Kentucky’s Bryant and Purdue’s Bunch Join February Women’s The Bowerman Watch List

February 6, 2014   

 

NEW ORLEANS – Dezerea Bryant of Kentucky and Dani Bunch of Purdue were added to the February edition of the Women’s Watch List for The Bowerman – collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor – which was announced Thursday by The Bowerman Watch List Committee.

Bryant, a junior sprinter at Kentucky, and Bunch, a senior thrower at Purdue, parlayed collegiate-leading performances in January into inclusion on The Watch List. Both represent the first appearances by their respective programs on either the men’s or women’s Watch List.

Bryant is the collegiate leader at 60 meters in 7.19 with three of the four fastest times in 2014, and is second among collegians at 200 meters in 23.04.

Bunch is just ¾ of an inch shy of the all-time collegiate top-10 performers list in the weight throw with a nation-leading 73-4 (22.35m) with the four best throws among collegians, and is ranked third among collegians in the shot put at 56-4¾ (17.19m).

The duo bumped Florida’s Cory McGee and San Diego State’s Shanieka Thomas down to "also receiving votes" status.

The  Men’s Watch List for February was released Wednesday.

The Bowerman Women’s Watch List – February 2014 (Click student-athletes’ names for biographies)           NAME YEAR SCHOOL EVENTS HOMETOWN Kamaria Brown JR Texas A&M Sprints Baton Rouge, La. Dezerea Bryant JR Kentucky Sprints Milwaukee, Wis. Dani Bunch RS SR Purdue Throws Mahomet, Ill. Abbey D’Agostino JR Dartmouth Distance Topsfield, Mass. Phyllis Francis SR Oregon Mid-Distance Queens, N.Y. Anna Jelmini RS SR Arizona State Throws Bakersfield, Calif. Shalaya Kipp SR Colorado Distance Salt Lake City, Utah Laura Roesler SR Oregon Mid-Distance Fargo, N.D. Ashley Spencer JR Texas Sprints Indianapolis, Ind. Lindsay Vollmer JR Kansas Combined Events Hamilton, Mo.   Also Receiving Votes: Natalia Bartnovskaya (Kansas); Ciarra Brewer (Florida); Emily Grove (South Dakota); Kendra Harrison (Kentucky); Cory McGee (Florida); Sami Spenner (Nebraska Omaha); Shanieka Thomas (San Diego State); Jasmine Todd (Oregon)

 

Headlining the returners from the Preseason Watch List are Dartmouth distance runner Abbey D’Agostino and sprinter Ashley Spencer of Texas, who are making their seventh and sixth career appearances, respectively. D’Agostino is the active women’s leader in career Watch List appearances, while Spencer is second.

D’Agostino turned in the third-fastest indoor mile in collegiate history and seventh-fastest in American history with a 4:28.31 performace at the Boston University Terrier Invitational, tied with Vicki Huber of Villanova in 1988 for both marks.

Sprinter Phyllis Francis and mid-distance runner Laura Roesler of Oregon, Arizona State thrower Anna Jelmini, and Colorado distance runner Shalaya Kipp all returned from the Preseason Watch List to give the Pac-12 a combined 92 total appearances since the inception of the Watch List in 2010.

Roesler was the Pac-12 standout in January with her 2:01.32 run over 800 meters for the indoor event’s second-fastest all-conditions time in collegiate history on Kentucky’s oversized track, along with her 2:02.5 split over 800 meters in the Ducks’ third-ranked distance medley relay. Francis is the collegiat leader at 400 meters.

That total is second only to the SEC’s 103, which includes Kentucky’s Bryant and Texas A&M sprinter Kamaria Brown, the collegiate leader at 200 meters.

Rounding out the list was multi-event athlete Lindsay Vollmer of Kansas, who increased the Big 12′s all-time total inclusions to 42, third among all conferences.

Along with McGee and Thomas in the "also receiving votes" category are pole vaulters Natalia Bartnovskaya of Kansas and Emily Grove of South Dakota; horizontal jumper Ciarra Brewer of Florida; hurdler Kendra Harrison of Kentucky; mutli-event athlete Sami Spenner of Nebraska Omaha; and Oregon sprinter/jumper Jasmine Todd.

Biographies on each of the members of the Watch List can be found here.

 

ABOUT THE BOWERMAN

The Bowerman Trophy, which was first awarded in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.

Indiana’s Derek Drouin and Clemson’s Brianna Rollins are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman. In addition to their collegiate achievements, Rollins is the reigning World Champion in the 100 meter hurdles — an event for which she also holds the American Record — while Drouin has won bronze medals at both the 2012 Olympics and 2013 IAAF World Championships.

Past winners include Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010); 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009); and 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters, Jenny Simpson (2009).

In total, the winners from the award’s first four years have won three Olympic Medals, five World Championships (one relay, one indoor) and ten World Championships medals (two relay, one indoor). When considering finalists for the award, 13 individuals have earned a combined six Olympic medals, six World Championships (one relay, two indoor) and 20 World Championships medals (three realy, three indoor).

Former winners of and finalists for The Bowerman currently hold 21 national records. Each former winner of the men’s Bowerman Trophy holds at least two national records, while two of the five women’s winners are current national record-holders.

Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in 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 over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA 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.