The Bowerman: 2024 Women’s Mid-Outdoor Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – Setting a collegiate record isn’t the only way to make The Bowerman Watch List, but one athlete found it rewarding enough to make her first appearance as the Women’s Mid-Outdoor version was announced Wednesday.

Jaida Ross of Oregon improved the shot put CR this past weekend and joins nine returners on the Watch List: Lamara Distin of Texas A&M, JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina, Rachel Glenn of Arkansas, Jasmine Jones of Southern California, Brianna Lyston of LSU, Maia Ramsden of Harvard, Michaela Rose of LSU, Parker Valby of Florida and Juliette Whittaker of Stanford.

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

Distin, who hails from Hanover, Jamaica, opened up her outdoor season winning the high jump at the 44 Farms Team Invitational with a 1.96m (6-5) clearance. That ties the No. 6 performance in outdoor collegiate history, where she owns three of the top-10 performances including efforts from previous years. Indoors she became the first collegian to clear 2.00m (6-6¾) in winning the SEC Indoor Championships. She lost in a thrilling duel with co-Watch List member Glenn 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 11th career Watch List appearance, increasing her total as the active leader among women.

Ford, who hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina, continued her undefeated season in her first two outdoor meets of the year, winning the 400 meters at the Weems Baskin Invitational and the 200 at the Florida Relays with outdoor collegiate-leading times of 51.16 and 22.37, respectively. She added a scintillating 49.38 anchor leg split on the Gamecock’s winning 4×400 relay in the latter meet. In the winter, she won the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 22.34 to become No. 7 collegian all-time indoors. She previously had clocked 22.36 twice, both of which rate No. =8 among collegiate indoor performances all-time. She was undefeated at all distances indoors, 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 anchored two of the three fastest 4x400s indoors, leading the Gamecocks to victories at the NCAA and SEC Indoor Championships (the latter with a split of 49.80). This is her fourth Watch List appearance.

Glenn, who hails from Long Beach, California, has yet to compete outdoors this year. She ended her indoor season winning 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. This is her second Watch List appearance.

Jones, who hails from Atlanta, Georgia, had a misstep in her first outdoor hurdles race this year, not finishing her heat of the 100 hurdles at the Florida Relays. She was undefeated by collegians in the indoor 60 hurdles, topped by winning 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. This is her third appearance on the Watch List.

Lyston, who hails from Portmore, Jamaica, opened up the outdoor season in fast form, clocking a wind-aided 10.87 at the Battle on the Bayou meet that leads all collegians this year under all conditions. It’s also the fastest season opener in the event under all conditions in collegiate history. She was undefeated indoors in the 60, culminating with the NCAA Indoor title in 7.03 to become No. 2 collegian all-time behind only 2023 The Bowerman winner Julien Alfred. She had 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. This is her fourth Watch List appearance.

Ramsden, who hails from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has yet to compete outdoors this year. During the winter she 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 3k 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 third Watch List appearance.

Rose, who hails from Suffolk, Virginia, has raced twice outdoors – first with the fastest outdoor 600 in collegiate history at 1:25.75, then a week later in the 1500 at 4:12.88 that is shy of her 4:11.98 PR from last year. Indoors, she also set a CR (and world best) in the 600 yards at 1:16.76 before compiling three sub-2 races in the 800 that give her three of the top-5 collegiate performances all-time – her fastest of 1:59.25 to win the SEC Indoor Championships and become No. 2 collegian all-time behind only 2021 The Bowerman winner Athing Mu. Another of those sub-2 clockings earned a runner-up finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. This is her sixth career Watch List appearance.

Ross, who hails from Medord, Oregon, debuts on the Watch List after breaking the shot put CR in winning the Triton Invitational at 19.71m (64-8). Indoors, she moved to No. 9 all-time collegiately with a best of 18.84m (61-9¾) before earning runner-up honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Her day at the Triton Invitational also included a PR in the discus at 58.31m (191-3). Her appearance on the Watch List makes her the 18th woman from Oregon to be named to the Watch List, extending the program’s all-time lead in the category.

Valby, who hails from Tampa, Florida, has yet to compete outdoors this year. She was dominant in the winter, winning the 5000 and 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in record-setting form. In the 5k, she lowered her own CR to 14:52.79 while she came back the next day to break the meet record in the 3k at 8:51.30 in becoming No. 3 all-time collegiately indoors. Her undefeated season included 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. This is her fifth career Watch List appearance.

Whittaker, who hails from Laurel, Maryland, has raced just once outdoors this year, clocking 4:17.35 in the 1500 meters at the Stanford Invitational. In the winter she won her specialty – the 800 – 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 in the year she ran 2:00.09 for the No. 9 all-time performance indoors on any-sized track, and set a PR in the mile at 4:30.92. She was undefeated against collegians in all events indoors. This is her second career Watch List appearance.

Three athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee but fell outside the Top 10: Jalani Davis of Ole Miss, Brynn King of Roberts Wesleyan and Olivia Markezich of Notre Dame.

The next women’s Watch List is scheduled for May 1.