The fourth editions of the Bowerman men's and women's watch lists for 2024 were released on April 10 and 11, with 10 athletes per gender making the cut. I've taken a look at both lists and ranked the athletes 1-10 to show who's in the lead for the Bowerman at this point in the season.
Keep in mind that these are my rankings of the already announced Bowerman candidates listed on the Bowerman watch list based on past performances and future projections. This is not an indication of how the Bowerman committee voted or will vote in the future.
That said, here's my ranking of the athletes on the fourth Bowerman watch list update.
Women
1. Parker Valby, Florida (Distance)
Valby is my Bowerman front-runner in early April. She's the only member of the watch list that won two individual titles at the indoor championships, taking home first-place trophies in the 3000 and 5000 meters. She also broke the 5000-meter collegiate record to open the indoor season, only to break her own record to win the title. With two titles and two record-setting performances, Valby is in the lead in the race for the Bowerman.
AWARDS: The 2024 Bowerman Watch List for men's and women's NCAA track and field
2. Rachel Glenn, Arkansas (Hurdles/Jumps)
The second-best claim for the Bowerman at this point in the season belongs to Glenn. No one ranked below Glenn has both a collegiate record and an indoor title. Throw in Glenn's contributions to Arkansas' 2024 team title, and you have a strong Bowerman resume for the Razorback jumper.
3. JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina (Sprints)
Last year, we saw a freshman take home the men's Bowerman. We haven't seen a freshman woman take home the Bowerman since Athing Mu and Sha'Carri Richardson did so in back-to-back award years in 2021 and 2019. Ford looks like the top rookie candidate to add her name to that group.
Ford won the indoor 200-meter title and ran the anchor leg of the winning 4x400 meter relay. In her collegiate debut, she ran the second-fastest 300-meter time ever, behind only a performance from Abby Steiner that came in her Bowerman-winning season.
Ford is off to a fantastic start in her college career, and if she keeps trending upward, she'll stay in contention for the premier award in track and field.
4. Jasmine Jones, Southern California (Sprints/Hurdles)
Jones became the third-best all-time collegiate performer in the 60 meter hurdles after she ran 7.77 to win the indoor title in March. She also won the silver at the USATF Indoor Championships. That USATF medal counts towards her Bowerman case, as it came within the Bowerman's performance window, and the medal is also what bumps her up to fourth on this list.
USA: Recapping NCAA track and field performances at the 2024 USATF Indoor Championships
5. Brianna Lyston, LSU (Sprints)
Only one woman has ever run faster than Lyston ran across 60 meters this winter, and that woman — Julien Alfred — won the most recent Bowerman. That's a good sign for Lyston, the indoor 60-meter titlist, as she enters the outdoor season. She's already on a good track (no pun intended) to keep pace (again, no pun intended) with last year's Bowerman winner. Lyston opened up her outdoor season running a 10.87 second 100 meters for the fastest career opener in collegiate history, regardless of conditions.
6. Maia Ramsden, Harvard (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Ramsden ran the second- and third-fastest indoor miles of any woman in collegiate history, ultimately winning the NCAA title. That title-winning performance came a week after she represented New Zealand at the World Indoor Championships with a 10th place finish in the 1500 meters. She'll likely be the favorite for the 1500 meters during the outdoor season, and a string of strong performances outdoors can easily see her climb these rankings.
7. Juliette Whittaker, Stanford (Mid-Distance)
Whittaker rounds out the indoor titlists that made the fourth edition of the Bowerman watch list. Whittaker's impressive 800 meter win earned her her watch list career debut on the third edition. However, Whittaker only comes in seventh on these rankings because she didn't run the fastest time in her event during the indoor season.
8. Michaela Rose, LSU (Mid-Distance)
The owner of the fastest indoor 800-meter time was Rose. She didn't win the indoor title, but she did run the second-, third- and fifth-fastest indoor 800 meters of any collegiate woman ever. Rose also is the only woman on the Bowerman watch list with two collegiate records in two different events — the outdoor 600 meters and the indoor 600 yards. Yet, it's the elusive indoor title that keeps Rose from rising higher up this list.
RECORDS: Every collegiate track and field record broken in 2024
9. Lamara Distin, Texas A&M (Jumps)
Distin was the first field event athlete to set a collegiate record this year, clearing 2.00 meters in the high jump to set an all-time mark. However, Distin couldn't clear the height with a title on the line in Boston, and without the indoor title, she comes in at ninth on the list.
10. Jaida Ross, Oregon (Throws)
The newest collegiate record holder is also the newest Bowerman watch list member. Ross set a shot put collegiate record and has since joined the prestigious watch list. She finished second at indoor champs but will likely need an NCAA title this year to rise amongst a loaded field of Bowerman candidates.
MONTH IN REVIEW: Recapping the top outdoor track and field moments of March
Men
1. Nico Young, Northern Arizona (Distance)
Young has to be the clear Bowerman front-runner at this point of the year. He won indoor titles in the 3000 and 5000 meters, setting a collegiate record in the latter. Only a week after pulling off the indoor double, Young set the 10,000-meter collegiate record. Young's accolades this year have him in pole position.
2. Terrence Jones, Texas Tech (Sprints)
It was a close call for the second spot on these rankings, but Jones got the nod after leading Texas Tech to an indoor team title behind a 60m-200m double. While Jones doesn't have a collegiate or world record like the next person on this list, the team title gives him a slight edge.
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3. Christopher Morales Williams, Georgia (Sprints)
Morales Williams is next up after one of the greatest indoor seasons in the 400 meters of any collegian ever. He set a world record in the 400 meters (albeit unratified) and won the indoor title in Boston. In his first outdoor 400-meter race, he ran the fastest time in the NCAA so far this year. Morales Williams' 400 meter success has him among the top dogs in the Bowerman hunt.
4. Leo Neugebauer, Texas (Combined Events)
There's a gap between the top four of this ranking and everyone else, with Neugebauer rounding out the final spot in the group. Neugebauer is a returning Bowerman finalist, and he knows as well as anyone that the decision on the Bowerman is far from set. Last year, Neugebauer didn't appear on any watch lists until the semifinalist announcement.
It's safe to say Neugebauer won't have to wait as long to garner recognition from the Bowerman committee this year. After scoring the fifth-most points ever in the heptathlon to win the indoor title, he scored the third-most points ever in the decathlon in his outdoor season opener. Neugebauer also set a decathlon shot put collegiate record in that performance. The Longhorn is primed for another year where he contends to be a Bowerman finalist.
LONESTAR: Recapping the 2024 Texas Relays
5. Wayne Pinnock, Arkansas (Jumps)
Pinnock returned atop the NCAA podium with an indoor long jump title. He also climbed the all-time list with an 8.40-meter jump, good for No. 5 in collegiate history. As Pinnock gets closer to the top of the record books, he gets closer to a potential Bowerman trophy.
6. Kenneth Ikeji, Harvard (Throws)
Ikeji won the indoor weight throw title and earlier in the indoor season, becoming the No. 6 all-time collegiate performer with a 24.39 meter throw. Ikeji now enters the outdoor season looking to defend his hammer throw title. If he can, he'll have a strong Bowerman case.
7. Romaine Beckford, Arkansas (Jumps)
Beckford's ranking is a tricky one to decide. He's stringing together a dominant streak of national titles, winning three straight in the high jump. Yet, the Bowerman is a year-by-year award, so last year's performances shouldn't be factored into a voter's decision — even with it being human nature to think of past results.
That said, I ranked Beckford seventh because his consistency in the high jump across seasons has him as the favorite to win his fourth title come June. However, Beckford will need to set a new PR and break the 2.30-meter threshold to truly climb the Bowerman ladder because as more and more athletes push and break collegiate records, a 2.27-meter personal best may not move the needle.
8. Luke Houser, Washington (Distance)
Houser won his second-straight indoor title in the mile. While impressive, that comes in at only No. 8 on this list because the distance fields are always unpredictable, and it's far too early to tell how the spring season will turn out.
OUTDOOR CHAMPS: Schedule, location, TV channels, history for the 2024 NCAA outdoor track and field championships
9. Graham Blanks, Harvard (Distance)
Blanks comes in ninth on this list because he hasn't run since December. When we last saw the Harvard sprinter on the track, he set the indoor 5000-meter collegiate record (it has since fallen).
10. Sam Whitmarsh, Texas A&M (Sprints/Mid-Distance)
The newest entry to the men's Bowerman watch list rounds out the list at 10th. Whitmarsh joins the watch list after running the nation's fastest outdoor 800-meter time to date at 1:44.46, becoming the eighth-fastest man across the distance outdoors in NCAA history. During the indoor season, Whitmarsh won the SEC 800 title, but a lack of performance at indoor nationals keeps the Aggie from rising higher in these rankings.
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