastest marks ever by a collegian.

Rose, who hails from Suffolk, Virginia, won the 800 meters at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Her time of 1:59.83 was her third sub-2 clocking of the outdoor season – giving her the most in collegiate history, adding to performances of 1:59.73 (winning the SEC Outdoor Championships by over four seconds) and 1:59.08 (No. 2 all-time collegiately as top collegian in the Bryan Clay Invitational). That doesn’t include a 1:58.40 split in anchoring the LSU 4×800 team to victory at the Texas Relays. Indoors, she rose to No. 4 on the all-time collegiate list at 2:00.18 and also ran the second-fastest 600-yard time in collegiate history at 1:17.58.

Russell, who hails from Potomac, Maryland, set collegiate records indoors and outdoors in hurdles events. The 100-meter hurdles CR holder seemed to be everywhere at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, running in seven races (not counting First Round regionals). She clocked an all-conditions best 12.32w as runner-up in the 100 hurdles (No. 3 all-time all-conditions collegiately, just faster than her wind-legal 12.36 CR in winning the Texas Relays). She followed with a PR 54.66 as runner-up in the 400 hurdles. During the winter, she set a CR 7.75 in the 60 hurdles that remains as the low-altitude collegiate best and clocked four of the top-8 times in collegiate history.

Smith, who hails from Clarendon, Jamaica, earned four top-3 finishes in the horizontal jumps, combining indoors and outdoors and topped by winning the long jump at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships over reigning champ (and fellow semifinalist) Moore. She swept titles in the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, leaping a PR 7.08m (23- ¾) in becoming second-farthest collegian ever. She also rates No. 3 all-time in the triple jump collegiately at 14.54m (47-8½) with a runner-up finish at the NCAA DI Championships. In the winter, she was second in the long jump and third in the triple jump at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, moving to =No. 6 and No. 5 collegiately all-time, respectively.

Tuohy, who hails from Stony Point, New York, set collegiate records in four events combining indoor and outdoor events. Her record setting began indoors at the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge, lowering the CR to 4:24.26 as the top collegian (she gained another CR en route with 4:06.49 time in the 1500 meters). Two weeks later – back again in New York at The Armory – she chopped more than six seconds off the 3000 CR with a time of 8:35.20 at the Millrose Games. At the JDL DMR Invitational, she anchored NC State to a school record in the distance medley with a 4:23.36 1600-meter split, the fastest-ever by a collegian. Her indoor season culminated with a 3000/5000 double at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships, the former with a time of 9:10.07 that is the fastest-ever by a collegian at high altitude. Outdoors, Tuohy broke the 5000 CR with a 15:03.12 time at the Sound Running Track Fest. She won the 10,000 in her debut at the distance at the ACC Outdoor Championships in 32:56.75.

Van Klinken, who hails from Assen, The Netherlands, won a third-straight discus title at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, exceeding the meet record this year three times with a best of 65.55m (215-1). She had three top-10 all-time collegiate throws during the year, topped by an effort of 67.05 (220-0) as the top collegian at the Triton Invitational that is No. 3 all-time collegiately (she owns the CR 70.22m/230-5 from 2021). Her shot put skills were evident throughout the year, including a CR indoors of 19.57m (64-2½) at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational as well as a runner-up finish at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Van Klinken is a three-time semifinalist and just the sixth woman with as many distinctions.

Wilson, who hails from Henrico, Virginia, kept fans dizzy with record performances. She set multiple collegiate records in the 400 meters – once indoors and three times outdoors. Her presence in spring included a total revision of the outdoor collegiate all-time list with five of the top-6 performances. She racked up six sub-50 times – the most-ever by a collegian, and that doesn’t include her indoor CR 49.48 (the only collegiate sub-50 time in history). Wilson added rare double skills in the 400 hurdles, and displayed them sometimes with little rest after the 400. Her 53.23 seasonal best in the 400 hurdles – No. 3 all-time collegiately – was the fastest of the year’s five best times, three of which rate among the all-time top-10 collegiate performances. After winning the 400 in a CR 49.48 at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, she anchored Arkansas to an all-time world best 3:21.75 with a 49.19 split, the fastest ever by a woman. In January she set a CR 1:25.16 indoors in the 600. Wilson was also a semifinalist in 2022.