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The Bowerman: 2026 Women's Finalists
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By USTFCCCA Communications, USTFCCCA June 29, 2026
The Bowerman: 2026 Women’s FinalistsNEW ORLEANS – Women’s finalists for The Bowerman, collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor, were announced on Monday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Adaejah Hodge of Georgia, Axelina Johansson of Nebraska, and Dejanea Oakley of Georgia were chosen by The Bowerman Advisory Board as the most outstanding athletes in collegiate women’s track & field during the 2026 indoor and outdoor seasons. Hodge, Johansson and Oakley combined for six NCAA titles, four collegiate records, and 22 all-time top-10 performances in the collegiate record books. THE BOWERMAN HISTORY: Past Winners of The Bowerman (2009-2025) The Bowerman Advisory Board is a panel of track & field experts from around the nation who select finalists based on performances recorded during the 2026 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Only performances from December 1, 2025, through the conclusion of the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, were eligible for consideration. Hodge, who hails from Douglasville, Georgia, by way of the British Virgin Islands, set collegiate records in both the 100 and 200 at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships at 10.63 and 21.68, respectively, in becoming the first woman since Dawn Sowell to hold both CRs at the same time. Her 200 CR came in the final and the 100 CR was in the semifinals before a runner-up finish. She’s the only collegian with multiple sub-10.80 wind-legal times in the 100 (10.77 in addition to the 10.63) and sub-20 wind-legal times in the 200 (21.92 and 21.96 in addition to the 21.68). She also ran the backstretch leg on Georgia’s 4×100 relay team that rates as the No. 4 program all-time at 41.89. Indoors she won the 200 meters at the NCAA DI while moving to No. 4 all-time collegiately at 22.22 and added a runner-up finish in the 60 after a PR 7.12 in the prelims. Johansson, who hails from Hok, Sweden, swept the shot put titles at the NCAA DI Indoor and Outdoor Championships, completing an undefeated collegiate year in the event. She nearly broke both the indoor and outdoor collegiate records, missing the outdoor CR by just 4cm in winning the Big Ten title at 19.97m (65-6¼) after tieing or raising the indoor CR four times, ultimately at 19.75m (64-9¾) while earning bronze at the World Indoor Championships. She dominates the upper levels of the collegiate all-time list indoors (all of the top-3 plus eight of the top-10) and outdoors (two of the top-3 and five of the top-10). She broke the NCAA DI Outdoor meet record and missed the indoor version by 1cm. Oakley, who hails from Clarendon, Jamaica, set a collegiate record while winning the 400 meters at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships in 48.79. She’s now the only collegian with multiple sub-49 clockings after earlier missing the CR by 0.03 seconds in winning the SEC Outdoor title in 48.92. She is undefeated in head-to-head races in the 400 that includes the indoor season, where she won the NCAA title at 50.47 to become No. 11 collegian all-time. Her first race of the year was at 300 meters, becoming just the fourth collegiate woman to run sub-36 at 35.94. She also produced impressive performances as anchor of Georgia’s 4×400 relay – topped by a 48.37 split at the SEC Outdoor that is the fastest in collegiate history, while her 48.79 split at the NCAA DI Outdoor finished off the Bulldogs’ runner-up finish in 3:20.96 to become the No. 2 collegiate program all-time. Fan voting for The Bowerman begins Tuesday, June 30, on The Bowerman’s website and runs through Thursday, July 2. Paper voting also begins on Tuesday, June 30 and closes in late July. Hodge, Johansson, and Oakley will be feted on Thursday, December 17, during the annual USTFCCCA Convention, which will be held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. One of those three incredible athletes will take home collegiate track & field’s highest individual honor that same night following The Bowerman Presentation. WINNER SELECTION PROCESSThe Bowerman Voters will receive ballots listing each of the finalists and must rank them by first, second and third choice. First-place votes will receive three points, second place will notch two, and third will receive one point. The finalist with the highest point total will be declared the winner. The Bowerman Voters consist of:
THE BOWERMAN PAST FINALISTS & AWARD HISTORYMEN 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 WOMEN 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 ABOUT THE BOWERMANThe 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 collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Bill Bowerman served the sport of track and 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 and 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. ABOUT THE USTFCCCAThe U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents thousands of coaching members encompassing NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and NJCAA, as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field. |
