Benjamin & Norman Named Finalists For The Bowerman

USC's Michael Norman and Rai Benjamin were named finalist for The Bowerman, announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) today (June 21). The Bowerman is awarded annually at the end of the track and field season to the most outstanding track and field athlete.

Norman and Benjamin join Florida's Grant Holloway as the finalists for the Bowerman. Norman and Benjamin are the fourth set of male teammates to be finalists in the 10-year history of the award.

Norman, a sophomore from Murrieta, Calif. was undefeated in every 400m, 200m, 4x100m & 4x400m final he ran this season. He won the NCAA title in the 400m dash and was part of USC's winning 4x400m relay, with both setting collegiate records at the just concluded 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Norman helped lead the Trojans to a fourth-place finish as a team.

Norman stormed around the track to victory in the 400m dash with a collegiate-record time of 43.61, breaking the record of 43.70 set by Fred Kerley last season. Norman's time also broke the NCAA finals record of 44.00 set by his coach Quincy Watts in 1992. He also bettered the Hayward Field record of 43.74 set by Michael Johnson in 1993. Norman's time is also the current world leader and he becomes the sixth best performer ever and the fastest American since Jeremy Wariner ran 43.45 in 2007.

Norman and his teammates Ricky Morgan Jr., Benjamin and Zach Shinnick closed out the men's championships by winning the 4x400m relay with a collegiate, NCAA meet, Hayward Field and school record time of 2:59.00. The previous NCAA record and NCAA championship record was 2:59.59 set by LSU in 2005. USC's previous school record in the men's 4x400m relay was 3:00.58 set in 1992.

Norman also captured the Pac-12 400m title with a time of 44.40. He won the 200m with a time of 19.84 (+2.8w), the fastest time in the country this season. The Bowerman candidate became the third male to win the Pac-12 200m & 400m titles in the same season.

Norman was the star at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10, as he broke the world record in the 400m and ran the anchor leg of the Trojans' 4×400m relay team that set an all-time world best time. Norman won the 400m with a time of 44.52, breaking the previous world record of 44.57 set by USA's Kerron Clement in 2005. He then split the same time anchoring USC's record-setting relay which ran 3:00.77.

The junior from Mount Vernon, N.Y. Benjamin had a dominant victory in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Championships with a collegiate, meet and facility record of 47.02. His time is tied with Edwin Moses (1983) for the second-fastest men's 400m hurdles race ever recorded and shattered the previous collegiate record of 47.56 set by Kerron Clement in 2005. Benjamin's time was the fastest 400m hurdles race run since Kevin Young set the world record with a time of 46.78 in 1992. Benjamin broke his own school record of 47.98 and broke the USC 400m hurdles finals record of 48.41 set by two-time Olympic champion Felix Sanchez in 2000. Benjamin also ran the second leg for USC's 4x400m relay team which won the 2018 NCAA title in the event with a collegiate-record time of 2:59.00.

In his first season as a Trojan, Benjamin also won the conference 400m hurdles title with a time of 48.46 at the Pac-12 Championships on May 13. He originally broke Sanchez' school 400m hurdles record when he 47.98 at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on May 25.

Benjamin also had an outstanding indoor campaign. He ran a 200m PR of 20.34 to place third at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 10, which ranks second on USC's all-time indoor list. He also ran the third-fastest indoor 400m race all-time by a Trojan of 45.94. Benjamin ran the second leg on USC's 4x400m relay which won the NCAA title and posted the world's fastest time ever of 3:00.77. He was credited with the fastest split time in the world of 44.35.

The Bowerman winnner will be announced on Thursday, December 20 at the annual USTFCCCA Convention in San Antonio at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.

Fan voting for The Bowerman begins Thursday, June 21, following the announcement of the men's finalists and runs through Thursday, June 28. Paper voting for past winners, The Bowerman Advisory Board and select media personnel, statisticians and collegiate administrators will conclude July 20.

Winner Selection Process:

The 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 Advisory Board (11 members)

·        Select media personnel, statisticians, and collegiate administrators

·        Galen Rupp, 2009 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Ashton Eaton, 2010 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Ngoni Makusha, 2011 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Cam Levins, 2012 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Derek Drouin, 2013 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Deon Lendore, 2014 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Marquis Dendy, 2015 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Jarrion Lawson, 2016 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Christian Coleman, 2017 men's winner of The Bowerman

·        Jenny (Barringer) Simpson, 2009 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Queen Harrison, 2010 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Jessica Beard, 2011 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Kimberlyn Duncan, 2012 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Brianna Rollins, 2013 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Laura Roesler, 2014 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Jenna Prandini, 2015 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Courtney Okolo, 2016 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Raevyn Rogers, 2017 women's winner of The Bowerman

·        Online voting by the public will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)

·        Online voting by USTFCCCA members will constitute one collective vote (ranking of choices will be made by order of total single votes)

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The Bowerman Advisory Board is an 11-person panel of track & field experts from around the nation who selected the finalists based on performances recorded during the 2018 indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. Only performances from Dec. 1, 2017 through the conclusion of the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, were eligible for consideration.

Players Mentioned

Rai Benjamin

Ricky Morgan Jr.

Michael Norman

Zach Shinnick