USC's Michael Norman & Georgia's Keturah Orji win The Bowerman...

SAN ANTONIO, Texas—USC’s Michael Norman (left/photo by Paul Merca) and Georgia’s Keturah Orji were named by the USTFCCCA Thursday night as the men’s and women’s winner of the 2018 Bowerman Award, presented to the outstanding collegiate track and field athlete, at a ceremony at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort.

Norman, who set the world record in the 400 meters indoors at the NCAA championships, and set the collegiate record outdoors of 43.61 at the NCAA outdoor championship, edged out teammate Rai Benjamin, and Florida hurdler/long jumper Grant Holloway for the honor.

Norman shattered records and finished unbeaten in 2017-18 across both indoor and outdoor seasons in the 400- and 200-meter runs and 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.

After setting a world record in the 400 (44.52) and anchoring USC’s 4x400 relay (3:00.77) to a world-best mark at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, Norman carried his dominance over to the outdoor season.

He went on to break and anchor Pac-12, school, collegiate, meet and Hayward Field records in the 400 (43.61) and 4x400 relay (2:59.00) in winning the events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June. The sophomore from Murrieta, Calif., then made the decision to turn professional.

Orji (left/photo courtesy USTFCCCA), who had been to the Bowerman presentation twice as a finalist, finally captured the honor, beating out Arizona State thrower Maggie Ewen, and Kentucky hurdler Sydney McLaughlin.

The native of Mount Olive, New Jersey, left little doubt as to why she finally deserved to be named the most outstanding female athlete in collegiate track & field.

Orji scored 38 points between the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships and the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She swept the indoor and outdoor triple jump crowns and captured the first NCAA long jump title of her illustrious career with a leap of 6.67m (21-10.75) at Historic Hayward Field.

The 2016 US Olympian was was 7-0 during her 2018 indoor and outdoor triple jump competitions, including setting American and collegiate indoor records (47 feet, 8 inches/14.53m), a collegiate outdoor record (47-11.75/14.62m) and capturing the SEC and NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in the event.

Orji is the first female field event specialist to win The Bowerman and the first woman from the SEC to lay claim to the award since LSU’s Kimberlyn Duncan did so six years ago.

Norman is the third men’s winner from the Pac-12 – joining Oregon’s Galen Rupp in 2009 and Ashton Eaton in 2010 – and the record seventh all-time recipient from current Pac-12 programs since the award was created in 2009.

NOTE:  The USTFCCCA, the Pac-12 Conference, and the University of Georgia contributed to this report.  Publisher Paul Merca is one of the national media voters of The Bowerman.