The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Okolo earns semifinalist nod for The Bowerman
06.24.2014 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Sophomore, who won a pair of titles at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships, is one of 10 semifinalists for female athlete of the year award
NEW ORLEANS – Courtney Okolo was named one of 10 semifinalists Tuesday for The Bowerman, an award that honors the top NCAA male and female track and field athletes of the year.
Okolo just won a pair of titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, helping the Texas women finish second in the team standings. She accounted for 14 of the team's 66 points, tied for the seventh-best total in school history at the NCAA Outdoor meet.
The collegiate record holder in the event, Okolo won the 400 meters in 50.23 seconds, tied for the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history. The sophomore from Carrollton, Texas, also ran the anchor leg of the winning 4x400-meter relay that set a meet record in posting the second-fastest time (3:24.21) in NCAA history, and the third leg of the third-place 4x100m relay.
Okolo won a pair of Big 12 outdoor titles in 2014. She broke the collegiate record (50.03) in the 400 and ran the third leg of the victorious 4x100m relay at the league outdoor meet. During the 2014 outdoor season, she ran a leg on three of the top 11 all-time 4x400m performances in NCAA history. She also was the second leg of the runner-up 4x400 relay at the NCAA Indoor Championships with the unit posting the second-fastest time (3:27.42) in collegiate history en route to a runner-up finish in the team standings.
Last week, Okolo was voted the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Women's National Track Athlete of the Year and named one of four nominees for the 2014 Honda Sports Award for women's track and field and the last week.
The other Bowerman semifinalists are Remona Burchell (Alabama), Phyllis Francis (Oregon), Sharika Nelvis (Arkansas State), Jenna Prandini (Oregon), Julia Ratcliffe (Princeton), Laura Roesler (Oregon), Shanieka Thomas (San Diego State), Shelbi Vaughan (Texas A&M) and Kendell Williams (Georgia).
On Monday, Ryan Crouser was named one of 10 semifinalists on the men's side.
Texas joins Oregon and Texas A&M as the only schools with at least one male and one female semifinalist.
Three female finalists for The Bowerman will be announced on July 10 and voting opens July 28. The winner of collegiate track & field's highest individual honor will be announced Dec. 17 at the annual USTFCCCA Convention.