Crouser Only New Addition To Pre-NCAA Championships Bowerman Men’s Watch List

Published on March 3, 2016

NEW ORLEANS — Have the men on The Bowerman Watch List this season been more consistent or spectacular?

We probably need to amend a third option to say, "both."

Through the first two months of the collegiate track & field season, there have been some incredible performances. The 10 men on the newest edition of The Bowerman Watch List, released Thursday by The Bowerman Watch List Committee, have turned in their share of those.

Nine of the 10 men from last month’s Watch List return to the pre-NCAA Indoor Championship edition — Oregon’sDevon Allen, TCU’s Ronnie Baker, Tennessee’s Jake Blakenship, Texas A&M’s Donavan Brazier, Oregon’sEdward Cheserek, Penn State’s Brannon Kidder, Arkansas’ Jarrion Lawson, Oklahoma State’s Nick Millerand Georgia’s Maicel Uibo.

Gone, however, is Florida’s Najee Glass. In his place is Texas’ Ryan Crouser.

This is the first time since the March 2014’s pre-Championship edition that the Watch List is without a Gator.

Crouser knocked Glass off the list and into the "also receiving votes" category following a monster throw at the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships.

It was in Ames, Iowa, where Crouser unleased a titanic heave of 21.73m (71-3.5) to tie the collegiate record set by Arizona State’s Ryan Whiting in 2008. It was the second throw of Crouser’s career that sailed more than 70 feet.

Crouser, who makes the 19th apperance of his career on the Watch List, is the second member of this illustrious group to have tied or broken a collegiate record this season. Back in January, Kidder ran 2:18.26 in the 1000 meters to undo Rich Peters‘ two-year-old mark.

Another man on the Watch List came awfully close to establishing his own history last month at the NYRR Millrose Games.

Cheserek, competing in the Paavo Nurmi 3000, clocked the fastest time at that distance next to Arkansas’ Alistair Cragg and his record-setting jaunt of 7:38.59 in 2004. Cheserek’s 7:40.51 also gave him his second NCAA-leading time of the season (also is the top-ranked athlete at 5000 meters).

Baker also found himself in elite company after he blistered the field in the 60-meter finals at the Big 12 Championships. His time of 6.51 gave him a collegiate lead and tied him for sixth on the all-time chart.

So Baker, Cheserek and Crouser stole the headlines in February after Brazier and Kidder made them in January — but let’s not discount what Brazier and Kidder added to their resume in the shortest month.

Brazier captured his first SEC 800-meters title in a thrilling race that saw the third- and fifth-fastest times run in the nation.

Kidder, like Cheserek, participated in the NYRR Millrose Games. While his performance wasn’t nearly as historic, Kidder finished a narrow runner-up to two-time U.S. champion Duane Solomon in the 800.

What about those other men — with the exception of Miller, who doesn’t have indoor eligibility?

Blakenship rallied from a slow start to the season and reclaimed the top spot in the pole vault with a clearance of 5.72m (18-9.25).

Allen crushed the field at the MPSF Championships en route to his 60-hurdles title (7.60) and held that collegiate lead until LSU’s Jordan Moore matched it the following afternoon.

Lawson also saw his collegiate lead equaled in the past month, but owns the most leaps of eight meters or more this season (four). He also qualified for NCAAs in the 60 (6.62).

Uibo is still trying to find his footing and is currently ranked fourth in the heptathlon.

Those athletes who didn’t receive enough votes to be included on the Watch List — in addition to Glass — were Texas’Zach Bilderback, Georgia’s Garrett Scantling, Southern California’s Eric Sloan and Washington’s Izaic Yorks.

ABOUT THE BOWERMAN

The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.

Oregon’s Jenna Prandini and Florida’s Marquis Dendy are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

Past winners include Olympic gold medalist, four-time 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) as well as 2012 Olympic high jump bronze medalist and 2015 World Champion Derek Drouin (2013).