NEW ORLEANS, La. (6/24/14) – Sharika Nelvis of Arkansas State University has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the Women's Bowerman Trophy as the nation's top female collegiate track and field athlete as announced this Tuesday (June 24) by The Bowerman Advisory Board.
Nelvis, the 2014 NCAA Division I outdoor national 100-meter hurdles champion and indoor national 60-meter hurdles champion, is the first student-athlete from the Sun Belt Conference, regardless of gender, to be named a Bowerman Trophy semifinalist since distinction was first made in 2010. The A-State senior hurdler is a three-time (2012-14) Indoor and Outdoor All-America selection by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). She was recently chosen as the 2014 Honda Sports Award winner for women's track and field and is also a nominee for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Joining Nelvis as semifinalists are Remona Burchell (sprints) of Alabama, Oregon's Phyllis Francis (middle distance), Texas' Courtney Okolo (sprints), Jenna Prandini (sprints/jumps) of Oregon, Princeton's Julia Ratcliffe (throws), Oregon's Laura Roesler (middle distance), Shanieka Thomas (sprints/jumps) of San Diego State, Texas A&M's Shelbi Vaughan (throws), and Kendell Williams (combined events) of Georgia.
Three individuals from the 10 women's semifinalists will be announced as finalists on Thursday, July 10. Voting to determine the 2014 recipient of the Bowerman Trophy, which includes an online fan vote, gets underway Monday, July 28. The winner of collegiate track and field's highest individual honor will be announced December 17 at the annual USTFCCCA Convention.
The Bowerman Trophy, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country head coach Bill Bowerman, was first awarded in 2009 and is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Former Clemson standout Brianna Rollins, the reigning World Champion in the 100-meter hurdles and the current American record holder in the event, was the 2013 Bowerman Trophy recipient.
A native of Memphis, Tenn., Nelvis was recognized as the 2014 USTFCCCA South Central Region Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and the 2013-14 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Female Athlete of the Year. She captured three conference event individual titles at the 2014 SBC Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet with first-place showings in the 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, and 200-meter dash en route to being honored as the SBC Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer by scoring a league-meet leading 38 points. Nelvis, a three-time (2012-14) All-SBC First-Team pick, was also tabbed as the USTFCCCA's Division I National Women's Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week (May 12) and honored as the SBC Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week three times (April 16, 23, and 30) this spring.
In the indoor season, Nelvis was the 2014 SBC Women's Outstanding Indoor Track Athlete as she won all four of her events at the 2014 conference meet with top performances in the long jump, 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 60-meter hurdles to finish with a meet-best 40 points. She was named twice (Jan. 15 and 22) the SBC Indoor Track Athlete of the Week in the 2014 campaign.
The 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 over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94 percent of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA 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.
