The 2024 Bowerman Award winners Leo Neugebauer and Parker Valby were only just announced, but that means the athletes up next are ready to carry the torch. Here’s a way-too-early look at some Bowerman candidates for the 2025 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
Men
Throwers leading the way: Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Kenneth Ikeji, Keyshawn Strachan
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan and Kenneth Ikeji are two throwers at the top of their game after winning individual championships last year. Both are top contenders to win multiple events this year, which would definitely boost their Bowerman resumes.
Meanwhile, there’s Keyshawn Strachan, one of the top javelin throwers in the country. He recently transferred to Nebraska and he’s already the No. 5 all-time in the javelin. If he climbs the charts again at his new home, he could get back on a Bowerman watch list.
The Tar Heel distance duo — Ethan Strand, Parker Wolfe
Ethan Strand was the first man to set an NCAA record this year. He’s already pushed himself into the Bowerman conversation. 0.08 seconds behind his record in the race was Parker Wolfe, a Bowerman semifinalist from a year ago. The pair of North Carolina distance runners are both Bowerman contenders in 2025.
An elite distance runner out west — Habtom Samuel
New Mexico’s Habtom Samuel was the top distance runner in the country at 10,000 meters. He already has the No. 2 all-time mark in the event, and he won the title last year. If Samuel can break the record and also do well during the indoor season, he can be a semifinalist for the award.
Auburn building on a great year — Favour Ashe and Ja’Kobe Tharp
Auburn finished one point away from the national championship last outdoor season and return plenty of talent in 2025. Chief among them are Favour Ashe and Ja’Kobe Tharp. Ashe is arguably the best 60 meter and 100 meter sprinter returning and Tharp nearly won the 100 hurdles title as a freshman. If both can build upon last year and help the Tigers get team success, they could be in the Bowerman conversation.
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SEC sprinters — Tarsis Orogot, Wanya McCoy, Auhmad Robinson
Alabama’s Tarsis Orogot, Florida’s Wanya McCoy and Texas A&M’s Auhmad Robinson are a trio of sprinters that could all contend for first-place finishes at nationals. Orogot brings plenty of flash with his socks and is one of the top 200 meter runners. Robinson is the top returning 400 meter runner in the country. McCoy is the most versatile of the trio, with the ability to run all of the sprints.
For all three, the most important aspect is winning. The more wins, the more each can climb the Bowerman chart.
The more events, the more chance — Johnny Brackins Jr.
Southern California’s Johnny Brackins Jr. is one of the top hurdlers and jumpers in the country. The better he does in both events, the better his chances for the Bowerman in 2025.
Dark horses — Jamarion Stubbs, Saminu Abdul-Rasheed, Malachi Snow
Here are some of the dark horses in the Bowerman chase. Alabama State’s Jamarion Stubbs is the top HBCU track and field athlete in 2025 and USF’s Saminu Abdul-Rasheed dropped some low times last year in the 100 and 200.
Then there’s Texas Tech’s Malachi Snow. He finished fourth in the 110 hurdles last year at San Jose State and has since transferred to the Red Raiders. The last top sprinter to transfer to TTU? That would be Caleb Dean, a Bowerman finalist this year.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The top indoor track and field meets to watch in 2025
Women
Three Arkansas quarter-milers — Kaylyn Brown, Rosey Effiong, Isabella Whittaker
If we know one guarantee about track and field, it’s that Arkansas will have some fast women across 400 meters. Kaylyn Brown returns after her elite freshman season and Rosey Effiong is back for one more year as the veteran in the building. Isabella Whittaker’s name may ring a bell, but that’s because she ran for Penn last year before transferring to Arkansas in the offseason. In total, that’s the second, fourth and fifth place finishers from the outdoor 400 meters at the same school. The odds of one of these ladies becoming a Bowerman semifinalist in June are high.
The lone freshman — Mia Brahe-Pedersen
Southern California’s Mia Brahe-Pedersen is the only freshman I’m willing to put on this way-too-early list of Bowerman candidates right now. She was the No. 1 recruit in the country, is the fourth-fastest high school sprinter ever in the 100 and 200 meters, and ran in the 100 and 200 meter finals at the 2023 USATF Championships.
While she was injured during her senior outdoor season, when healthy she’s proven her ability to already compete with some of the best.
The sprinters — JaMeesia Ford, Kaila Jackson, Brianna Lyston, Jadyn Mays and Jacious Sears
The competition for the top women’s sprinter will be intense in 2025. South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford is the youngest of the group, but she’s also one of two that already has won an NCAA title. The other is LSU’s Brianna Lyston, who’s trying to go back-to-back in the 60 meters while adding a collegiate record on the way there.
Georgia’s Kaila Jackson, now a junior, is going to be one of the veterans on a talented Bulldog team where she should be able to compete for both individual and relay titles at a championship level. Speaking of veterans in the sport, Oregon’s Jadyn Mays has been on the brink of first-place NCAA championship finishes for years now. If she finally adds first-place trophies to her collection, she could win the Bowerman.
The wild card of the sprinters is Jacious Sears. When she got hurt during the last outdoor season, she looked capable of breaking Sha’Carri Richardson’s 100 meter record. If she returns to form, she could also join Richardson among the list of women’s Bowerman winners.
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Versatility for the win? — Rachel Glenn
Arkansas’ Rachel Glenn tied the collegiate record as a high jumper, ran on some of the fastest 4x400 relays in the country, and finished third in the 400 hurdles last year. Glenn is the most versatile non-heptathlete in women’s track and field and does nearly all of her events at a top-10 all-time level. Championships in multiple events could carry her to a Bowerman.
The Canadian superstar — Savannah Sutherland
Fresh off of a seventh-place finish in the 400 hurdles at the Olympics, Savannah Sutherland is back at Michigan. She has the fifth-fastest time in the event all-time collegiately. If Sutherland can win the title this year and break Sydney McLaughlin’s record, it could be enough to carry her to the Bowerman — even if she doesn’t make a podium during the indoor season. If she does medal in the indoor 400, she could be one of the top candidates by season’s end.
An 800m battle for the ages — Michaela Rose and Juliette Whittaker
The last three women’s 800 meter champions across the indoor and outdoor seasons are back in 2025 in LSU’s Michaela Rose and Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker. Those two aren’t only former champions, they’re also both chasing former Bowerman winner Athing Mu’s collegiate records. Breaking those records and winning a title are a recipe for success.
Idols turned rivals meet distance running — Doris Lemngole and Hilda Olemomoi
Last year, both Doris Lemngole and Hilda Olemomoi ran for Alabama, with Olemomoi the upperclassman to Lemngole’s freshman. Now Olemomoi runs for Florida while Lemngole remains with the Tide.
Lemngole has already set a collegiate record this season, while Olemomoi is running for the same school and program that led Parker Valby to a Bowerman just a year ago. Both women figure to be among the top distance runners in the country and should be on some Bowerman watchlists if they live up to expectations.
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons
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