The Bowerman Page
THE BOWERMAN WINNERS
Athing Mu - 2021
Mu became the third Aggie to win the Bowerman Trophy, following in the footsteps on Jessica Beard (2011) and Deon Lendore (2014).
She turned in one of the all-time best individual seasons as she rewrote the collegiate track & field record books in 2021. As a freshman, she set 11 collegiate all-time top-12 marks, including six all-time collegiate records. Individually she owns the indoor 600m (1:25.80), indoor 800m (1:58.40), outdoor 400m (49.57) and outdoor 800m (1:57.73) collegiate records. She anchored two collegiate record relays, the indoor 4x400m (3:26.27/50.27 split) and the outdoor 4x400m (3:22.34/48.85 split). Mu ended the season with eight Texas A&M records. Mu finished the campaign as a three-time NCAA champion, winning the 400m title, as well as a member of the 4x400m relay that claimed the indoor and outdoor titles.
Deon Lendore - 2014
Lendore became the first male in Aggie history to win the Bowerman Trophy. He was the second recipient in the program's history following Jessica Beard earning the honor in 2011.
He went undefeated through 14 races at 400-meters during the 2014 season, while finishing with a pair of national championship titles in the event. A native of Trinidad & Tobago, Lendore set a national indoor record along with a Texas A&M school record winning the SEC title with a time of 45.03. It was the fourth fastest ever by a collegian indoors and sixth best on the world all-time list. He won the NCAA indoor title with a time of 45.21, the second fastest winning mark in the history of the meet. During the outdoor season Lendore broke a 45-year old Aggie record winning the SEC title at 44.36, it was also the fourth fastest time in the world in 2014. Lendore also played a role in the 4x400m that claimed the NCAA outdoor title and swept the SEC championships.
Jessica Beard - 2011
Beard became the first Bowerman Trophy recipient in Texas A&M history.
In the 2011 season she became the third female in NCAA Division I history, and the first since 1999, to sweep the 400m national titles in the same year and run on both winning 4x400m relays at the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships. At the NCAA Indoor Championships she recorded the world's fastest time in the 400m at 50.79 to win the national title. To complete the 400m sweep she clocked 51.10 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She ran a 49.13 split to anchor the Aggies to the 4x400m outdoor title.
THE BOWERMAN FINALISTS
Fred Kerley - 2017
Fred Kerley finished the 2017 season sweeping the 400-meters at the NCAA Championships and SEC Championships, he was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay that swept the NCAA titles and SEC titles. He ran one of the fastest lead-off splits in world history (44.96) helping Texas A&M break the collegiate indoor record in the 4x400-meter relay at 3:02.52. Individually he broke a 25-year-old collegiate record in the 400-meters at 43.70 becoming the first man in collegiate history to go sub-44 during a collegiate season. His time was also a world leading mark during the 2017 season. Kerley went a perfect 7-0 in finals competition in the 400-meters, 4-0 during outdoors and 3-0 during indoors.
Lindon Victor - 2017
Alongside teammate Fred Kerley, Lindon Victor was one of three athletes to be named a finalist for The Bowerman in 2017. During the 2017 season Victor won the NCAA decathlon national championship and SEC decathlon championship. In his season opening decathlon he broke an 11-year-old collegiate record scoring 8,472 points at the Texas Relays. He would better his collegiate record in his second decathlon of the season scoring 8,539 points at the SEC Outdoor Championships, he recorded the best second day score in collegiate history (4,174 points).
Donavan Brazier - 2016
In his lone season in Aggieland, Brazier was the only freshman finalists in 2016. Brazier broke a 50-year-old 800m record winning the NCAA Championships with a time of 1:43.55. During the NCAA semifinal his time of 1:45.07 was the fastest-ever qualifying time in meet history and the 10th fastest time in meet history. In his Aggie debut, Brazier claimed the American junior indoor record clocking 1:45.93. It was the fastest time in collegiate history indoors prior to the NCAA Championships and fastest ever by an underclassman.
Porscha Lucas - 2009
Lucas, a native of Plano, Texas, won the 200 meters, finished fourth in the 100 meters, and ran on the 4×100 meter relay team that broke the collegiate record at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also picked up Big 12 titles outdoors in the 200 meters and the 4×400 meter relay, and finished as runner-up in the 100 meters. During the 2009 indoor season, Lucas won Big 12 titles in the 200 meters and the 4×400 meter relay, and finished third in the 60 meters. At indoor championships, Lucas finished second in the 200 meters, eighth in the 60 meters, and ran on the winning 4×400 meter relay team. Lucas was honored as the 2009 USTFCCCA Women’s Division I Outdoor South Central Region Track Athlete of the Year.
