SAN ANTONIO – by Jacob E. Most – The winner of the 2015 Bowerman Award, college track and field’s top individual honor, will be revealed on Thursday evening.
The ceremony will be broadcast on USTFCCCA.org beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET with the Red Carpet Show. The ceremony will begin at 8 p.m.
The ceremony will be the centerpiece of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Convention.
Harrison is one of three finalists in the running for the Bowerman Award. Oregon’s Jenna Prandini and Stephen F. Austin’s Demi Payne are also in contention.
Harrison went undefeated in short hurdles races (60-meter hurdles indoors and 100m hurdles outdoors) throughout the 2015 collegiate season. She won two NCAA Championships, two Southeastern Conference titles in addition to the NCAA and SEC Silver Medals in the 400m hurdles this season.
Harrison was named USTFCCCA National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, as voted upon by college coaches, in June.
Of the votes for the Bowerman Award – cast by media members, statisticians, USTFCCCA member coaches and other experts from around the nation – one is already known as Payne edged Harrison to claim the online fan vote, over the summer.
ESPN’s John Anderson will host the ceremony for the fourth time in the last six years. Ryan Fenton and 2010 Bowerman winner Queen Harrison will host the Red Carpet Show.
Seven former Bowerman winners will join Anderson— Oregon’s Laura Roesler and Texas A&M’s Deon Lendore from 2014, Clemson’s Brianna Rollins and Indiana’s Derek Drouin from 2013, Florida State’s Ngoni Makusha and Texas A&M’s Jessica Beard from 2011 and Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison, who won the award in 2010.
The 2015 Men’s Bowerman finalists are Akron’s Shawn Barber, Oregon’s Edward Cheserek and Florida’s Marquis Dendy.
The case for Harrison
Harrison, a senior, won the NCAA Championships in the 60-meter hurdles indoors, the 100m hurdles outdoors, and took second in the 400m hurdles outdoors.
Her times in the 100m hurdles (12.50) and 60m hurdles (7.87) make her the third fastest college woman ever, trailing only Ginnie Powell and 2013 Bowerman winner Brianna Rollins in both events. She is the fifth-fastest collegian ever in the 400m hurdles.
Her times are all the more impressive considering they came within 35 minutes of one another. For context, Harrison’s NCAA-winning 100m hurdles time of 12.55 (making her the No. 2 performer in the world this year) would have equaled the Bronze Medal performance at the 2013 IAAF World Championships, while her 400m hurdles time (also ranked No. 2 in the world this year) would have equaled the Silver Medal Performance as the last World Championships, and none of the women in that 2013 World Championship Final had run a race earlier that day or the day prior.
The Bowerman Award does not take into account performances that occur outside the collegiate season. Harrison’s Silver Medal at the USA Track & Field Championships will not be considered, nor will the fact that she competed for the U.S. World Championships team.
In in-depth breakdown of the selection is available at TheBowerman.org.
