The Bowerman: 2024 Women’s Post-NCAA Indoor Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – Can the outdoor season match the indoor season?

If so, the race for The Bowerman will continue to heat up, as the ten athletes on the Women’s Post-NCAA Indoor Watch List made five adjustments to the collegiate record book indoors along rating among the top-3 all-time at least once.

Two athletes make their debut: Rachel Glenn of Arkansas and Juliette Whittaker of Stanford, who join returners Lamara Distin of Texas A&M, JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina, Jasmine Jones of Southern California, Brianna Lyston of LSU, Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame, Maia Ramsden of Harvard, Michaela Rose of LSU and Parker Valby of Florida.

The Bowerman 2024 will be awarded in December at the USTFCCCA Convention in Orlando, Florida.

Distin, who hails from Hanover, Jamaica, became the first collegian to clear 2.00m (6-6¾) in winning the SEC Indoor Championships. She lost for the first time this year in finishing second at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where she scaled “only” 1.97m (6-5½) for the third time this season, with all three performances tying for the No. 5 collegiate indoor performance all-time. This is Distin’s tenth career Watch List appearance, increasing her total as the active leader among women.

Ford, who hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina, won the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 22.34 to become No. 4 collegian all-time indoors. She previously had clocked 22.36 twice, both of which rate No. =8 among collegiate indoor performances all-time. She’s undefeated this year at all distances, including two races each at 400 (best of 51.33) and 300 (in which her 35.83 is No. 2 all-time after an earlier 36.00 that rates as No. 5 performance all-time). Ford has anchored two of the three fastest 4x400s this year, leading the Gamecocks to victories at the NCAA and SEC Indoor Championships (the latter with a split of 49.80). This is her third Watch List appearance.

Glenn, who hails from Long Beach, California, won the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships in equaling the Collegiate Record of 2.00m (6-6¾) as the second collegian to clear that barrier indoors or outdoors. That was the second raising of her PR in the meet, having cleared 1.97m (6-5½) earlier in becoming then No. =4 indoor collegian all-time. Her PR before the NCAA meet came during her busy SEC Indoor Championships, in which she finished second in the high jump at 1.94m (6-4¼) in addition to taking seventh in the 60 hurdles (8.15, just off her PR 8.14), running the 200 prelims (PR 23.03) and contributing a 51.46 split on the second leg of the Razorbacks’ runner-up 4×400 relay. Glenn’s debut on the Watch List makes her the 12th Razorback woman to do so.

Jones, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, won the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 7.77 to become No. 3 on the all-time collegiate over a field that had two others among the top-6 all-time collegiately. That time of 7.77 shaved a hundredth off the 7.78 she clocked as runner-up in the USATF Indoor Championships that is now the No. =7 performance all-time by a collegian. Jones is undefeated by collegians this year, and this is her second appearance on the Watch List.

Lyston, who hails from Portmore, Jamaica, won the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 7.03 to become No. 2 collegian all-time behind only 2023 The Bowerman winner Julien Alfred. Her undefeated season in the 60 included three other sub-7.10 times – 7.07 twice (one that made her previously No. =4 all-time collegiately) and a 7.08 to win the SEC Indoor Championships. She also has clocked 23.16 in her only 200 indoors. This is her third Watch List appearance.

Markezich, who hails from Woodinville, Washington, finished second in the 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 8:46.71 – her only loss in an individual event this year – after anchoring Notre Dame to a runner-up finish in the distance medley relay. Earlier this winter she clocked 8:40.42 in the 3000 to become No. 2 collegian all-time and anchored the Fighting Irish to win the DMR at the Alex Wilson Invitational in 10:44.62 with a 4:22.31 split that is the fastest-known for the 1600 leg. She won the 3k title in ACC Indoor Championships along with anchoring the Fighting Irish’s DMR to victory in a meet-record 10:49.74. This is her fourth career Watch List appearance.

Ramsden, who hails from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, won the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships in a meet-record 4:25.13 that was also the No. 3 performance in collegiate history. She was even faster in the Women’s Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, clocking 4:24.83 for the No. 2 performance all-time by a collegian. She also was a finalist in the 1500 meters at the World Indoor Championships, missing the CR by 0.02 seconds with her 4:06.51 in the prelims, and also posted a 3000-meter best of 8:46.84 in December that has her No. 7 on the all-time collegiate list in that event. She won the 3k at the Ivy League Championships, where she also anchored Harvard to victory in the DMR with a 4:26.47 mile split. This is her second Watch List appearance.

Rose, who hails from Suffolk, Virginia, finished second in the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 1:59.81. That performance – her only loss this year in an event shorter than a mile – gave her three of the top-5 collegiate performance all-time in the event, topped by a 1:59.25 to win the SEC Indoor Championships and become No. 2 collegian all-time behind only 2021 The Bowerman winner Athing Mu. In January she broke a long-standing collegiate (and world) best in the 600 yards, running 1:16.76. This is her fifth career Watch List appearance.

Valby, who hails from Tampa, Florida, won the 5000 and 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in record-setting form. In the 5000 meters, she lowered her own CR to 14:52.79 while she came back the next day to break the meet record in the 3000 meters at 8:51.30 in becoming No. 3 all-time collegiately indoors. Her undefeated season includes the No. 2 time in the 5000 at 14:56.11 from December with the first collegiate sub-15 time indoors or outdoors, along with the No. 6 all-time indoor performance in the 3000 at 8:42.29 in winning the SEC Indoor Championships. Valby won all four of her races this season by an average margin of 14.80 seconds. This is her fourth career Watch List appearance.

Whittaker, who hails from Laurel, Maryland, won the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in a meet-record 1:59.53 to move to No. 3 all-time on the indoor collegiate list. Earlier this winter she clocked 2:00.09 for the No. 9 all-time performance indoors on any-sized trac, and set a PR in the mile at 4:30.92. She is undefeated against collegians in all events this year. Whittaker is the fifth woman from Stanford to make on the Watch List.

Two athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee but fell outside the Top 10: Jalani Davis of Ole Miss and Brynn King of Roberts Wesleyan.

The next women’s Watch List is scheduled for April 10.