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Mantzouranis and Zaltos Both Receiving Votes for 'The Bowerman'
5/22/2025 2:55:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
The Bowerman is an annual award that is the highest accolade given to the best student-athlete in NCAA track and field.
MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota men's track and field hammer throwers Kostas Zaltos and Angelos Mantzouranis are receiving votes on the Men's Post-Outdoor Conference Championships Watch List for The Bowerman, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Thursday. The honor for the Greek throwers is the second time both have at least received votes for the prestigious award.
The award considers athletes' performances during the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons with the performance window running from December 1 of the preceding year through the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the year in which the award is given.
In his final Big Ten Championships Zaltos won his fourth Big Ten gold medal with an effort of 77.67m (254-10). The fourth Big Ten title in the hammer throw makes Zaltos the first man to win the event at the conference meet four times. Zaltos' meet-record toss of 77.67m (254-10) broke the meet record that was held by his teammate, Angelos Mantzouranis, who finished second overall to claim his second Big Ten medal of his career as just a sophomore.
Mantzouranis holds the No. 1 spot in the NCAA this season in the hammer throw with a mark of 78.61m (257-11) that he registered at Hamline's 'Meet of the UnSaintly'. The throw for Mantzouranis most notably qualified the now-21-year-old sophomore for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, later this year. The record-breaking toss for the Greek came on his fifth attempt of the competition and moved him up to No. 3 all-time on the USTFCCCA all-time collegiate lists and is the furthest since Andras Haklits (78.63m) of Georgia back in 2002.
In the latest IAAF World Rankings Zaltos is 23rd overall in the world while Mantzouranis is 24th. In the 'Road to Tokyo' rankings, which pull performances from a smaller window of time compared to the overall rankings, Mantzouranis is No. 8 and Zaltos is No. 17.
The final watch list update is scheduled to occur Wednesday, June 4 (women) and Thursday, June 5 (men). Semifinalists for the award will be announced Wednesday, June 25 (women) and Thursday, June 26 (men). Finalists will be announced the week of Monday, June 30.
Three finalists for The Bowerman will be selected in late June following the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and the winners will be announced in December.
THE BOWERMAN – MEN'S POST-OUTDOOR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS WATCH LIST (May 22, 2025)
Mykolas Alekna, California (Discus)
*Jordan Anthony, Arkansas (Sprints)
James Corrigan, BYU (Mid-Distance/Steeple)
Nathaniel Ezekiel, Baylor (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ishmael Kipkurui, New Mexico (Distance)
Liam Murphy, Villanova (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan, Ole Miss (Throws)
Habtom Samuel, New Mexico (Distance)
Ethan Strand, North Carolina (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Parker Wolfe, North Carolina (Distance)
* making watch list career debuts
Also receiving votes:
Angelos Mantzouranis, Minnesota (Hammer/Throws)
Kostas Zaltos, Minnesota (Throws)
Micahi Danzy, Florida State (Sprints)
Geoffrey Kirwa, Louisville (Steeple/Distance)
Jamar Marshall, Jr., Houston (Sprints/Hurdles)
Tinoda Matsatsa, Georgetown (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Kendrick Smallwood, Texas (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ja'Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female athlete in NCAA and NAIA track & field.
The first two winners of the Bowerman were Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Galen Rupp, whose careers combined for three Olympic and three World Championships medals, including a gold in the Worlds by Simpson.
Past winners also include two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist and five-time World Champion Ashton Eaton (2010), 2016 Olympic gold medalist and 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013), three-time World Champion 110-meter/60-meter hurdler Grant Holloway (2019) and 2021 Olympic and 2022 World Championships 800-meter gold medalist Athing Mu (2021).
As of August 2024, 22 winners of The Bowerman have won 21 Olympic medals – including 11 gold medals – 24 World Championships, 12 Indoor World Championships and 60 total World Championship medals.
Bill Bowerman served the sport of track & field in numerous ways. His leadership as president of the USTFCCCA's predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track & field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
The award considers athletes' performances during the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons with the performance window running from December 1 of the preceding year through the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the year in which the award is given.
In his final Big Ten Championships Zaltos won his fourth Big Ten gold medal with an effort of 77.67m (254-10). The fourth Big Ten title in the hammer throw makes Zaltos the first man to win the event at the conference meet four times. Zaltos' meet-record toss of 77.67m (254-10) broke the meet record that was held by his teammate, Angelos Mantzouranis, who finished second overall to claim his second Big Ten medal of his career as just a sophomore.
Mantzouranis holds the No. 1 spot in the NCAA this season in the hammer throw with a mark of 78.61m (257-11) that he registered at Hamline's 'Meet of the UnSaintly'. The throw for Mantzouranis most notably qualified the now-21-year-old sophomore for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, later this year. The record-breaking toss for the Greek came on his fifth attempt of the competition and moved him up to No. 3 all-time on the USTFCCCA all-time collegiate lists and is the furthest since Andras Haklits (78.63m) of Georgia back in 2002.
In the latest IAAF World Rankings Zaltos is 23rd overall in the world while Mantzouranis is 24th. In the 'Road to Tokyo' rankings, which pull performances from a smaller window of time compared to the overall rankings, Mantzouranis is No. 8 and Zaltos is No. 17.
The final watch list update is scheduled to occur Wednesday, June 4 (women) and Thursday, June 5 (men). Semifinalists for the award will be announced Wednesday, June 25 (women) and Thursday, June 26 (men). Finalists will be announced the week of Monday, June 30.
Three finalists for The Bowerman will be selected in late June following the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and the winners will be announced in December.
THE BOWERMAN – MEN'S POST-OUTDOOR CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS WATCH LIST (May 22, 2025)
Mykolas Alekna, California (Discus)
*Jordan Anthony, Arkansas (Sprints)
James Corrigan, BYU (Mid-Distance/Steeple)
Nathaniel Ezekiel, Baylor (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ishmael Kipkurui, New Mexico (Distance)
Liam Murphy, Villanova (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan, Ole Miss (Throws)
Habtom Samuel, New Mexico (Distance)
Ethan Strand, North Carolina (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Parker Wolfe, North Carolina (Distance)
* making watch list career debuts
Also receiving votes:
Angelos Mantzouranis, Minnesota (Hammer/Throws)
Kostas Zaltos, Minnesota (Throws)
Micahi Danzy, Florida State (Sprints)
Geoffrey Kirwa, Louisville (Steeple/Distance)
Jamar Marshall, Jr., Houston (Sprints/Hurdles)
Tinoda Matsatsa, Georgetown (Mid-Distance/Distance)
Kendrick Smallwood, Texas (Sprints/Hurdles)
Ja'Kobe Tharp, Auburn (Hurdles)
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009 and is named after former University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female athlete in NCAA and NAIA track & field.
The first two winners of the Bowerman were Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Galen Rupp, whose careers combined for three Olympic and three World Championships medals, including a gold in the Worlds by Simpson.
Past winners also include two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist and five-time World Champion Ashton Eaton (2010), 2016 Olympic gold medalist and 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013), three-time World Champion 110-meter/60-meter hurdler Grant Holloway (2019) and 2021 Olympic and 2022 World Championships 800-meter gold medalist Athing Mu (2021).
As of August 2024, 22 winners of The Bowerman have won 21 Olympic medals – including 11 gold medals – 24 World Championships, 12 Indoor World Championships and 60 total World Championship medals.
Bill Bowerman served the sport of track & field in numerous ways. His leadership as president of the USTFCCCA's predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track & field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
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