The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Okolo wins prestigious The Bowerman Award
12.16.2016 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Sprinter honored as top collegiate track star
The Bowerman homepage | USTFCCCA Announcement |
ORLANDO, Fla. – Courtney Okolo had one of the best seasons in Texas Track & Field history in 2016, and on Friday night she was honored with her sport's most prestigious collegiate award, winning The Bowerman at the USTFCCCA Convention.
Okolo was one of three finalists for "the Heisman Trophy" of track and field for the second time in her career and came away with the 35-pound trophy this time after her stellar performances for the Longhorns this season.
"When you look at the wall and you see all the Olympians and gold medalists and world record holders, this is not some small award. It's a big deal," Okolo said of the magnitude of winning The Bowerman. "People who win this award are the best ever. It means a lot to me and I'm really honored to have received it."
Okolo is one of the best ever to wear Burnt Orange.
In 2016, she successfully defended her NCAA indoor title in the 400 meters in March. Her winning time of 50.69 seconds ranks third in collegiate history. She ran the anchor leg of the 4x400 to lead the Longhorns to victory in 3:28.27 to rank sixth in collegiate history. But that wasn't even the fastest time of the season for Okolo and the Longhorns. Texas ran 3:27.94 at the Tyson Invitational. In total, Texas has run four of the top seven times in NCAA indoor history with Okolo on the 4x400.
The fast times and wins continued during the outdoor season for Okolo in 2016.
In her outdoor debut in her signature event, Okolo shattered her own collegiate record in the 400 meters, clocking in at 49.71 seconds at the LSU Alumni Gold on April 21.
She capped her outdoor season with a win at the NCAA Championships in 50.36 seconds, the No. 10 time in collegiate history. She now owns four of the top 10 times in the 400 meters outdoors. Okolo also ran a dramatic anchor leg to bring Texas back from behind to win the 4x400 meter relay. Okolo weaved through traffic through the final turn to move from 20 meters back to a dominant win over the final 100 meters of the race.
Okolo said seeing the growth of The Bowerman since it was first awarded in 2009 is inspiring for her and her sport. She hopes that winning it will inspire her former Texas teammates and also help grow the award more to becoming more recognized outside of the world of track and field.
"It means a lot. I hope this can carry the weight that the Heisman does," Okolo said. "It's very important for us athletes to have something to honor us. I'm really blessed that they honored me with this award."
The other female finalists are Keturah Orji of Georgia and Raven Saunders of Ole Miss.
The men's winner was Jarrion Lawson of Arkansas, who completed a triple crown only previously accomplished by legendary Jesse Owens. The other men's finalists were Donavan Brazier of Texas A&M and Edward Cheserek of Oregon, who was a finalist for a third straight year.
Created in 2009, The Bowerman is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track and field athletes in the nation and has been called by some "The Heisman Trophy of Track and Field."
Since the award's inception, the USTFCCCA has recognized a number of athletes who are among the best in the world today. Past winners have combined to win nine Olympic medals, including three golds this summer in Rio.
The award is named after Bill Bowerman, legendary former coach of the Oregon Ducks and co-founder of Nike. The award is voted upon by dozens of media members, statisticians and college administrators. An online fan vote held this summer also accounts for one vote in the scoring, and all past 14 winners receive a vote. Each voter ranks the finalists in order, allotting three points to their first choice, two points to their second and one point to their third.
Players Mentioned
