NEW ORLEANS – Ole Miss junior pole vaulter Sam Kendricks has been named to the preseason men’s watch list for The Bowerman, which is awarded annually to the best collegiate track & field athlete in the nation.
The reigning NCAA champion in the outdoor pole vault, Kendricks was a semifinalist for The Bowerman last season. His 10 points at the NCAA outdoor meet helped Ole Miss finish eighth in the final team standings, which was their best NCAA finish in program history. His school-record mark of 19-0.75 at the Texas Relays was the world leader for several weeks and one of the best vaults in NCAA history.
He also placed third at the NCAA indoor meet a year ago and was a gold medalist at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russia.
The watch list is determined by the Men’s Watch List Committee, which is made up of four individuals. Each of the four submit a rank-ordered top 10 list (vote totals will not be disclosed) and the 10 student-athletes who garner the most vote-points are included on the Watch List.
Also highlighting the watch list are Arizona’s Lawi Lalang and UCLA’s Julian Wruck, who were among the three finalist for last year’s award that went to Indiana high jumper Derek Drouin.
Previous Ole Miss athletes to appear on The Bowerman watch list include current professional sprinter Isiah Young and current Ole Miss senior jumper Ricky Robertson (only has outdoor eligibility remaining).
A hometown hero from Oxford, Miss., Kendricks will lead the Rebels into the 2014 indoor season this Friday-Saturday at the UAB Blazer Invitational in Birmingham, Ala.
2014 THE BOWERMAN MEN’S WATCH LIST – PRESEASON Ryan Crouser – Texas (shot put) Wayne Davis – Texas A&M (hurdles) Marquis Dendy – Florida (jumps) Arman Hall – Florida (400 meters) Johannes Hock – Texas (multi-events) Sam Kendricks – Ole Miss (pole vault) Lawi Lalang – Arizona (distance) Deon Lendore – Texas A&M (400 meters) Anthony Rotich – UTEP (distance) Julian Wruck – UCLA (discus)
The reigning NCAA champion in the outdoor pole vault, Kendricks was a semifinalist for The Bowerman last season. His 10 points at the NCAA outdoor meet helped Ole Miss finish eighth in the final team standings, which was their best NCAA finish in program history. His school-record mark of 19-0.75 at the Texas Relays was the world leader for several weeks and one of the best vaults in NCAA history.
He also placed third at the NCAA indoor meet a year ago and was a gold medalist at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan, Russia.
The watch list is determined by the Men’s Watch List Committee, which is made up of four individuals. Each of the four submit a rank-ordered top 10 list (vote totals will not be disclosed) and the 10 student-athletes who garner the most vote-points are included on the Watch List.
Also highlighting the watch list are Arizona’s Lawi Lalang and UCLA’s Julian Wruck, who were among the three finalist for last year’s award that went to Indiana high jumper Derek Drouin.
Previous Ole Miss athletes to appear on The Bowerman watch list include current professional sprinter Isiah Young and current Ole Miss senior jumper Ricky Robertson (only has outdoor eligibility remaining).
A hometown hero from Oxford, Miss., Kendricks will lead the Rebels into the 2014 indoor season this Friday-Saturday at the UAB Blazer Invitational in Birmingham, Ala.
2014 THE BOWERMAN MEN’S WATCH LIST – PRESEASON Ryan Crouser – Texas (shot put) Wayne Davis – Texas A&M (hurdles) Marquis Dendy – Florida (jumps) Arman Hall – Florida (400 meters) Johannes Hock – Texas (multi-events) Sam Kendricks – Ole Miss (pole vault) Lawi Lalang – Arizona (distance) Deon Lendore – Texas A&M (400 meters) Anthony Rotich – UTEP (distance) Julian Wruck – UCLA (discus)
