Six collegiate track and field stars have been shortlisted for The Bowerman 2023, a prestigious accolade recognizing the pinnacle of achievement in this sport. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) unveiled the finalists back in June, spotlighting three men and three women who have not only dominated the 2023 season but have also redefined the boundaries of their sport.
- ALSO READ:
- Noah Lyles Tops Track Category in Revised World Athlete of the Year Format
- Noah Lyles Eyes Historic Four Gold Medals in Paris Olympics
On the men’s side, the finalists include Kyle Garland of Georgia, Jaydon Hibbert of Arkansas, and Leo Neugebauer of Texas. Their remarkable season was highlighted by four NCAA titles, the shattering of four collegiate records, and an impressive ten entries into the all-time top-10 performances in their events. This rare feat marks only the second occasion in the award’s history where all three male finalists have broken at least one collegiate record, echoing a similar achievement back in 2017.
Kyle Garland, who hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, starred in the combined events this year. He won the heptathlon crown at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships with a near world-record 6639 points and demolished the collegiate record in the process. Outdoors, Garland amassed two of the top-4 decathlon scores in collegiate history: the first coming at the SEC Outdoor Championships where he tallied 8589 points for what is now the fourth-best; the second in a runner-up effort at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships where he one-upped himself with 8630 points for the third-best. Between those three Herculean efforts, Garland notched two all-time collegiate combined event bests: a 7.96m (26-1½) long jump at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships; then a 13.54 scorcher in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. Garland is the first male athlete from Georgia to be named a finalist for The Bowerman.
Jaydon Hibbert, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, is the undisputed King of the Triple Jump in collegiate history. The Arkansas freshman phenom completed the NCAA title sweep with a victory at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. Hibbert unified the indoor and outdoor collegiate records with a 17.54m (57-6½) effort indoors to win that NCAA crown, followed by a majestic 17.87m (58-7½) outdoors at the SEC Championships. Prior to Hibbert taking the collegiate scene by storm, both of the collegiate records in the triple jump had stood for more than 35 years. Hibbert also smashed both of those standards by more than five inches (nearly one foot outdoors!). Even more impressive might be the fact that Hibbert only needed 12 jumps all season to achieve all of those feats. Hibbert is the third male athlete from Arkansas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2016 award winner Jarrion Lawson and 2022 finalist Ayden Owens-Delerme. Hibbert is the fifth freshman man to be named a finalist and the youngest to be named a finalist in award history.
Leo Neugebauer, who hails from Leinfeldene-Echterdingen, Germany, orchestrated a masterclass performance in the decathlon at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. It was on his home track in Austin, Texas, where Neugebauer amassed 8836 points to obliterate the collegiate record, set a German national record and climb all the way to No. 8 in world history. A few weeks earlier, Neugebauer finished top-8 at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in both the discus and long jump. To start the outdoor season, Neugebauer scored 8478 points in the decathlon at the Texas Relays in his debut for the eighth-best total in collegiate history. Under a roof, Neugebauer finished third in the heptathlon at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. Neugebauer is the first male athlete from Texas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman.
The women finalists, Julien Alfred of Texas, Jasmine Moore of Florida, and Britton Wilson of Arkansas, have equally set the track ablaze. Their collective haul includes ten NCAA titles, the equaling or breaking of 12 collegiate records, and a staggering 33 top-10 all-time collegiate performances. Their accomplishments represent not just personal bests but milestones in the annals of collegiate athletics.
Thursday’s Big Reveal: Announcing the 2023 Bowerman Award Winners
Julien Alfred, who hails from Castries, St. Lucia, went four-for-four in national titles, sweeping the 100 and 200 at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships after taking the 60 and 200 at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. She lowered the CR in the indoor 60 five different times (ultimately to 6.94), producing eight of the top-11 marks in collegiate history. In the indoor 200, her CR 22.01 is second-fastest in world history. Her outdoor season started with four relay wins on her home track at the Texas Relays – three as the leadoff leg in CRs (4×100, 4×200 and sprint medley). Her kickstart led the Longhorn 4×100 squad in lowering the CR three times with a best of 41.55 in prelim duty before winning the NCAA title. In individual events outdoors she registered the fastest all-conditions 100 and 200 marks by a collegian in the 100 (10.72w, twice) and 200 (21.73w), while also clocking wind-legal times of 10.83 and 21.91 in becoming No. 4 and No. 2 all-time, respectively, by a collegian. Alfred is the fourth female athlete from Texas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2016 winner Courtney Okolo who was a two-time finalist, 2021 finalist Tara Davis, and 2009 finalist Destinee Hooker.
Jasmine Moore, who hails from Grand Prairie, Texas, won three national titles – all with collegiate records. Her sweep of the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships made her the first woman in meet history to sweep the horizontal jumps twice. She started with the long jump at 7.03m (23-0¾), then finished in dominating fashion in the triple jump as she obliterated her own CR of 14.57m (47-9¾) by almost two feet as her five measured efforts – all surpassing the CR – were topped by a 15.12m (49-7¼) that was also an absolute American record. She also became the first woman in world history to surpass 7 meters in the long jump and 15 meters in triple jump indoors in the same meet. Outdoors she completed a second-straight SEC Championships jump quad (winning LJ & TJ both indoors and out) in moving to =No. 10 collegian all-time in the long jump at 6.88m (22-7). She bounded a CR 14.78m (48-6) to win a second-straight triple jump crown at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Moore is the third female athlete to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2022 finalist Anna Hall and 2019 finalist Yanis David.
Britton Wilson, who hails from Henrico, Virginia, kept fans dizzy with record performances. She set multiple collegiate records in the 400 meters – once indoors and three times outdoors. Her presence in spring included a total revision of the outdoor collegiate all-time list with five of the top-6 performances. She racked up six sub-50 times – the most-ever by a collegian, and that doesn’t include her indoor CR 49.48 (the only collegiate sub-50 time in history). Wilson added rare double skills in the 400 hurdles, and displayed them sometimes with little rest after the 400. Her 53.23 seasonal best in the 400 hurdles – No. 3 all-time collegiately – was the fastest of the year’s five best times, three of which rate among the all-time top-10 collegiate performances. After winning the 400 in a CR 49.48 at the NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, she anchored Arkansas to an all-time world best 3:21.75 with a 49.19 split, the fastest ever by a woman. In January she set a CR 1:25.16 indoors in the 600. Wilson is the third female athlete from Arkansas to be named a finalist for The Bowerman, joining 2019 finalist Janeek Brown and 2011 finalist Tina Sutej.
The Bowerman Advisory Board, consisting of renowned track and field experts, selected these finalists based on their performances through the indoor and outdoor seasons of 2023, considering only performances from December 1, 2022, to the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas.
Who win the Bowerman Awards?
THE BOWERMAN HISTORY: Past Winners of The Bowerman (2009-2022)
The anticipation now builds towards the USTFCCCA Convention on December 14 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center outside Denver, Colorado. It is here, in a night celebrating the best in collegiate track & field, that one of these exceptional athletes will be crowned with The Bowerman, solidifying their place in the history of this storied sport.
