The Bowerman: 2025 Men’s Finalists

NEW ORLEANS – Men’s finalists for The Bowerman, collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor, were announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Jordan Anthony of Arkansas, Nathaniel Ezekiel of Baylor, and Ja’Kobe Tharp of Auburn were chosen by The Bowerman Advisory Board as the most outstanding athletes in collegiate men’s track & field during the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons. Anthony, Ezekiel, and Tharp combined for five NCAA titles and eight all-time top-10 performances in the collegiate record books.

THE BOWERMAN HISTORY: Past Winners of The Bowerman (2009-2024)
FINALIST FACT SHEETS: Jordan Anthony | Nathaniel Ezekiel | Ja’Kobe Tharp

The Bowerman Advisory Board is a panel of track & field experts from around the nation who select finalists based on performances recorded during the 2025 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Only performances from December 1, 2024, through the conclusion of the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, were eligible for consideration.

Anthony, who hails from Tylertown, Mississippi, earned the title of “Fastest Man in Collegiate Track & Field” after completing the 60-meter/100-meter double at the NCAA Championships in 2025. The Arkansas standout won the 60 meters back in March and then stormed to victory in the 100 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Just a few weeks before winning his second NCAA title of the year, Anthony scorched a barely wind-aided 9.75 (+2.1) to equal the second fastest all-conditions performance in collegiate history and equal to the ninth fastest all-conditions performer in world history. He also finished fourth in the 200 meters and anchored the third place 4×100 relay in Eugene. Anthony is the third male athlete from Arkansas to be a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2016 winner Jarrion Lawson and 2022 finalist Ayden Owens-Delerme.

Ezekiel, who hails from Delta State, Nigeria, capped a prolific season in the 400-meter hurdles with an NCAA title in TrackTown USA. The Baylor standout went a blistering 47.49 – just two days after lowering his PR to 47.86 – to take his rightful place atop the podium and move up to No. 3 in collegiate history behind two other past finalists for The Bowerman: Rai Benjamin (2018) and Caleb Dean (2024). Ezekiel ended the season as the only man in collegiate history with multiple all-time top-ten marks in the event. Multiple means two or more: Ezekiel has four. During the indoor season, Ezekiel clocked the seventh fastest mark in collegiate history in the 400 meters and finished a close runner-up in that event at the NCAA DI Championships – by close, we mean 0.01 seconds. This is the first time in program history that an athlete from Baylor has been named a finalist for The Bowerman.

Tharp, who hails from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, ended his outdoor season the same way he did the indoor season – winning an NCAA title and becoming the fifth fastest performer in collegiate history in that event. The Auburn standout most recently hurdled his way to an NCAA title in the 110-meter hurdles in PR 13.05. That came several months after he went PR 7.45 for the indoor 60-meter version. Tharp went 13.15 or faster four times during the outdoor season and avenged his only two losses of the outdoor season with that victory at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Tharp is the first athlete from Auburn to be named a finalist for The Bowerman.

Fan voting for The Bowerman begins today on The Bowerman’s website and runs through Thursday, July 10. Paper voting also begins on Tuesday, July 8 and closes in late July.

Anthony, Ezekiel, and Tharp will be feted on Thursday, December 18, during the annual USTFCCCA Convention, which will be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. One of those three incredible athletes will take home collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor that same night following The Bowerman Presentation.

WINNER SELECTION PROCESS

The Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner.

The Bowerman Voters consist of:

• The Bowerman Advisory Board
• Select media personnel, statisticians, and collegiate administrators
• Past winners of The Bowerman
• Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
• Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)

The online fan vote opened on Tuesday, July 8 at 4 pm ET.

THE BOWERMAN PAST FINALISTS & AWARD HISTORY

MEN

2009
Winner: Galen Rupp, Oregon
Finalist: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: German Fernandez, Oklahoma State

2010
Winner: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: Andrew Wheating, Oregon
Finalist: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State

2011
Winner: Ngoni Makusha, Florida State
Finalist: Jeshua Anderson, Washington State
Finalist: Christian Taylor, Florida

2012
Winner: Cam Levins, Southern Utah
Finalist: Tony McQuay, Florida
Finalist: Andrew Riley, Illinois

2013
Winner: Derek Drouin, Indiana
Finalist: Lawi Lalang, Arizona
Finalist: Julian Wruck, UCLA

2014
Winner: Deon Lendore, Texas A&M
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon
Finalist: Lawi Lalang, Arizona

2015
Winner: Marquis Dendy, Florida
Finalist: Shawn Barber, Akron
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon

2016
Winner: Jarrion Lawson, Arkansas
Finalist: Donavan Brazier, Texas A&M
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon

2017
Winner: Christian Coleman, Tennessee
Finalist: Fred Kerley, Texas A&M
Finalist: Lindon Victor, Texas A&M

2018
Winner: Michael Norman, Southern California
Finalist: Rai Benjamin, Southern California
Finalist: Grant Holloway, Florida

2019
Winner: Grant Holloway, Florida
Finalist: Mondo Duplantis, LSU
Finalist: Divine Oduduru, Texas Tech

2021
Winner: JuVaughn Harrison, LSU
Finalist: Cole Hocker, Oregon
Finalist: Turner Washington, Arizona State

2022
Winner: Trey Cunningham, Florida State
Finalist: Ayden Owens-Delerme, Arkansas

2023
Winner: Jaydon Hibbert, Arkansas
Finalist: Kyle Garland, Georgia
Finalist: Leo Neugebauer, Texas

2024
Winner: Leo Neugebauer, Texas
Finalist: Caleb Dean, Texas Tech
Finalist: Christopher Morales Williams, Georgia

WOMEN

2009
Winner: Jenny Barringer, Colorado
Finalist: Destinee Hooker, Texas
Finalist: Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M

2010
Winner: Queen Harrison, Virginia Tech
Finalist: Lisa Koll, Iowa State
Finalist: Blessing Okagbare, UTEP

2011
Winner: Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
Finalist: Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Finalist: Tina Sutej, Arkansas

2012
Winner: Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Finalist: Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Finalist: Brianne Theisen, Oregon

2013
Winner: Brianna Rollins, Clemson
Finalist: Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Finalist: Kori Carter, Stanford

2014
Winner: Laura Roesler, Oregon
Finalist: Sharika Nelvis, Arkansas State
Finalist: Courtney Okolo, Texas

2015
Winner: Jenna Prandini, Oregon
Finalist: Kendra Harrison, Kentucky
Finalist: Demi Payne, Stephen F. Austin

2016
Winner: Courtney Okolo, Texas
Finalist: Keturah Orji, Georgia
Finalist: Raven Saunders, Ole Miss

2017
Winner: Raevyn Rogers, Oregon
Finalist: Maggie Ewen, Arizona State
Finalist: Keturah Orji, Georgia

2018
Winner: Keturah Orji, Georgia
Finalist: Maggie Ewen, Arizona State
Finalist: Sydney McLaughlin, Kentucky

2019
Winner: Sha’Carri Richardson, LSU
Finalist: Janeek Brown, Arkansas
Finalist: Yanis David, Florida

2021
Winner: Athing Mu, Texas A&M
Finalist: Tara Davis, Texas
Finalist: Tyra Gittens, Texas A&M

2022
Winner: Abby Steiner, Kentucky
Finalist: Anna Hall, Florida
Finalist: Camryn Rogers, California

2023
Winner: Julien Alfred, Texas
Finalist: Jasmine Moore, Florida
Finalist: Britton Wilson, Arkansas

2024
Winner: Parker Valby, Florida
Finalist: Maia Ramsden, Harvard
Finalist: Jaida Ross, Oregon

ABOUT THE BOWERMAN

The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.

Bill Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership as president of the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.

For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.

ABOUT THE USTFCCCA

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents thousands of coaching members encompassing NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and NJCAA, as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.