Two BYU runners made the preseason watchlist for The Bowerman award, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced this week.
Both Jane Hedengren and James Corrigan were named to the watchlist, and if either win the award, it would be historic for BYU. No BYU athlete has ever won the national honor.
Three BYU women — Lacey Bleazard, Whittni Morgan and Courtney Wayment — have been named to the watchlist in the past, making Hedengren just the fourth, according to BYU.
Two BYU men — Zach McWhorter and Kenneth Rooks — have previously been included on the watchlist, making Corrigan just the third to earn the honor, per BYU.
Corrigan was a 2024 Paris Olympian and carried that success into 2025, winning the NCAA steeplechase national title.
In her first collegiate track race in December, Hedengren shattered the NCAA record for the 5,000-meters by eight seconds and became the first collegiate woman to run sub-14:50 with a time of 14:44.79.
Hedengren was the only freshman named to the list and became the first freshman — male or female — to be included on The Bowerman watchlist since LSU’s Mondo Duplantis in 2019.
Duplantis went on to win two Olympic gold medals in pole vaulting at the 2021 and 2024 Olympics, setting the world record at the latter.
The following women made The Bowerman preseason watchlist:
- Jane Hedengren, BYU
- Silan Ayyildiz, Oregon
- JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina
- Grace Hartman, NC State
- Axelina Johansson, Nebraska
- Alyssa Jones, Stanford
- Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico
- Doris Lemngole, Alabama
- Amanda Moll, Washington
- Hana Moll, Washington
The following men made The Bowerman preseason watchlist:
- James Corrigan, BYU
- Mykolas Alekna, Oregon
- Peyton Bair, Oregon
- Gary Martin, Virginia
- Ralford Mullings, Oklahoma
- Brian Musau, Oklahoma State
- Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Ole Miss
- Habtom Samuel, New Mexico
- Jonathan Seremes, Texas Tech
- Ja’Kobe Tharp, Auburn
Bair, now at Oregon, was the NCAA indoor heptathlon champion and outdoor decathlon champion last year at Mississippi State. He previously served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mesa, Arizona, and Cancun, Mexico.
What is The Bowerman?
Since 2009, The Bowerman has been awarded each year to the top male and female collegiate track and field athletes.
Arkansas’ Jordan Anthony and Alabama’s Doris Lemngole won last year’s awards.
Members of The Bowerman Advisory Board select the top 10 current collegiate track and field athletes to compile the preseason watch list.
Only track and field performances from Dec. 1, 2025, through the outdoor championship finals in June are under consideration by voters, according to the NCAA.
Cross country performances do not qualify for consideration for the award.
When are The Bowerman winners announced?
Seven regular season watch lists will be released for The Bowerman, starting in February, according to the NCAA.
In June, following the NCAA outdoor championship finals, the semifinalists are announced.
The finalists will also be announced later in June before ballots are then delivered to the voters.
Voting will close in July, but the winners are not announced until December.