SAN FRANCISCO – Five Pac-12 student-athletes have been tabbed to the preseason edition of the Bowerman Watch List, the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Wednesday. The Bowerman is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes of the year. 

The Pac-12’s three selections to the men’s preseason Bowerman Watch List are Mykolas Alekna (CALIFORNIA, discus), Charles Hicks (STANFORD, distance), and Turner Washington (ARIZONA STATE, throws). 

Alekna, a true sophomore for the Golden Bears, is the reigning NCAA runner-up and Pac-12 champion in the discus. The Vilnius, Lithuania native notably broke the collegiate record in the event at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships in Eugene, Ore., throwing 68.73 meters (225-6) to secure his first Conference title. Hicks makes his Bowerman Watch List debut after winning the NCAA Cross Country individual title this past fall. The senior is also the reigning Pac-12 champion in the 10,000-meter run and was a First Team All-American in the event in 2022. Washington enters the 2023 season as the Sun Devils’ school record-holder in the indoor shot put (21.85m, 71-8.25) and outdoor discus (66.26m, 217-4). The graduate student was the NCAA runner-up in the shot put in 2022 after doubling as national champion in the shot and discus in 2021.

The Pac-12’s two selections to the women’s preseason Bowerman Watch List are Camryn Rogers (CALIFORNIA, throws) and Jorinde van Klinken (OREGON, throws).

Rogers is the three-time defending NCAA champion in the hammer throw and the collegiate record-holder in the event (77.67m, 254-10). The Richmond, B.C., native capped her 2022 outdoor campaign with a victory in the hammer at the Commonwealth Games and earned a silver medal at the World Championships in Eugene. Entering her first season with the Ducks, van Klinken is coming off an Arizona State career that saw her compile a pair of NCAA discus titles (2021-22) and an indoor shot put title in 2021. The 2022 Pac-12 shot put and discus champion also earned Pac-12 Women’s Field Athlete of the Year honors in 2021.

About the Bowerman
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and named for legendary Oregon head track & field coach Bill Bowerman, is awarded each year to the top male and female collegiate performers in NCAA track & field. A series of watch lists will be revealed throughout the 2023 indoor and outdoor seasons before final winners are announced following the conclusion of the outdoor campaign.

The Pac-12 boasts seven past winners of the Bowerman: Jenny Barringer, Colorado (2009), Laura Roesler, Oregon (2014), Jenna Prandini, Oregon (2015), Raevyn Rogers, Oregon (2017), Galen Rupp, Oregon (2009), Ashton Eaton, Oregon (2010), Michael Norman, USC (2018). 

Oregon leads the country with five all-time Bowerman winners across women’s and men’s track & field.