The Bowerman: 2025 Men’s Post-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – The race for The Bowerman is heating up. Literally.

After all, the 2025 indoor track & field season wrapped up with the NCAA DI Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which means we’re headed outdoors. The last stop on that outdoor journey will be in early June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

The Bowerman Watch List Committee saw who starred and won NCAA titles indoors and thought long and hard about who is favored to do big things outdoors. Then, they cast their ballot for the Men’s Post-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List that was released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday.

Here are those ten men on the prestigious chart: Mykolas Alekna of California, James Corrigan of BYU, Nathaniel Ezekiel of Baylor, Simen Guttormsen of Duke, Carlie Makarawu of Kentucky, Gary Martin of Virginia, Daniel Reynolds of Wyoming, Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan of Ole Miss, Ethan Strand of North Carolina, and Ja’Kobe Tharp of Auburn.

Alekna, who hails from Vilnius, Lithuania, is one of those athletes expected to star outdoors. After all, the California standout owns the world record in the discus. Alekna registered that mark of 74.35m (243-11) last April at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in Ramona, Oklahoma. Don’t forget Alekna also holds the collegiate record with his 71.00m (232-11) heave from 2023. Alekna will make his season debut at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational on April 5.

Corrigan, who hails from Los Angeles, California, opened his outdoor season with a collegiate leading 8:43.57 in the steeplechase. That’s the same event in which the BYU standout ran 8:13.87 last year at the Penn Relays Summer Showcase in June to become the fourth fastest performer in collegiate history on an all-dates basis. During the indoor season, Corrigan PR’d in the 3000 meters with his 8:02.04 effort on the oversized oval at the Husky Classic. Corrigan is the fourth BYU male athlete to be named to a Watch List, joining Miles Batty (2011, 2012), Zach McWhorter (2022), and 2023 semifinalist Kenneth Rooks

Ezekiel, who hails from Delta State, Nigeria, finished runner-up in the 400 meters by 0.01 seconds at the 2025 NCAA DI Indoor Championships. He turned two laps in 45.44, the same time that he ran in the preliminary round. Just a few weeks before that, Ezekiel PR’d in the 400 with his 44.74 winner at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. Ezekiel specializes in the 400-meter hurdles, an event in which he finished third at the 2024 NCAA DI Outdoor Championships.

Guttormsen, who hails from Ski, Norway, topped the NCAA podium in the pole vault earlier this month. The Duke standout cleared PR 5.71m (18-8¾) and added to his family legacy at the meet (his brother Sondre captured back-to-back NCAA indoor titles in 2022 and 2023 while competing for Princeton). Guttormsen is the third Duke male all-time time to be named to the watch list joining Curtis Beach (2012, 2013, 2014) and Zach McWhorter (2023).

Makarawu, who hails from Harare, Zimbabwe, won the 200-meter title at the 2025 NCAA DI Indoor Championships. He clocked an indoor PR of 20.13 that made him the fifth fastest performer in meet history. Earlier in the season, the Kentucky standout PR’d over 60 meters at 6.60. Makarawu has a strong pedigree, as he tore through the outdoor half-lapper in 19.93 (+1.6) last year while competing at New Mexico JC for the third fastest mark in NJCAA history. He is Kentucky’s third man to be named to a watch list, joining Andrew Evans and 2019 semifinalist Daniel Roberts.

Martin, who hails from Warminster, Virginia, anchored Virginia to victory in the distance medley relay – and finished runner-up in the 3000 meters – at the 2025 NCAA DI Indoor Championships. He split 3:48.12 for 1600 meters and got the Cavaliers across the finish line in a meet-record 9:15.12, which was less than one second off their own collegiate record. During the indoor season, Martin also recorded the second fastest mile in collegiate history of 3:48.82, shared the 1500-meter collegiate record, and threw down the fifth- and eighth-fastest marks over 3000 meters at 7:36.09 and 7:36.69.

Reynolds, who hails from Granby, Colorado, won the weight throw with a new meet record of 25.08m (82-3½) at the 2025 NCAA DI Indoor Championships. That effort was the second best throw in collegiate history and helped cap an undefeated season, which also included a sweep of the throwing events at the Mountain West Indoor Championships (Of course Reynolds won the weight throw at that meet, but with a mark of 25.06m (82-2¾) for what was the second best performance in collegiate history, at the time). No man in collegiate history eclipsed 25 meters twice in a single season before Reynolds.

Robinson-O’Hagan, who hails from Woonsocket, Rhode Island, reigned supreme in the shot put at the 2025 NCAA DI Indoor Championships. The Ole Miss standout wouldn’t be denied as he launched the implement 20.49m (67-2¾) to win by just more than one inch. Robinson-O’Hagan ended the indoor season with PRs of 21.11m (69-3¼) and 24.35m (79-10¾) in the shot put and weight throw, respectively. He is the reigning NCAA outdoor champion in the shot put.

Strand, who hails from Vestavia, Alabama, is the only athlete in collegiate history to hold collegiate records in both the mile and 3000 meters. He shattered the 3000-meter CR when he went 7:30.15 back in December at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Then he went 3:48.32 in the mile to take down that CR at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. Fast forward to the 2025 NCAA DI Indoor Championships and he won the NCAA 3000-meter title in a race that featured seven of the eight fastest men in collegiate history.

Tharp, who hails from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, only got stronger in the 60-meter hurdles as the indoor season progressed. He dropped his PR from 7.85 to 7.60 in his first meet, 7.60 to 7.53 in his second, 7.53 to 7.48 in his third to win the SEC title and then from 7.48 to 7.45 to win the NCAA title in Virginia Beach, Virginia. That is a great sign for Tharp as he heads outdoors as the odds-on favorite to win the 110-meter hurdle crown after a runner-up finish last year. Tharp could join elite company by completing the 60H-110H sweep: the past two athletes to accomplish that feat would later win The Bowerman – Trey Cunningham in 2022 and Grant Holloway in 2019.

Eight men received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee, but not enough to land on the Watch List: Jordan Anthony of Arkansas, Favour Ashe of Oregon, Johnny Brackins Jr. of Southern California, Nathan Green of Washington, Brian Musau of Oklahoma State, Chincecherem Prosper Nnamdi of Baylor, Jonathan Seremes of Missouri, and JC Stevenson of Southern California.

The next Watch List is scheduled for April 17.