University of Tennessee Athletics
Brown, Blankenship On Pre-NCAAs Bowerman Watch List
May 19, 2016 | Track & Field
NEW ORLEANS -- Tennessee's Felicia Brown and Jake Blankenship have been named to their respective Pre-NCAA Prelims editions of The Bowerman Watch List, as announced by the USTFCCCA this week.
Brown was named to The Bowerman Women's Watch List on March 2, just before the NCAA Indoor Championships. She has remained on the watch list in each of the following four updates on March 16, April 20, May 4 and May 18. Blankenship was named to The Bowerman Men's Preseason Watch List back on Jan. 7 and stayed on the list for the Feb. 4 and March 3 updates before an injury took him off on March 17.
Tennessee, Oregon and Texas A&M are the only three schools to have student-athletes on both the men's and women's Pre-NCAA Prelims watch lists.
Brown has enjoyed a stellar senior campaign. After taking winning both the SEC and the NCAA titles in the 200 meters during the indoor season, she continued to dominate the event, winning the 200-meter crown at the 2016 SEC Outdoor Championships on May 14 with a Tennessee-record time of 22.26. That time is the second-fastest in the world and tied professional Tori Bowie's 22.26 on April 16 for the fastest American time this year. She is a perfect 8-0 in 200-meter finals in 2016 with five wins during the indoor season and three during the outdoor season.
Brown, who also ran a PR 11.25 in the prelims of the 100 meters at SECs and took bronze with an 11.32 finals time, finished the meet's second-highest scorer with 18.50 points.
Brown has also played a major role in the success of UT's relays this year. During the indoor season, she ran anchor on UT's women's 4x400 that won the SEC title with a school-record 3:30.56 and finished fifth at NCAAs. Brown ran anchor on Tennessee's winning 4x200 at Penn Relays, which won in 1:31.84 to give UT its first Penn Relays relay win since 2012. She also ran a 51.46 final leg of UT's 4x400 at Penn Relays that placed second. Her 4x400 anchor leg at the SEC Outdoor Championships gave the Vols bronze with a 3:30.18 finish.
Brown qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the women's 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x100 and 4x400. Her 11.25 time in the 100 meters and 22.26 time in the 200 meters are both 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying marks and Olympic A Standards.
Blankenship defended his SEC Outdoor Championship title in the men's pole vault by clearing a Sam Bailey Track facility-record 5.65 meters (18-6.5) to defeat Texas A&M's Audie Wyatt on May 14. Blankenship's 5.65m (18-6.5) is currently tied for the second-best outdoor mark in the nation.
Blankenship battled back from an injury that limited him from the end of the indoor season through the first half of the outdoor season. He has qualified for the NCAA East Regional in the pole vault.
Blankenship qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials when he cleared 5.72 meters (18-9.25) back in February. That mark was the top men's pole vault of the indoor season and stands as to top mark by an American collegiate pole vaulter this year.
Blankenship is a five-time USTFCCCA All-American and enjoyed an outstanding summer competing for Team USA. He earned bronze at the USATF Championships with a final clearance of 5.60 meters (18-4.25). Blankenship took bronze at the Pan American Games by clearing a height of 5.40 meters (17-8.50) and also competed at the World Championships in China.
The Bowerman
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation.
Oregon's Jenna Prandini and Florida's Marquis Dendy are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
Past winners include Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters Jenny Simpson (2009), 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013) and 2015 World Champion high jumper Derek Drouin (2013).
In total, the winners from the award's first five years have won four Olympic Medals, 10 World Championships (indoors and outdoors) and 19 World Championships medals. When considering finalists for the award, 18 individuals have earned a combined eight Olympic medals, 19 World Championship titles (indoors and outdoors) and 38 World Championships medals.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the trophy and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.
