Texas A&M's Donavan Brazier named a finalist for the 2016 Bowerman Award
Jun 24, 2016 | Track and Field
NEW ORLEANS – Donavan Brazier is one of three athletes named as a finalist for the 2016 Bowerman Award, announced by USTFCCCA on Friday. The annual award honors the top male and female track and field athlete through the collegiate season. Joining Brazier among the select trio are Oregon's Edward Cheserek and Jarrion Lawson of Arkansas.
Brazier recently completed his freshman season at Texas A&M by winning the NCAA 800m title in record fashion. He becomes the first freshman to advance to the finals for the Bowerman Award since Cheserek in 2014. Brazier, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is pursuing a professional career and will forgo his remaining three years of collegiate eligibility.
A fan vote for the Bowerman Award will start at 2 p.m. CT today and last through 11 a.m. CT on Friday, July 1, via the website TheBowerman.org.
The results of the fan vote will count as one overall vote in the Bowerman voting process (equivalent to the vote of one main voter - 3pts for 1st, 2pts for 2nd, 1pt for 3rd). Fans can vote up to five times per day per email address.
Among the eight records Brazier set in running 1:43.55 for the NCAA Championship title, he eclipsed the 1:44.3 collegiate best and American junior record set 50 years ago by Jim Ryun during his freshman season at Kansas.
During the NCAA semifinal his time of 1:45.07 was the fastest-ever qualifying time in meet history and then the 10th-fastest time in meet history.
Indoors, Brazier also claimed the American junior record with a 1:45.93 during his first 800m race as an Aggie. He bettered a time of 1:47.84 set by Villanova's John Marshall in 1982. It was the fastest time in collegiate history indoors prior to the NCAA Championships and fastest-ever by an underclassman.
Brazier becomes the fourth Aggie to reach the finalist stage of the Bowerman Award, which began in 2009. Previous finalists included Porscha Lucas (2009), Jessica Beard (2011) and Deon Lendore (2014). The Bowerman was awarded to Beard and Lendore.
Texas A&M became the only school to have four semifinalists for the Bowerman Award this season. Joining Brazier among in the semifinalist stage were Shamier Little, Maggie Malone and Lindon Victor.
Players Mentioned
