The Bowerman: 2025 Women’s Preseason Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – A championship pedigree is common among those on The Bowerman’s 2025 Women’s Preseason Watch List, which was unveiled Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

All ten women on The Bowerman Watch List have had a share in at least one national collegiate championship. In addition, five have a share of at least one collegiate record and all ten rank no lower than No. 3 on the all-time collegiate list in at least one championship event.

The list includes some new names with Watch List debuts by Kaylyn Brown of Arkansas, Doris Lemngole of Alabama and Hilda Olemomoi of Florida. That trio joins JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina, Rachel Glenn of Arkansas, Axelina Johansson of Nebraska, Brianna Lyston of LSU, Michaela Rose of LSU, Jaida Ross of Oregon and Juliette Whittaker of Stanford.

Ross was a finalist for the 2024 award while Lemngole and Whittaker were semifinalists last year.

The Bowerman will be awarded in December at the 2025 USTFCCCA Convention in Grapevine, Texas.

Brown, who hails from Charlotte, North Carolina, has two performances in the all-time collegiate outdoor 400 meters, topped by her 49.13 clocking as the NCAA DI runner-up last year that put her No. =2. Her previous best of 49.47 is the No. 8 all-time collegiate performance as she has dipped below 50 seconds seven times last year as a freshman. Brown earned additional honors on relays, including a 49.04 anchor leg on Arkansas’ 3:17.96 CR in winning the NCAA title.

Ford, who hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina, won the NCAA DI indoor title at 200 meters last year and was runner-up outdoors. She rates No. =2 all-time indoors in the 300 collegiately at 35.83 as well as No. 7 outdoors in the 200 at 22.07. In the 400 her best is 50.33 and she has multiple sub-50 relay legs led by a 49.16 anchor for the Gamecocks at last year’s NCAA DI Outdoor Championships after anchoring South Carolina to the NCAA DI Indoor title. This is her eighth Watch List appearance.

Glenn, who hails from Long Beach, California, equaled the indoor collegiate record last year in the high jump at 2.00m (6-6¾). She won the NCAA DI Indoor title last year while Arkansas, giving her a pair of national crowns as she captured the 2021 outdoor version as a South Carolina freshman. She also placed third in last year’s NCAA DI Outdoor 400 hurdles, in which she rates No. 9 all-time collegiately at 53.80 (No. 8 on an all-dates basis at 53.46). This is her sixth Watch List appearance.

Johansson, who hails from Hok, Sweden, won the 2023 NCAA DI Outdoor shot put title after a runner-up finish indoors earlier that year. She rates No. 3 all-time collegiately outdoors at 19.54m (64-1¼) and indoors at 19.30m (63-4). After redshirting indoors last year, she placed third outdoors to match her place as a freshman in 2022. This is her second Watch List appearance.

Lemngole, who hails from West Pokot County, Kenya, added her second career collegiate record in December, clocking 14:52.57 in the indoor 5000. Her first CR came in winning last year’s NCAA DI steeplechase title in 9:15.24. Between those two records she captured the NCAA DI cross country crown in November. Her range includes a 1500 PR of 4:11.90.

Lyston, who hails from Portmore, Jamaica, won last year’s NCAA DI Indoor 60 title in 7.03 to rate No. 2 all-time collegiately behind 2023 The Bowerman winner Julien Alfred. Outdoors she was runner-up in the NCAA DI 100 and has a wind-legal best of 10.91, making her No. =10 on the all-time list, and has a wind-aided best of 10.84. This is her eighth Watch List appearance.

Olemomoi, who hails from Trans-Nzoia, Kenya, has three runner-up finishes among the seven times she’s been top-5 in NCAA DI track races – twice last year outdoors (5000 and 10,000) and once in 2023 outdoors (5000). She is No. 3 all-time collegiately at 5000 – both indoors (14:52.84) and outdoors (15:06.42). Her national collegiate titles came in the NJCAA realm, winning six in less than three months in 2022 at Iowa Western CC (three indoor, three outdoor).

Rose, who hails from Suffolk, Virginia, won the NCAA Indoor 800 title in 2023 and rates No. 2 all-time collegiately both indoors (1:59.25) and outdoors (1:58.37), in both instances behind only 2021 The Bowerman winner Athing Mu. Her bevy of fast times gives her four of the event’s top-5 all-time performances outdoors and three of the top-5 indoors. She also has the two fastest times in the indoor 600 yards (topped by her CR 1:16.76) and is the fastest collegian outdoors at 600 meters (1:25.75). This is her tenth Watch List appearance, making her the active career leader.

Ross, who hails from Medford, Oregon, has only indoor eligibility remaining collegiately. Outdoors last year she dominated the shot put, raising the CR three times in becoming the first collegian over 20 meters at 20.01m (65-7½). By year end she owned four of the all-time top-5 performances, and seven of the top-9. Indoors she is No. 9 all-time collegiately at 18.84m (61-9¾) and was NCAA DI runner-up. In the summer she was 4cm (1½”) off the Paris Olympic podium. This is her fifth Watch List appearance.

Whittaker, who hails from Laurel, Maryland, swept the 800 meters at last year’s NCAA DI Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Indoors she recorded her first sub-2 time at 1:59.53 to move to No. 3 collegian all-time with the No. 4 performance all-time, while outdoors her collegiate PR of 1:59.61made her No. 8 collegian all-time. She lowered her PR two more times in the summer in making the Paris Olympic final at 1:57.76 (No. 3 all-time collegiately all-dates). In 2023 she was runner-up in the NCAA DI Indoor 800 after earlier running the 1600 anchor leg to give Stanford the distance medley title. This is her third Watch List appearance.

Eight athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee but fell outside the Top 10: Aaliyah Butler of Georgia, Rosey Effiong of Arkansas, Brynn King of Roberts Wesleyan, Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico, Elena Kulichenko of Georgia, Jadin O’Brien of Notre Dame, Savannah Sutherland of Michigan and Chloe Timberg of Rutgers.

The next women’s Watch List is scheduled for February 5.