NEW ORLEANS – South Dakota junior Chris Nilsen repeated as a semifinalist for The Bowerman, as announced Thursday by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The Bowerman, dubbed the Heisman of collegiate track and field, is presented annually to the most outstanding male and female in the nation. The award debuted in 2009 and winners are announced at a ceremony in mid-December in conjunction with the USTFCCCA annual convention.
Nilsen captured his third NCAA Championship title in the pole vault in record-breaking fashion last week. The defending champion bested the world leader on the collegiate scene’s biggest stage by vaulting a lifetime best of 19 feet, 6 1/4 inches (5.95m). The height broke his own NCAA Championship meet record, moved Nilsen to third all-time in NCAA history and ranked No. 25 on the IAAF’s world record books.
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Nilsen ranks No. 1 in the United States and No. 2 in the world this year.
He has also found consistency over the new Olympic standard, vaulting past 19 feet five times this spring (Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Beach Invitational, Drake Relays, Summit League Championships, NCAA Championships). He has 11 jumps over 19 feet in his career. Nilsen went undefeated in all 10 outdoor meets, while also winning seven indoor meets in 2019.
Nilsen is a three-time NCAA champion and boasts six All-America accolades – with all six finishes placing him third or higher in the competition. His three national titles (two outdoor, one indoor) are tied for the sixth most in the NCAA’s 98-year history of pole vault.
Three finalists will be selected from the list below by The Bowerman’s advisory board as the most outstanding male athletes during the 2019 collegiate track and field campaign. Those finalists will be announced next Thursday.
The Bowerman Semifinalists
Mondo Duplantis, LSU, Fr., Pole Vault; JuVaughn Harrison, LSU, So., Jumps; Grant Holloway, Florida, Jr., Sprints/Hurdles/Jumps; Bryce Hoppel, Kansas, Jr., Distance; Morgan McDonald, Wisconsin, RS-Sr., Distance; Chris Nilsen, South Dakota, Jr., Pole Vault; Divine Oduduru, Texas Tech, Texas Tech, Jr., Sprints; Payton Otterdahl, North Dakota State, Sr., Throws; Anderson Peters, Mississippi State, RS-So., Throws; Daniel Roberts, Kentucky, Jr., Sprints/Hurdles.
