The Bowerman: 2023 Men’s Finalists
NEW ORLEANS – Men’s finalists for The Bowerman, collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor, were announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Kyle Garland of Georgia, Jaydon Hibbert of Arkansas and Leo Neugebauer of Texas were chosen by The Bowerman Advisory Board as the most outstanding athletes in collegiate men’s track & field during the 2023 indoor and outdoor seasons. Garland, Hibbert and Neugebauer won a combined four NCAA titles, obliterated four collegiate records and notched ten all-time top-10 performances in their respective events.
This is just the second time in award history that all three men’s finalists broke at least one collegiate record (2017 was the first).
THE BOWERMAN HISTORY: Past Winners of The Bowerman (2009-2022)
FINALIST FACT SHEETS: Kyle Garland | Jaydon Hibbert | Leo Neugebauer
The Bowerman Advisory Board is a panel of track & field experts from around the nation who select finalists based on performances recorded during the 2023 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Only performances from December 1, 2022, through the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Austin, Texas, were eligible for consideration.
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.
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.
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.
Fan voting for The Bowerman begins Tuesday, June 27 on The Bowerman’s website and runs through Thursday, June 29. Paper voting also begins on Tuesday, June 27 and closes on July 14.
Garland, Hibbert and Neugebauer will be feted on Thursday, December 14, during the annual USTFCCCA Convention, which will be held at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center outside of Denver, Colorado. One of those three incredible athletes will take home collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor that same night following The Bowerman Presentation.
WINNER SELECTION PROCESS
The Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner.
The Bowerman Voters consist of:
- The Bowerman Advisory Board
- Select media personnel, statisticians, and collegiate administrators
- Past winners of The Bowerman
- Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
- Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)
The online fan vote opened on Tuesday, June 28 at 4 pm ET.
THE BOWERMAN PAST FINALISTS & AWARD HISTORY
MEN
2009
Winner: Galen Rupp, Oregon
Finalist: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: German Fernandez, Oklahoma State
2010
Winner: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: Andrew Wheating, Oregon
Finalist: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
2011
Winner: Ngoni Makusha, Florida State
Finalist: Jeshua Anderson, Washington State
Finalist: Christian Taylor, Florida
2012
Winner: Cam Levins, Southern Utah
Finalist: Tony McQuay, Florida
Finalist: Andrew Riley, Illinois
2013
Winner: Derek Drouin, Indiana
Finalist: Lawi Lalang, Arizona
Finalist: Julian Wruck, UCLA
2014
Winner: Deon Lendore, Texas A&M
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon
Finalist: Lawi Lalang, Arizona
2015
Winner: Marquis Dendy, Florida
Finalist: Shawn Barber, Akron
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon
2016
Winner: Jarrion Lawson, Arkansas
Finalist: Donavan Brazier, Texas A&M
Finalist: Edward Cheserek, Oregon
2017
Winner: Christian Coleman, Tennessee
Finalist: Fred Kerley, Texas A&M
Finalist: Lindon Victor, Texas A&M
2018
Winner: Michael Norman, Southern California
Finalist: Rai Benjamin, Southern California
Finalist: Grant Holloway, Florida
2019
Winner: Grant Holloway, Florida
Finalist: Mondo Duplantis, LSU
Finalist: Divine Oduduru, Texas Tech
2021
Winner: JuVaughn Harrison, LSU
Finalist: Cole Hocker, Oregon
Finalist: Turner Washington, Arizona State
2022
Winner: Trey Cunningham, Florida State
Finalist: Ayden Owens-Delerme, Arkansas
WOMEN
2009
Winner: Jenny Barringer, Colorado
Finalist: Destinee Hooker, Texas
Finalist: Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M
2010
Winner: Queen Harrison, Virginia Tech
Finalist: Lisa Koll, Iowa State
Finalist: Blessing Okagbare, UTEP
2011
Winner: Jessica Beard, Texas A&M
Finalist: Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Finalist: Tina Sutej, Arkansas
2012
Winner: Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU
Finalist: Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Finalist: Brianne Theisen, Oregon
2013
Winner: Brianna Rollins, Clemson
Finalist: Brigetta Barrett, Arizona
Finalist: Kori Carter, Stanford
2014
Winner: Laura Roesler, Oregon
Finalist: Sharika Nelvis, Arkansas State
Finalist: Courtney Okolo, Texas
2015
Winner: Jenna Prandini, Oregon
Finalist: Kendra Harrison, Kentucky
Finalist: Demi Payne, Stephen F. Austin
2016
Winner: Courtney Okolo, Texas
Finalist: Keturah Orji, Georgia
Finalist: Raven Saunders, Ole Miss
2017
Winner: Raevyn Rogers, Oregon
Finalist: Maggie Ewen, Arizona State
Finalist: Keturah Orji, Georgia
2018
Winner: Keturah Orji, Georgia
Finalist: Maggie Ewen, Arizona State
Finalist: Sydney McLaughlin, Kentucky
2019
Winner: Sha’Carri Richardson, LSU
Finalist: Janeek Brown, Arkansas
Finalist: Yanis David, Florida
2021
Winner: Athing Mu, Texas A&M
Finalist: Tara Davis, Texas
Finalist: Tyra Gittens, Texas A&M
2022
Winner: Abby Steiner, Kentucky
Finalist: Anna Hall, Florida
Finalist: Camryn Rogers, California
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.
Bill Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership as president of 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 thousands of coaching members encompassing NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and NJCAA, 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.
