The 2023 Bowerman men’s finalists have been named, with three athletes making the final cut. Since 2009, The Bowerman is given each year to the most outstanding track and field athlete in the nation.
The Bowerman considers performances during the collegiate indoor and outdoor seasons, meaning any competitions after the 2021 DI outdoor championships do not count. Neither does the 2022 cross country season. Moreover, Bowerman voting officially closes July 15, before the World Championships start.
RELATED: Complete history of The Bowerman award
That said, let's take a look at the finalists.
2023 Bowerman Award Finalists
*Finalists listed alphabetically
Kyle Garland| Combined Events | Georgia
Kyle Garland starred in the combined events this year, climbing up the record books. The man nicknamed "Freight Train" powered through his competitors during the indoor season as he set a collegiate record in an emotional heptathlon national title at the DI championships.
During the outdoor season, Garland again dazzled in the combined events, setting three decathlon records in the shot put (16.77m), long jump (7.96m) and 110-meter hurdles (13.54s). While Garland wasn't able to repeat his national title-winning performance from the indoor season, he still finished second in the decathlon at the DI championships with the third-best performance in collegiate history. After an impressive all-around season, Garland becomes the first man in Georgia track and field history to be named a Bowerman finalist.
FINALISTS: The 2023 Bowerman finalists for men's and women's NCAA track and field
Championships:
- NCAA DI Indoor Heptathlon champion
- SEC Outdoor Decathlon champion
Collegiate Records and All-Time marks:
- 6639 Indoor Heptathlon — No. 1 in NCAA history
- 2023 Indoor Heptathlon — owns No. 1 & 4 all-time NCAA marks
- 2023 Outdoor Decathlon — owns No. 3 & 4 all-time NCAA marks
🏆: Recapping the 2023 Division I indoor track and field championships
Jaydon Hibbert| Jumps | Arkansas
Jaydon Hibbert had a fantastic freshman season at Arkansas, dominating the triple jump. Did I mention he's only 18 years old? Yet, the youngster has performed like a seasoned veteran to be named a Bowerman finalist in his first year, joining the likes of Oregon's Edward Cheserek (2014), Texas A&M's Donavan Brazier (2016), and LSU's Mondo Duplantis (2019).
Hibbert went undefeated in the triple jump this year en route to USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year honors, setting collegiate records in the indoor and outdoor triple jumps. He swept the indoor-outdoor triple jump titles and score 10 pivotal points in Arkansas' indoor men's team title victory. Hibbert, a Jamaican national team member, also participated and won the triple jump title at the Carifta Games during the season. In total, Hibbert only needed 20 jumps all year — there were 45 jumps available for him at meets this year — in his impressive season. Hibbert gives Arkansas a Bowerman finalist for the second straight year and is xxxxx.
RECORDS: Watch every collegiate record set in 2023
Championships:
- NCAA DI Indoor Triple Jump champion
- NCAA DI Outdoor Triple Jump champion
- SEC Indoor Triple Jump champion
- SEC Outdoor Triple Jump champion
- SEC Indoor team title
- SEC Outdoor team title
- NCAA DI Indoor team title
Collegiate Records and All-Time marks:
- 17.54 Indoor Triple Jump — No. 1 in NCAA history
- 17.87 Outdoor Triple Jump — No. 1 in NCAA history
- 2023 Outdoor Triple Jump — owns No. 1, 3 & 8 all-time NCAA marks
🏆: Recapping the 2023 Division I outdoor track and field championships
Leo Neugebauer| Combined Events | Texas
Leo Neugebauer didn't appear on a Bowerman watch list throughout the season, but after a record-setting performance at the DI outdoor championships, he landed as a semifinalist and now is a finalist for this year's award. That's history as Neugebauer is the first man to ever make his debut Bowerman appearance as a semifinalist and become a finalist. The Texas Longhorn is only the fifth man to ever be named a finalist without appearing on the post-indoor watch list.
RELATED: How the Bowerman watch lists predict the award's final winner
On the track, Neugebauer began his indoor season with a third-place national finish in the heptathlon. His performance at the DI indoor championships was the ninth-best in the heptathlon all-time, but he lost two the top two performances in collegiate history.
It was during the outdoor season that the German decathlete made his mark, specifically at the DI championships. Neugebauer won the decathlon title with a collegiate record 8836 points. That performance ranks No. 8 in World History and also set a German record. It was the second top-10 all-time performance for Neugebauer on his home track as he previously set the eighth-highest decathlon total during his season-opener at Texas Relays. A marvelous late season-surge makes him the first from the men's Longhorn program to be named a Bowerman finalist.
Championships:
- NCAA DI Outdoor Decathlon champion
Collegiate Records and All-Time marks:
- 8836 Outdoor Decathlon — No. 1 in NCAA history
- 2023 Indoor Heptathlon — owns No. 9 all-time NCAA marks
- 2023 Outdoor Decathlon — owns No. 1 & 8 all-time NCAA marks
💨: Wind and scoring in track and field, explained
The winner announcement
The winner of the 2023 men's Bowerman will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 14, at the USTFCCCA Convention at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center.
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons
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