Jayden Ulrich Added to The Bowerman Watch List
April 16, 2025 | Track & Field
The senior becomes the first in program history to be added to the watch list for the most prestigious award in collegiate track & field.
NEW ORLEANS, La. – University of Louisville track & field senior Jayden Ulrich has been added to the Women's Mid-Outdoor Watch List for The Bowerman, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Wednesday.
The senior becomes the first in program history to be added to the watch list for The Bowerman, the most prestigious award in collegiate track & field that has been bestowed to the top male and female athlete each year since 2009 (excluding the 2019-20 season which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The award considers athletes' performances during the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons with the performance window running from December 1 of the preceding year through the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the year in which the award is given.
After representing Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women's discus throw last summer, Ulrich has continued to establish herself as one of the top young throwers in the world thus far in her final year in the collegiate ranks.
At the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational on April 12, Ulrich posted a jaw-dropping mark of 69.39m (227-8) in the discus throw, which stands as the second-best mark in NCAA history and the third-best mark in United States history while also ranking as a new Louisville school record and ACC conference record in the event.
Additionally, Ulrich began her outdoor season in the discus throw with a mark of 66.14m (217-0) at the USF Alumni Invitational in early March, giving her the two best throws among NCAA Division I athletes this season.
The native of East Alton, Ill. also boasts the second-best shot put mark in the NCAA thus far in 2025 with a heave of 18.52m (60-9.25) that came at the Jim Click Shootout & Multis on April 5.
Along with her early success outdoors, Ulrich also dominated in the ring indoors, culminating in the senior becoming the first athlete in program history to be named the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Throughout the indoor campaign, Ulrich set a new Louisville program record in the event with an indoor-best toss of 18.40m (60-4.5) that came at the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational in early February. She also earned First Team All-American honors in the event for the second consecutive season with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships after capturing her second straight ACC title in the event at the ACC Indoor Championships.
The full list of names on the Women's Mid-Outdoor Bowerman Watch List can be found below. The next watch list is scheduled to be released for the women on Wednesday, May 7. Three finalists for The Bowerman will be selected in late June following the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and the winners will be announced in December.
THE BOWERMAN – WOMEN'S MID-OUTDOOR WATCH LIST (April 16, 2025)
Aaliyah Butler, Georgia (Sprints)
Rachel Glenn, Arkansas (Hurdles/Jumps)
Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan (Pole Vault)
Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico (Distance)
Doris Lemngole, Alabama (Distance)
Indya Mayberry, TCU (Sprints)
Amanda Moll, Washington (Pole Vault)
Manuela Rotundo, Georgia (Javelin)
Jayden Ulrich, Louisville (Throws)
Isabella Whittaker, Arkansas (Sprints)
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The 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 athlete in NCAA and NAIA track & field.
The first two winners of the Bowerman were Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Galen Rupp, whose careers combined for three Olympic and three World Championships medals, including a gold in the Worlds by Simpson.
Past winners also include two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist and five-time World Champion Ashton Eaton (2010), 2016 Olympic gold medalist and 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013), three-time World Champion 110-meter/60-meter hurdler Grant Holloway (2019) and 2021 Olympic and 2022 World Championships 800-meter gold medalist Athing Mu (2021).
As of August 2024, 22 winners of The Bowerman have won 21 Olympic medals – including 11 gold medals – 24 World Championships, 12 Indoor World Championships and 60 total World Championship medals.
Bill Bowerman served the sport of track & 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 & 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.
The senior becomes the first in program history to be added to the watch list for The Bowerman, the most prestigious award in collegiate track & field that has been bestowed to the top male and female athlete each year since 2009 (excluding the 2019-20 season which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The award considers athletes' performances during the NCAA indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons with the performance window running from December 1 of the preceding year through the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the year in which the award is given.
After representing Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women's discus throw last summer, Ulrich has continued to establish herself as one of the top young throwers in the world thus far in her final year in the collegiate ranks.
At the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational on April 12, Ulrich posted a jaw-dropping mark of 69.39m (227-8) in the discus throw, which stands as the second-best mark in NCAA history and the third-best mark in United States history while also ranking as a new Louisville school record and ACC conference record in the event.
Additionally, Ulrich began her outdoor season in the discus throw with a mark of 66.14m (217-0) at the USF Alumni Invitational in early March, giving her the two best throws among NCAA Division I athletes this season.
The native of East Alton, Ill. also boasts the second-best shot put mark in the NCAA thus far in 2025 with a heave of 18.52m (60-9.25) that came at the Jim Click Shootout & Multis on April 5.
Along with her early success outdoors, Ulrich also dominated in the ring indoors, culminating in the senior becoming the first athlete in program history to be named the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Throughout the indoor campaign, Ulrich set a new Louisville program record in the event with an indoor-best toss of 18.40m (60-4.5) that came at the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational in early February. She also earned First Team All-American honors in the event for the second consecutive season with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships after capturing her second straight ACC title in the event at the ACC Indoor Championships.
The full list of names on the Women's Mid-Outdoor Bowerman Watch List can be found below. The next watch list is scheduled to be released for the women on Wednesday, May 7. Three finalists for The Bowerman will be selected in late June following the conclusion of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and the winners will be announced in December.
THE BOWERMAN – WOMEN'S MID-OUTDOOR WATCH LIST (April 16, 2025)
Aaliyah Butler, Georgia (Sprints)
Rachel Glenn, Arkansas (Hurdles/Jumps)
Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan (Pole Vault)
Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico (Distance)
Doris Lemngole, Alabama (Distance)
Indya Mayberry, TCU (Sprints)
Amanda Moll, Washington (Pole Vault)
Manuela Rotundo, Georgia (Javelin)
Jayden Ulrich, Louisville (Throws)
Isabella Whittaker, Arkansas (Sprints)
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
The 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 athlete in NCAA and NAIA track & field.
The first two winners of the Bowerman were Jenny (Barringer) Simpson and Galen Rupp, whose careers combined for three Olympic and three World Championships medals, including a gold in the Worlds by Simpson.
Past winners also include two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist and five-time World Champion Ashton Eaton (2010), 2016 Olympic gold medalist and 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013), three-time World Champion 110-meter/60-meter hurdler Grant Holloway (2019) and 2021 Olympic and 2022 World Championships 800-meter gold medalist Athing Mu (2021).
As of August 2024, 22 winners of The Bowerman have won 21 Olympic medals – including 11 gold medals – 24 World Championships, 12 Indoor World Championships and 60 total World Championship medals.
Bill Bowerman served the sport of track & 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 & 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.
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