The Bowerman: 2024 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).

Caleb Dean of Texas Tech, Christopher Morales Williams of Georgia and Leo Neugebauer of Texas were chosen by The Bowerman Advisory Board as the most outstanding athletes in collegiate men’s track & field during the 2024 indoor and outdoor seasons. Dean, Morales Williams and Neugebauer combined for six NCAA titles, two collegiate records, two all-time world bests, and nine all-time top-10 performances in the collegiate record books.

The Bowerman Advisory Board is a panel of track & field experts from around the nation who select finalists based on performances recorded during the 2023 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Only performances from December 1, 2023, through the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, were eligible for consideration.

THE BOWERMAN HISTORY: Past Winners of The Bowerman (2009-2023)
FINALIST FACT SHEETS: Caleb Dean | Christopher Morales Williams | Leo Neugebauer

Dean, who hails from Hyattsville, Maryland, made history in becoming the second man in NCAA DI history to win national titles in both the 60-meter and 400-meter hurdles. That’s across a career – but Dean did so in one year. The Texas Tech standout took top honors in the 60-meter version back in March at the NCAA Indoor Championships when he ran 7.56, narrowly missing a PR (Dean also contested the open 60, an event in which he set a 6.52 PR earlier in the season). Fast forward to just a few weeks ago and Dean ripped around the track and over the hurdles at Hayward Field in 47.23 to become the second fastest performer in collegiate history behind 2018 The Bowerman finalist Rai Benjamin. That also gave Dean his third clocking of 48.05 or faster in 2024, which made him the only athlete in collegiate history to accomplish that feat (Benjamin only had two in 2018). Dean is the second athlete in program history to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining Divine Oduduru in 2019.

Morales Williams, who hails from Vaughan, Ontario, polished off an undefeated season over 400 meters with a victory at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Georgia standout won the NCAA crown in 44.47, which was his third time under 44.50 this year – more than 2018 The Bowerman winner Michael Norman had in his triumphant year. CMW went a lot faster during the outdoor season, notably his 44.05 clocking to win the SEC title and move up to sixth on the all-time chart. Indoors, CMW made headlines at the SEC Championships, where he clocked an all-time world best of 44.49, taking down a mark formerly held by Norman. CMW would later add a 44.67 winner at the NCAA title and make him the only athlete in collegiate history with two all-time top-5 marks indoors. This is the second year in a row that an athlete from Georgia has been a finalist for The Bowerman (Kyle Garland).

Neugebauer, who hails from Leinfeldene-Echterdingen, Germany, one-upped himself when it didn’t even seem possible. It was in Eugene, Oregon, where Neugebauer became just the seventh man in history to eclipse 8900 points in the decathlon with his 8961-point total. Included in that ten-event masterclass was decathlon discus world record 57.70m (189-4) and the highest Day 1 and Day 2 totals in collegiate history at 4685 points and 4276 points, respectively. Earlier in the season, Neugebauer put up 8708 points at the Texas Relays for what is now the fourth best total in collegiate history behind two of his own and Kyle Garland’s former CR of 8720. Under a roof, Neugebauer won the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a seven-event total of 6347 points, which vaulted him to fourth on the all-time collegiate chart. Neugebauer is the fifth man in award history to be a multiple time finalist – the first since 2019 The Bowerman winner Grant Holloway.

Fan voting for The Bowerman begins Tuesday, June 25 on The Bowerman’s website and runs through Thursday, June 27. Paper voting also begins on Tuesday, June 25 and closes on July 12.

Dean, Morales Williams and Neugebauer will be feted on Thursday, December 19, during the annual USTFCCCA Convention, which will be held at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida. 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, June 28 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

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

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.