Kendra Harrison on Latest Bowerman Watch List
May 22, 2015
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kendra Harrison’s 18 points at the Southeastern Conference Championships last weekend landed Kendra Harrison on the latest addition of the Bowerman Trophy Watch List, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced.
Harrison is on the list for the fifth time in a row.
She won the SEC 100m hurdles in a meet record time, and placed second in the 400m hurdles.
The Bowerman Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding individual athlete in collegiate track and field.
Harrison won the SEC 100-meter hurdles last week in 12.50 seconds, which made her the fastest hurdler in the history of the conference. The time makes her the third fastest in-season collegiate hurdler ever, and the second fastest in the world this year (including professionals).
She won the 2015 NCAA and Southeastern Conference 60m hurdles Championships. Her NCAA-winning time of 7.87 tied her for the third fastest collegian ever.
She is the reigning NCAA 400m Hurdles Silver Medalist. She could face defending NCAA and now SEC Champion Shamier Little (Texas A&M), in a rematch, at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, next month.
With Harrison’s latest selection, Kentucky moved into a tie for the eighth Bowerman Watch List appearances most from any one school.
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA and considered the most prestigious individual award in collegiate track and field.
Past winners include Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters Jenny Simpson (2009), 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013) and 2012 Olympic high jump bronze medalist Derek Drouin (2013).
In total, the winners from the award’s first four years have won three Olympic Medals, two World Championships and six World Championships medals. When considering finalists for the award, 13 individuals have earned a combined seven Olympic medals, four World Championships and 17 World Championships medals.
Former Oregon head coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, who the award is named for, served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in 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.
