The Bowerman: 2024 Men’s Mid-Indoor Watch List

NEW ORLEANS – They’re off and running … and jumping … and throwing.

The Bowerman Watch List Committee has paid attention to what has happened thus far in 2024 and is ready to release the Men’s Mid-Indoor Watch List, featuring six preseason holdovers and four new faces. Perhaps most notably, gone is 2023 The Bowerman winner Jaydon Hibbert who recently announced his decision to forgo the rest of his collegiate eligibility and turn pro.

Here are the ten men on the Men’s Mid-Indoor Watch List for The Bowerman: Mykolas Alekna of California, Romaine Beckford of Arkansas, Graham Blanks of Harvard, Luke Houser of Washington, Terrence Jones of Texas Tech, Leo Neugebauer of Texas, Wayne Pinnock of Arkansas, Ky Robinson of Stanford, Parker Wolfe of North Carolina and Nico Young of Northern Arizona.

The Bowerman will be awarded in December at the annual USTFCCCA Convention in Orlando, Florida.

Alekna, who hails from Vilnius, Lithuania, has yet to compete this season, but rewrote the record book just about every time he stepped inside the cage last year. Despite a third-place finish at the NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Alekna entered the meet as the prohibitive favorite after posting eight of the top-10 farthest marks in collegiate history, including the 71.00m (232-11) CR that he launched in late April at The Big Meet. Alekna added the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 marks two weeks later at the Pac-12 Outdoor Championships.

Beckford, who hails from Portland, Jamaica, appears to have picked up where he left off last year – and then some. The reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump champion cleared a collegiate-leading 2.27m (7-5¼) at the Razorback Invitational this past weekend. That marked a PR for the Jamaican, who later went for the Olympic standard of 2.33m (7-7¾) but missed on all three attempts. That would have equaled the fourth-best clearance in collegiate history.

Blanks, who hails from Athens, Georgia, has yet to compete following his then-collegiate-record-setting jaunt at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener in December. Just weeks after he won the individual title at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships, Blanks traversed 25 laps in 13:03.78 to shave more than three seconds off the previous best held by Lawi Lalang.

Houser, who hails from Woodinville, Washington, has made the Dempsey Indoor his personal playground thus far in 2024. The Washington native ripped a pair of quick marks, headlined by his 3:51.73 mile at the UW Invitational that is the fourth-fastest all-conditions effort in collegiate history and the fastest ever recorded on an oversized track. Two weeks before that, Houser took down the Dempsey Indoor facility record in the 3000 meters with his 7:40.40 clocking.

Jones, who hails from Freeport, Bahamas, shook off some early season rust and showed why he is on the premier collegiate sprinters. The Texas Tech standout – and co-collegiate record holder in the 60 meters – is among the top-10 seasonal performers in both the 60 and 200. Jones went 20.57 in the 200 this past weekend, two weeks after blasting a 6.56 in the 60.

Neugebauer, who hails from Leinfeldene-Echterdingen, Germany, made his season debut in the heptathlon this past weekend with an all-time total. The Texas standout – and 2023 finalist for this award – amassed 6219 points to solidify his spot as the No. 5 performer in collegiate history.

Pinnock, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, needed one jump to remind everybody that he is ready to win his first NCAA title after a runner-up finish last year. The Arkansas standout spanned 8.34m (27-4½) at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic this past weekend to cement his standing as the No. 10 performer in collegiate history on a stout all-time chart.

Robinson, who hails from Brisbane, Australia, hasn’t been shy about competing this season. The Stanford standout has raced four times since clocking a 13:06.42 effort over 5000 meters at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener back in December (That mark is now No. 3 on the all-time collegiate chart). Robinson had two solid 1000-meter outings in consecutive meets, setting a PR of 2:25.61 at the UW Indoor Preview and barely missing that two weeks later at 2:25.81.

Wolfe, who hails from Denver, Colorado, etched his name into the record book twice this year. Most recently, Wolfe went 7:37.41 over 3000 meters at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational this past weekend for the third-fastest performance in collegiate history. Back in December, Wolfe hit 13:13.61 in the 5000 meters to become the No. 10 performer on the chart.

Young, who hails from Camarillo, California, has been sensational on the indoor oval. The Northern Arizona standout most recently shattered the absolute collegiate record in the 5000 meters with his otherworldly 12:57.14 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. That means Young ran faster than any collegian, both indoors and outdoors at any point of their careers. One week before that, Young ripped an altitude-converted 3:48.71 mile at 7000 feet (Young’s official time was 3:57.33 and the fastest ever by an American athlete at that elevation). Back in December at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, Young moved up to No. 3 – now No. 4 – on the 3000-meter list at 7:37.73.

Nine different athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee, but not enough to land on this Watch List: Favour Ashe of Tennessee, Yusuf Bizimana of Texas, Keaton Daniel of Kentucky, Robert Gregory of Florida, Kenneth Ikeji of Harvard, Shaun Maswanganyi of Houston, Tionda Matsatsa of Georgetown, Godson Oghenebrume of LSU and Tarsis Orogot of Alabama.

The next Men’s Watch List will be released on February 29.