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/ Women's Track & Field
Big Ten Champ Nabwe on Fourth Straight 'The Bowerman' Watch List
6/3/2026 2:56:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
The redshirt junior earned two individual bids to the NCAA Championships in Eugene this month.
MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota women's track and field redshirt junior Anthonett Nabwe has been recognized as one of 10 student-athletes on the Women's 2026 Update No. 6 Watch List for The Bowerman, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday. The appearance on The Bowerman Watch List is Nabwe's fourth straight after appearing on it for the first time on March 25.
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. The next announcement will be the semifinalists - 10 men and 10 women - released on Wednesday, June 24, at the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 10-13). Minnesota's track and field program has never had a 'The Bowerman' semifinalist.
Back on March 25 Nabwe became the first Gopher woman since 2010 (Alicia Rue) to receive any votes for 'The Bowerman' Watch List. Nabwe's most recent accomplishments include reaching the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the hammer throw and the shot put. Nabwe earned her first career NCAA Championships ticket in the hammer throw with her 67.89m (222-9) in Fayetteville while her 17.09m (56-1) booked her second career outdoor NCAAs bid in the shot put. This year Nabwe is the only female thrower to qualify for the NCAA Championships in both the hammer throw and the shot put and is the first women to do it at the NCAA level since 2023 (Ana da Silva, Georgia).
Earlier this outdoor season Nabwe earned three medalist finishes at the Big Ten Championships. The Liberian won a gold medal, a silver medal and a bronze medal and scored a total of 24 Big Ten points - which would have been good enough for a tie for 12th in the women's team race. Nabwe's gold medal came in her signature event, the women's hammer throw, with a 69.22m (227-1) came on attempt two of the competition. In the shot put Nabwe's clutch sixth-round of 18.00m (59-5 3/4) pushed her from fourth to the runner-up finish and earned eight team points. The final medal of the weekend for Nabwe came in the discus where she earned a medal for the second straight year with a toss of 57.75m (189-5).
A few weeks prior to the Big Ten Championships Nabwe registered the second-longest hammer throw in NCAA history at the 116th Drake Relays with a toss of 77.64m (254-9). The 2026 NCAA indoor weight throw champion came just three centimeters short of the NCAA all-time record with her hammer throw in Des Moines. In 2026 Nabwe has set both the indoor weight throw Big Ten record and the outdoor hammer throw conference record. In March she made history at the NCAA Indoor Championships becoming the weight throw national champion with a mark of 25.13m (82-5 1/2) in Fayetteville, Ark., at Randal Tyson Track Center. The two-time Big Ten weight throw champion became the second Gopher to win an NCAA title in the weight throw, joining Kaitlyn Long in 2018. Nabwe's weight throw at NCAAs moved her to No. 3 all-time in the event, and was the best throw by a collegiate woman since 2022 (Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss).
THE BOWERMAN – WOMEN'S 2026 UPDATE NO. 5 WATCH LIST (May 20, 2026)
Anthonett Nabwe, Minnesota (Throws)
Temitope Adeshina, Texas Tech (High Jump)
Jane Hedengren, BYU (Distance)
Adaejah Hodge, Georgia (Sprints)
Sanu Jallow-Lockhart, Arkansas (Mid-Distance)
Axelina Johansson, Nebraska (Throws)
Alyssa Jones, Stanford (Jumps/Sprints)
Doris Lemngole, Alabama (Distance)
Hana Moll, Washington (Pole Vault)
Dejanea Oakley, Georgia (Sprints)
Also receiving votes:
Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico (Distance); Rosemary Longisa, Washington State (Distance); Alida van Daalen, Florida (Throws)
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 six Olympic gold medalists in individual events: two-time decathlon gold medalist Ashton Eaton (2010), 2016 high jump gold medalist Derek Drouin (2013), 2016 100-meter hurdle gold medalist Brianna Rollins (2013), 2021 800-meter gold medalist Athing Mu (2021), 2024 110-meter hurdle gold medalist Grant Holloway (2019), and 2024 100-meter gold medalist Julien Alfred (2024).
As of November 2025, winners of The Bowerman have earned 22 Olympic medals – including 11 gold medals – 27 World Championship titles, 45 total World Championship medals, and three have set World Records.
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. The next announcement will be the semifinalists - 10 men and 10 women - released on Wednesday, June 24, at the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 10-13). Minnesota's track and field program has never had a 'The Bowerman' semifinalist.
Back on March 25 Nabwe became the first Gopher woman since 2010 (Alicia Rue) to receive any votes for 'The Bowerman' Watch List. Nabwe's most recent accomplishments include reaching the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships in both the hammer throw and the shot put. Nabwe earned her first career NCAA Championships ticket in the hammer throw with her 67.89m (222-9) in Fayetteville while her 17.09m (56-1) booked her second career outdoor NCAAs bid in the shot put. This year Nabwe is the only female thrower to qualify for the NCAA Championships in both the hammer throw and the shot put and is the first women to do it at the NCAA level since 2023 (Ana da Silva, Georgia).
Earlier this outdoor season Nabwe earned three medalist finishes at the Big Ten Championships. The Liberian won a gold medal, a silver medal and a bronze medal and scored a total of 24 Big Ten points - which would have been good enough for a tie for 12th in the women's team race. Nabwe's gold medal came in her signature event, the women's hammer throw, with a 69.22m (227-1) came on attempt two of the competition. In the shot put Nabwe's clutch sixth-round of 18.00m (59-5 3/4) pushed her from fourth to the runner-up finish and earned eight team points. The final medal of the weekend for Nabwe came in the discus where she earned a medal for the second straight year with a toss of 57.75m (189-5).
A few weeks prior to the Big Ten Championships Nabwe registered the second-longest hammer throw in NCAA history at the 116th Drake Relays with a toss of 77.64m (254-9). The 2026 NCAA indoor weight throw champion came just three centimeters short of the NCAA all-time record with her hammer throw in Des Moines. In 2026 Nabwe has set both the indoor weight throw Big Ten record and the outdoor hammer throw conference record. In March she made history at the NCAA Indoor Championships becoming the weight throw national champion with a mark of 25.13m (82-5 1/2) in Fayetteville, Ark., at Randal Tyson Track Center. The two-time Big Ten weight throw champion became the second Gopher to win an NCAA title in the weight throw, joining Kaitlyn Long in 2018. Nabwe's weight throw at NCAAs moved her to No. 3 all-time in the event, and was the best throw by a collegiate woman since 2022 (Shey Taiwo, Ole Miss).
THE BOWERMAN – WOMEN'S 2026 UPDATE NO. 5 WATCH LIST (May 20, 2026)
Anthonett Nabwe, Minnesota (Throws)
Temitope Adeshina, Texas Tech (High Jump)
Jane Hedengren, BYU (Distance)
Adaejah Hodge, Georgia (Sprints)
Sanu Jallow-Lockhart, Arkansas (Mid-Distance)
Axelina Johansson, Nebraska (Throws)
Alyssa Jones, Stanford (Jumps/Sprints)
Doris Lemngole, Alabama (Distance)
Hana Moll, Washington (Pole Vault)
Dejanea Oakley, Georgia (Sprints)
Also receiving votes:
Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico (Distance); Rosemary Longisa, Washington State (Distance); Alida van Daalen, Florida (Throws)
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 six Olympic gold medalists in individual events: two-time decathlon gold medalist Ashton Eaton (2010), 2016 high jump gold medalist Derek Drouin (2013), 2016 100-meter hurdle gold medalist Brianna Rollins (2013), 2021 800-meter gold medalist Athing Mu (2021), 2024 110-meter hurdle gold medalist Grant Holloway (2019), and 2024 100-meter gold medalist Julien Alfred (2024).
As of November 2025, winners of The Bowerman have earned 22 Olympic medals – including 11 gold medals – 27 World Championship titles, 45 total World Championship medals, and three have set World Records.
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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