Kendra Harrison Set for Bowerman Award Ceremony
SAN ANTONIO – 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 take place as 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.
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.
