NEW ORLEANS (theACC.com) – California’s Mykolas Alekna, North Carolina’s Ethan Strand and Stanford’s Roisin Willis have each been named a semifinalist for The Bowerman in 2025. Willis won an individual national championship at the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, while all three semifinalists earned All-America honors.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced The Bowerman Women’s Watch List Committee’s selections on Wednesday, June 25, with the Men’s Watch List Committee announcing their selections on Thursday, June 26.
Alekna, who hails from Vilnius, Lithuania, whirled the discus record-breaking distances in 2025. The California standout shattered the world record for the second year in a row when he launched the disc 75.56m (247-10) at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in April. That was the second time he improved his own world record that day as his first throw of the competition sailed 74.89m (245-8). Those efforts also destroyed his own collegiate record of 71.00m (232-11) from 2023 and eclipsed that mark twice in solely collegiate competition. Alekna, who finished runner-up in the discus at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships, is now a three-time semifinalist for The Bowerman.
Strand, who hails from Vestavia, Alabama, finished his senior year with two collegiate records, another all-time top-ten mark and an NCAA title. The North Carolina standout is the only male athlete in collegiate history to hold collegiate records in both the mile and 3000 meters with his 3:48.32 and 7:30.15 PRs, respectively. Then outdoors, Strand climbed to No. 2 in collegiate history in the 1500 meters with his 3:33.22 PR at the Duke Twilight. Strand won the 3k at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships and then fell short in his quest to win the 1500-meter version outdoors when he finished a close runner-up. Strand is the second finalist for The Bowerman in program history, joining former teammate Parker Wolfe.
The 10 semifinalists for the men’s award are Alekna of California, Jordan Anthony of Arkansas, James Corrigan of BYU, Nathaniel Ezekiel of Baylor, Ishmael Kipkurui of New Mexico, Carlie Makarawu of Kentucky, Ralford Mullings of Oklahoma, Brian Musau of Oklahoma State, Strand of North Carolina, and Ja’Kobe Tharp of Auburn.
Willis, who hails from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, broke the meet record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:58.13 while winning the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships. The race featured five college athletes finishing under 2 minutes, marking the first collegiate event with more than two competitors achieving this feat. With her performance, she became the third-fastest collegian of all time, securing the No. 3 spot in the all-time rankings. Earlier in the year, she finished third at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships, a title she had previously won in 2023.
The semifinalists for the women’s award are Aaliyah Butler of Georgia, JaMeesia Ford of South Carolina, Pamela Kosgei of New Mexico, Elena Kulichenko of Georgia, Doris Lemngole of Alabama, Mya Lesnar of Colorado State, Amanda Moll of Washington, Hana Moll of Washington, Savannah Sutherland of Michigan and Willis of Stanford.
Three finalists will be named for each gender for college track & field’s highest honor. Finalists for The Bowerman will be announced on Monday, July 7, for the women, and Tuesday, July 8, for the men.