The Bowerman: 2025 Women’s Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – Three athletes make debut appearances on the women’s Pre-NCAA Indoor Championship edition of The Bowerman Watch List, released on Wednesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Multiple record activity in the last month highlighted the ascension of two of those – Oregon’s Silan Ayyildiz and Washington’s Amanda Moll – with Tacoria Humphrey of Illinois also earning a first-ever position on the exclusive list.

Returning to the Watch List for the first time this year are Axelina Johansson of Nebraska and Hana Moll of Washington. They join five from the most previous Watch List: Aaliyah Butler of Georgia, JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina, Rachel Glenn of Arkansas, Doris Lemngole of Alabama and Juliette Whittaker of Stanford.

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

Ayyildiz, who hails from Istanbul, Turkey, scooped up two Collegiate Records in one race at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational as her 4:23.46 mile included an en route time of 4:05.66 in the 1500 meters. She was instrumental in a third CR, bringing Oregon from third place to victory in the distance medley relay a week later at the Terrier DMR Challenge with a 4:26.46 anchor for 1600 meters as the Ducks ran 10:42.05. She has run 8:46.33 in the 3000 this winter and won the 5000 at the Big Ten Championships in 15:56.31, leading a 1-2-3 Oregon sweep as the Ducks won the team title.

Butler, who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, continued her undefeated season in individual events at the SEC Championships, winning the 400 meters to become No. 2 all-time collegiately at 49.78, the fastest ever by a collegian at low altitude indoors. She followed up another fast 400 in moving the Georgia 4×400 team from second to victory with her 49.87 anchor leg as the Bulldogs posted the year’s fastest collegiate time at 3:26.42 to become the No. 6 program all-time. This is her second Watch List appearance.

Ford, who hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina, is undefeated in individual events this winter, leading two collegiately. In her primary event – the 200 – she is No. 4 all-time collegiately at 22.34 and has another time of 22.36 to successfully defend her SEC Indoor title (that time gives five at that mark or faster including performances from last year). In the 300, her 36.48 from early January is the fastest by a collegian this year by more than half a second, and she had the fastest split (49.86) in the 4×400 in the SEC meet, helping the Gamecocks to the No. 2 time this year collegiately. This is her 10^th Watch List appearance.

Glenn, who hails from Long Beach, California, is three-for-three in the high jump this winter, topped by winning the SEC Championships at 1.98m (6-6), which is tied for the No. 3 performance on the all-time collegiate indoor list. It wasn’t a PR, as her 2.00m (6-6¾) from winning last year’s NCAA Indoor title has her with a share of the CR. She also made the final of the 60-meter hurdles in the SEC Championships, taking sixth after a PR 8.10 in the prelims, and is a member of Arkansas’ fastest 4×400 squad this year (3:27.57) with a 52.78 opening leg from earlier this year. This is her eighth Watch List appearance.

Humphrey, who hails from Indianapolis, Indiana, continued her undefeated season in the long jump with a PR 6.94m (22-9¼) to win the Big Ten Championships, leading a 1-2-5-7 finish by the Illini. She is now No. 3 all-time collegiately and has jumped over 22-feet four times this winter over three meets after entering the year with an indoor best of 6.42m (21-0¾). She has also lowered her PR in the 60 meters to 7.42. Humphrey is the first athlete – female or male – from Illinois to make the Watch List since Ashley Spencer in 2013.

Johansson, who hails from Hok, Sweden, is undefeated in four shot put competitions this winter, and her best effort of 19.31m (63-4¼) places her No. 4 on the all-time collegiate indoor list. Three of her victories have been over 2024 The Bowerman finalist Jaida Ross. Johansson won the NCAA DI Outdoor title in 2023 and has an outdoor best of 19.54m (64-1¼), putting her No. 3 all-time. This is her third Watch List appearance.

Lemngole, who hails from West Pokot County, Kenya, remains undefeated against collegians since her indoor season began with a CR 14:52.57 in the 5000 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener in early December. She returned to the Boston U track in February and clocked 8:41.83 over 3000 meters to move to No.5 all-time collegiately. She outkicked former teammate Hilda Olemomoi for the 3k title at the SEC Championships. This is her third Watch List appearance.

Amanda and Hana Moll, who both hail from Olympia, Washington, are now the first set of siblings – and twins – to appear on the same Watch List. They also dominate the all-time indoor collegiate pole vault list with achievements from just the last month. Amanda raised the record four times in February – with her first three coming at the Don Kirby Collegiate Elite in Albuquerque that included the first ever 16-foot clearance by a collegian at 4.88m (16-0). She went yet higher at the Big Ten Championships, where she needed a 4.91m (16-1¼) clearance to wring the title away from Hana, who had control with a clean slate through 4.81m (15-9¼), the second of two-straight PRs. Together, they combine for all of the top-8 performances in collegiate history, Amanda leading 6-2 in that department.

Whittaker, who hails from Laurel, Maryland, has been busy since the last Watch List, but mostly as a member of Stanford relay teams. The only exception has been a 1:59.44 victory to win in the 800 meters (by 1.48 seconds) for No. 3 on the all-time, all-conditions collegiate list at the Husky Classic. That came a day after opening up Stanford’s 10:38.93 distance medley relay foursome that puts the Cardinal No. 2 all-time, all-conditions indoors. At the Big Ten Championships, she had indoor-best splits of 52.45 in the 4×400 and 3:17.88 on the opening 1200-meter leg of the DMR. This is her fifth Watch List appearance.

Seven more athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee but fell outside the Top 10: Anthaya Charlton of Florida, Mya Lesnar of Colorado State, Indya Mayberry of TCU, Jadin O’Brien of Notre Dame, Hilda Olemomoi of Florida, Michaela Rose of LSU and Isabella Whittaker of Arkansas. The next women’s Watch List is scheduled for March 26.