NEW ORLEANS - Texas A&M freshman sprinter Kamaria Brown has been added to The Bowerman Award watch list this week by USTFCCCA following her impressive performance at the Big 12 Championships this past weekend.
A native of Baton Rouge, La., Brown shared high point honors at the conference meet as she totaled 20 points from winning the 200 meters in a world-leading time of 22.86 seconds, placed second in the 400 meters with a NCAA automatic time of 52.60 and ran on the A&M 4 x 400 that placed second with a NCAA automatic time of 3:31.54.
Her 400m time ranks third among collegians, where she is just one of three athletes who earned a NCAA automatic qualifying time.The Aggie 4x4 relay has the second fastest time this indoor season behind Big 12 winner Kansas.
In winning the 200 title at the Big 12 meet Brown equaled the meet record of 22.86 held by Sanya Richards of Texas (2004) and A&M school record holder Porscha Lucas (2008). Richards went on to set her collegiate best of 22.49 at the NCAA Indoor meet in 2004 while Lucas holds the Aggie school record of 22.83 from the 2008 NCAA Indoors.
Brown will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 9-10, in Nampa, Idaho, when the No. 3 A&M men and No. 5 Aggie women contend for individual, relay and team titles to wrap up tine 2012 indoor season.
Brown was one of three additions made to the women's Bowerman Award watch list this week. Also included is sprinter-hurdler Christina Manning of Ohio State and distance runner Katie Flood of Washington.
Others currently on the watch list include Brigetta Barrett of Arizona (high jump), LSU's Kimberlyn Duncan (sprints), Central Florida's Octavious Freeman (sprints), Jordan Hasay of Oregon (distance), Sheila Reid of Villanova (distance), Arkansas' Tina Sutej (pole vault) and Oregon's Brianne Theisen (multi-events).
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track and field athletes in the nation. Texas A&M's Jessica Beard and Florida State's Ngoni Makusha are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman.