Washington's Scott Roth & Washington State's Jeshua Anderson named Bowerman semi-finalists...
With the collegiate season complete, the semifinalists will be evaluated by the ten-person Bowerman Advisory Board and three finalists will be named from the group on Wednesday, July 13.
Roth, who was not on the Bowerman's Watch List during the regular season, claimed a sweep of NCAA pole vault crowns during the 2011 year, becoming the fourth to do so since 2000. He set an indoor season best of 18-1 (5.51m) during the indoor season and an overall personal best of 18-9¼ (5.72m) to take victory at the Mt. SAC Relays. At the end of the collegiate season, Roth's season’s best mark ranked among the world’s top five.
Anderson, in contrast was on the Bowerman Watch List throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons. He joined BYU’s Ralph Mann (1969-70-71) and Iowa State’s Danny Harris (1984-85-86) as the only three to win a third NCAA-championship title in the 400-meter hurdles. Anderson won on the 2011 NCAA title in 48.56, over a half-second ahead of the rest of the field in the event’s finals. He earned the season’s collegiate best, and current American-leading, 400-hurdle time of 48.13 in winning a fourth-straight Pac-10 crown. His clocking also ranks second in the world so far in 2011 and ranks among the collegiate all-time top five.
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the top male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Oregon's Ashton Eaton and Virginia Tech's Queen Harrison are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Both Anderson and Roth are entered for this weekend's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with berths for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea on the line.
Here are the ten semi-finalists, including year, school, event, and hometown:
Jeshua Anderson SR Washington State Hurdles Woodland Hills, Calif.
Robby Andrews SO Virginia Distance Englishtown, N.J.
Sam Chelanga RS SR Liberty Distance Nairobi, Kenya
Will Claye JR Florida Jumps Phoenix, Ariz.
Kirani James SO Alabama Sprints Gouyave, Grenada
Leonard Korir JR Iona Distance Iten, Kenya
Ngoni Makusha JR Florida State Jumps/Sprints Zimbabwe
Maurice Mitchell JR Florida State Sprints Kansas City, Mo.
Scott Roth SR Washington Pole Vault Granite Bay, Calif.
Christian Taylor JR Florida Jumps Fayetteville, Ga.
paulmerca.blogspot.com publisher Paul Merca is a Bowerman Voter, which consists of national and regional media personnel, track & field statisticians, NCAA collegiate administrators, and presidents of affiliated organizations.
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