The Bowerman: 2021 Men's Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List

NEW ORLEANS — It’s a good day to be a miler.
Three of the top-6 fastest milers in collegiate indoor history are on the Men’s Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List for The Bowerman, as is the fourth-fastest performer on the NCAA Division I Descending Order List, who clocked the fourth-fastest all-time mark on an oversized track.
After that, The Bowerman Watch List Committee had some tough to make.

Trey Cunningham of Florida State continues to be the Class of the NCAA in the 60H. Cunningham, a native of Winfield, Alabama, is currently ranked first nationally in the event with his 7.55 winner from the Tyson Invitational back on February 13. He won the 60H at the ACC Indoor Championships and will contest the event at the NCAA Championships.
Gleb Dudarev of Kansas is out of indoor eligibility and will look to make his mark outdoors. Dudarev, a native of Vitebsk, Belarus, is the favorite to win the hammer at the NCAA meet.
JuVaughn Harrison of LSU soared into the record book at the SEC Indoor Championships. Harrison, a native of Huntsville, Alabama, became just the third man in meet history to win both the high jump and long jump. It was in the long jump where Harrison truly shined, flying 8.33m (27-4) through the air to match the collegiate lead and equal the No. 5 performer on the all-time collegiate chart. Harrison is set to contest both the high jump and long jump at the NCAA Championships.
Cole Hocker of Oregon is ranked among the national leaders in two individual events, as well as one relay. Hocker, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, helped the Ducks shatter the collegiate record in the DMR earlier this season, sits No. 2 in the mile at 3:50.55 (which is also the No. 2 mark in collegiate history) and No. 2 in the 3000 at 7:46.44. Hocker is the ninth Oregon male athlete named to The Bowerman Watch List.
Charlie Hunter of Oregon is currently the only man in collegiate history to be ranked in the top-10 in both the 800 and mile. Hunter, a native of Gosford, Australia, turned in both marks at the Tyson Invitational on back-to-back days, going 3:53.49 in the mile to become the sixth-best all-time performer on Friday and doubling back in the 800 at 1:45.59 to become the fifth-best performer in that event. He was also a member of the Ducks’ record-setting DMR squad back on January 29.
KC Lightfoot of Baylor raised the bar on collegiate history like no other. Back on February 12, Lightfoot summited 6.00m (19-8¼) at the Texas Tech Shootout to put his collegiate record at never-before-seen heights (at least indoors). Lightfoot, a native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has the top-3 bars in collegiate indoor history from this season alone and topped 5.80m (19-0¼) a grand total of 11 times (No other athlete has more than nine indoors in collegiate history).
Tripp Piperi of Texas has been Mr. Consistency in the shot put this year. After opening the season at the Texas Tech Corky Classic, Piperi, a native of The Woodlands, Texas, hit a PR in back-to-back meets, including a 21.74m (71-4) heave at the Charlie Thomas Invitational back on February 6 that sits No. 3 in collegiate history.
Sam Tanner of Washington has only competed twice this indoor season, but truly left his mark. Tanner set the absolute collegiate record in the 1500 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on February 13 when he went 3:34.72 (It is faster than Josh Kerr’s outdoor mark of 3:35.46). The New Zealand native later clocked the fourth-fastest mile ever recorded on an oversized track in collegiate history at the Husky Classic (3:55.23). Tanner is the third Husky to appear on the Men’s Watch List, joining Jeremy Taiwo (2013) and Izaic Yorks (2016).
Cooper Teare of Oregon starred at the Tyson Invitational back in mid-February. Teare, a native of Alameda, California, demolished the collegiate indoor record in the mile with his 3:50.39, which included a then-collegiate record 3:35.46 through 1500 meters. Two weeks earlier, Teare anchored the Ducks to a collegiate record in the DMR and set the still-standing collegiate lead in the 3000.
Turner Washington of Arizona State nearly came out of nowhere to break the collegiate indoor record in the shot put at the Texas Tech Shootout three weeks ago. Washington, a native of Tucson, Arizona, launched the orb 21.85m (71-8¼) to topple the two-year-old mark set by Payton Otterdahl of North Dakota State. He is the third male athlete from Arizona State named to the Watch List, joining fellow throwers Ryan Whiting (2010) and Jordan Clarke (2013).
Here are those athletes who received votes, but not enough to be included on the Watch List: Trevor Bassitt of Ashland, Devin Dixon of Texas A&M, Johannes Erm of Georgia, Isaac Grimes of Florida State, Terrance Laird of LSU, Thomas Mardal of Florida, Carey McLeod of Tennessee, Randolph Ross of North Carolina A&T, Micah Williams of Oregon.