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January 14, 2010

Men's Preseason Bowerman Award Watch List

For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the recently-debuted trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org. Keep up with Bowerman candidates on the USTFCCCA’s weekly results page (http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results) and by following the organization’s twitter feed twitter.com/USTFCCCA.

THE BOWERMAN OFFICIAL PRESEASON WATCH LIST, 2010 WOMEN

(in alphabetical order)

NAME	YEAR	SCHOOL	EVENTS
Joanna Atkins	JR	Auburn	Sprints
Jessica Beard	JR	Texas A&M	Sprints
Angela Bizzarri	SR	Illinois	Distance
Lacey Cramer	SO	BYU	Mid-Distance
Semoy Hackett	SO	Lincoln (Mo.)	Sprints
Kylie Hutson	SR	Indiana State	Pole Vault
Mariam Kevkhisvili	SR	Florida	Throws
Porscha Lucas	SR	Texas A&M	Sprints
Brianne Theisen	JR	Oregon	Combined Events
Kim Williams	JR	Florida State	Jumps

BOWERMAN WATCH LIST PROFILES

(all career bests are outdoor unless listed) 

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Joanna Atkins, Jr., Auburn,
Sprints, Stone Mountain, Ga., Stephenson HS

Atkins won the 400 meters at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a career-best time of 50.39 seconds in the finals, surpassing her previous best by nearly a second and a half. She showed her versatility during the outdoor season by being ranked among the nation’s leaders in three events, with career-best times of 11.34 in the 100 meters, 22.89 in the 200 meters and 50.39 in the 400 meters. During the indoor season, she was the SEC Champion in the 400 meters and finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Career bests:
100 meters, 11.34
200 meters, 22.89
400 meters, 50.39

Upcoming Auburn meets:
Weekend of January 16: at Kentucky Invitational (Lexington, Ky.)
Weekend of January 23: idle
Weekend of January 30: at Clemson Games (Clemson, S.C.)
Weekend of February 6: at Penn State’s Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup (State College, Pa.)

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Jessica Beard, Jr., Texas A&M,
Sprints, Euclid, Ohio, Euclid HS

Beard was the anchor leg on Texas A&M’s NCAA Indoor Championship-winning 4×400-meter relay team in 2009, turning in a 51.25 split to help the Aggies top the field by just under two seconds. In the open 400 meters, Beard claimed double runner-up performances at both NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in 2009. Beard used close finishes to also claim double 400-meter Big 12 Conference titles, topping Oklahoma’s Leslie Cole at the outdoor meet by just three thousandths of a second. Beard additional claimed the bronze at the USATF Championships this past June in 400 meters and later advanced to the semifinals of the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. In 2008, Beard was a World Junior silver medalist after running a 52.09 in Poland as a member of the U.S. Junior team.

Career bests:
400 meters, 50.66
400 meters, 51.77 (indoor)

Upcoming Texas A&M meets:
Weekend of January 16: hosts Texas A&M Invitational (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of January 23: hosts dual versus Texas (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of January 30: hosts Texas A&M Conference Challenge (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of February 6: at New Balance Invitational (New York, N.Y.)

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Angela Bizzarri, Sr., Illinois,
Distance, Mason, Ohio, Mason HS

Bizzarri is coming off a dream fall that saw her win the NCAA Cross Country individual title, becoming the first female from Illinois to accomplish the feat. On the track in 2009, Bizzarri was the NCAA champ at 5000 meters and placed third in the event at the USATF Championships. At the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, Bizzarri accounted for 18 team points as winner of the 5000 meters and as runner-up in the 1500. Indoors, Bizzarri placed fourth at 3000 meters.

Career bests:
1500 meters, 4:16.95
Mile, 4:41.98 (indoor)
3000 meters, 9:11.62 (indoor)
5000 meters, 15:33.02

Upcoming Illinois meets:
Weekend of January 16: at Southern Illinois’ SASF Invitational (Carbondale, Ill.)
Weekend of January 23: hosts Carle/Health Alliance Classic (Champaign, Ill.)
Weekend of January 30: at Illinois Intercollegiates (Charleston, Ill.)
Weekend of February 6: at Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)

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Lacey Cramer, So., BYU,
Mid-Distance, Cedar Hills, Utah, Lone Peak HS

Cramer came into the scene in a flash, taking the 2009 NCAA 800-meter indoor crown as a freshman with a 2:04.27 clocking and helped the Cougars to a third-place showing in the distance medley relay. Earlier in the indoor season, Cramer won the Mountain West Conference 800 meters. Outdoors, Cramer was fourth at the NCAA Outdoor meet, clocking 2:03.19 in the finals. Cramer earned topped the field at the NCAA West Regional and again was champ of the Mountain West outdoors. Cramer also ran on the conference champion 4×400-meter relay team.

Career bests:
800 meters, 2:03.01
1500 meters, 4:17.10
Mile, 4:47.77 (indoor)

Upcoming BYU meets:
Weekend of January 16: at Idaho State Invitational (Pocatello, Idaho)
Weekend of January 23: at New Mexico’s Cherry & Silver Invitational (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Weekend of January 30: at Washington Invitational (Seattle, Wash.)
Weekend of February 6: at New Balance Invitational (New York, N.Y.)

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Semoy Hackett, So., Lincoln (Mo.),
Sprints, Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago

Hackett hails from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., a member of the NCAA’s Division II. Hackett was a four-time NCAA outdoor champion in her freshman campaign, winning the individual 100-, 200-meter double with personal bests of 11.18 and 22.95, respectively. In addition, Hackett was a member of the Blue Tigers’ 4×100- and 4×400-meter relay teams that took top honors at the NCAA Division II meet in San Angelo, Texas. Her 11.18 clocking made her the seventh-fastest collegian among all divisions in 2009.

Career bests:
100 meters, 11.18
200 meters, 22.95

Upcoming Lincoln (Mo.) meets:
Weekend of January 16: at Southern Illinois’ SASF Invitational (Carbondale, Ill.)
Weekend of January 23: hosts Carle/Health Alliance Classic (Champaign, Ill.)
Weekend of January 30: at Indiana Relays (Bloomington, Ind.)
Weekend of February 6: at Nebraska’s Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational (Lincoln, Neb.)

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Kylie Hutson, Sr., Indiana State,
Pole Vault, Terre Haute, Ind., Terre Haute North HS

In her junior season, Hutson won NCAA crowns during both the indoor and outdoor seasons with the pole vault, claiming personal bests in both championship meets to take the titles. During the outdoor championship, Hutson needed a clearance at 14-5¼(4.40m) to win the competition as with a first-attempt miss at 14-1¼ (4.30m) placed her second going into the height. Hutson was the only to clear 14-5¼, doing so on her first attempt and, before bowing out of the competition, she went on to attempt an NCAA-meet record height of 14-6 (4.42m).

Career bests:
Pole vault, 14-5¼, 4.40m
Pole vault, 14-4¾, 4.35m

Upcoming Indiana State meets:
Weekend of January 16: at dual with Illinois State (Normal, Ill.)
Weekend of January 23: at RHIT Friday Night Invite (Terre Haute, Ind.) /
at Purdue’s Gene Edmonds Cup (West Lafayette, Ind.)
Weekend of January 30: at Wisconsin Elite Meet (Madison, Wis.)
Weekend of February 6: at Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)

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Mariam Kevkhisvili, Sr., Florida,
Throws, Tbilisi, Georgia, Varketili Secondary

Kevkhisvili is the two-time defending NCAA indoor shot put champion and will return for her senior campaign to also defend her 2009 NCAA outdoor shot put title. The Gator is only the fourth woman in NCAA to win back-to-back indoor crowns in the event. In 2009, Kevkhisvili went undefeated against collegiate competition and swept SEC crowns with the shot. Kevkhisvili has twice been an Olympian for her home country of Georgia.

Career bests:
Shot put, 18.05m, 59-2¾
Shot put, 17.94m, 58-10¼ (indoor)

Upcoming Florida meets:
Weekend of January 16: at Kentucky Invitational (Lexington, Ky.)
Weekend of January 23: idle
Weekend of January 30: at Texas A&M Conference Challenge (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of February 6: at Virginia Tech Elite Meet (Blacksburg, Va.)

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Porscha Lucas, Sr., Texas A&M,
Sprints, Plano, Texas, Plano HS

As a 2009 Bowerman finalist, Lucas was a dominant national force at the 200 meters and as a part of Texas A&M’s sprint relays last year. Lucas claimed an individual NCAA Championship outdoors at 200 meters, running a collegiate-leading, season best of 22.38 in the semifinal. Lucas was the second leg on the A&M 4×100-meter relay squad that claimed an NCAA outdoor title and ran to a collegiate-record time of 42.36. Overall, Lucas scored 17½ team points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in leading the Aggies to their first NCAA team title. In addition, Lucas swept Big 12 titles in the 200 meters indoors and outdoors and won an additional two conference crowns as part of the Aggies’ indoor 4×400-meter relay and outdoor 4×100-meter relay.

Career bests:
60 meters, 7.24 (indoor)
100 meters, 11.12
200 meters, 22.38
200 meters, 22.83 (indoor)

Upcoming Texas A&M meets:
Weekend of January 16: hosts Texas A&M Invitational (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of January 23: hosts dual versus Texas (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of January 30: hosts Texas A&M Conference Challenge (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of February 6: at New Balance Invitational (New York, N.Y.)

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Brianne Theisen, Jr., Oregon,
Combined Events, Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Humboldt Collegiate Institute

Theisen is the defending NCAA champion in the heptathlon after scoring a personal best of 6,086 points at the national meet in Fayetteville, Ark. Theisen went on to win the Canadian national championship in the event to earn a berth on Team Canada for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. Theisen was responsible for 17 team points at the Pac-10 Conference Championships in2009 to help the Ducks win the league title for the first time since 1992. At the Pac-10 meet, Theisen won the heptathlon, was part of the winning 4×400-meter relay team, placed sixth in the long jump, and in a tie for seventh in the high jump.

Theisen also was the 2007 Pan American Junior heptathlon champion and also competed in the 2006 World Junior Championships and 2005 World Youth Championships.

Career bests:
Heptathlon, 6,086
Pentathlon, 4,321

Upcoming Oregon meets:
Weekend of January 16: at Washington Indoor Preview (Seattle, Wash.)
Weekend of January 23: idle
Weekend of January 30: at Texas A&M Conference Challenge (College Station, Texas)
Weekend of February 6: idle

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Kim Williams, Jr., Florida State,
Jumps, Kingston, Jamaica, Vere Technical

Williams was crowned three times in 2009 as an NCAA Champion as the Seminole swept triple jump indoor and outdoor titles and added an outdoor long jump crown. In addition, Williams became just the second woman to have swept both long jump and triple jump titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Williams also won three ACC championships in 2009 to add to the three she won as a freshman in 2008. Williams notched her long jump career best of 21-10¼ (6.66m) at the NCAA East Regional in 2009 and her all-conditions triple jump best of 47-2¼ (14.38m) came on her final attempt of the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships, carrying only a 2.1 meter-per-second wind-aided advantage.

Career bests:
Long jump, 6.66m, 21-10¼
Long jump, 6.51m, 21-2¾ (indoor)
Triple jump, 14.08m, 46-2½ [wind-aided: 47-2¼, 14.38m]
Triple jump, 14.03m, 46-½ (indoor)

Upcoming Florida State meets:
Weekend of January 16: at Virginia Tech Invitational (Blacksburg, Va.)
Weekend of January 23: at Florida State’s Hokie Invitational (Blacksburg, Va.)
Weekend of January 30: at Kentucky’s Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational (Lexington, Ky.)
Weekend of February 6: at Virginia Tech Elite Meet (Blacksburg, Va.)

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Dates for Bowerman Watch List:

·         Tuesday, January 12, 2010 (preseason Watch Lists)

·         Tuesday, February 9, 2010

·         Tuesday, March 2, 2010

·         Tuesday, March 16, 2010

·         Tuesday, April 6, 2010

·         Tuesday, May 4, 2010

·         Tuesday, May 18, 2010

·         Monday, June 7, 2010 (final Watch Lists)

·         Tuesday, June 15, 2010 (announce Finalists)