Rupp, Barringer Honored As Inaugural Winners of the Bowerman : U.S

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Courtesy: Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA

December 17, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Bowerman, an award bestowed to the nation’s top collegiate men’s and women’s track and field athlete, was presented to Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.) of Oregon and Jenny Barringer (Oviedo, Fla.) of Colorado on Wednesday night at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla. The ceremony, attended by over 1,200 people, took place in conjunction with the annual convention of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Not only did Rupp pull off an individual double-double at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in 2009, he posted a new indoor American and collegiate record at 5000 meters in running 13:18.12 at the Tyson Invitational in February. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Rupp helped Oregon to a national team title, accounting for 22½ team points, garnering national titles at 3000 meters and 5000 meters and as anchor leg of the Ducks’ distance medley relay. Rupp overcame near-disaster in the 5,000 meters at the outdoor national championships as he was stepped on early in the race and had to stop to put his shoe back on. In spite of the setback, Rupp came back to win the event by three seconds.

“This is a really fun thing to be a part of at the end of the season,” Rupp said. "You could have made a case for anyone to win the award. I think it’s a really cool concept and I think recognitions like this are exactly what our sport needs to raise the profile and to get it back on the national stage in a positive way.”

Rupp was joined at the ceremony by his parents Greg and Jamie Rupp.

Barringer had an amazing 2009, setting two indoor and three outdoor collegiate records on the track while adding two NCAA and two Big 12 crowns. Indoors, Barringer set all-time collegiate bests in three events over the span of five weeks. On February 14, it was a 15:01.70 clocking at Washington’s Husky Classic over 5000 meters that was the fastest time ever run by a collegian, all- conditions, indoors or outdoors. Two weeks later at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in College

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Station, Texas, Barringer blazed a 4:25.91 clocking in the mile to earn the conference title in the event. In another two weeks, she returned to College Station to win the NCAA 3000 meters in a collegiate record time of 8:42.03. Outdoors, Barringer broke her own collegiate 3000-meter steeplechase record twice and defended her NCAA title in the event while also recording an outdoor 5000-meter collegiate record.

“It’s just so cool to wrap up my collegiate career in this way,” Barringer said. “This has to be the most prestigious award in the NCAA because the athletes in track & field are world class. We were among Olympic athletes tonight. And, it’s just so cool to be a part of that and part of that crowd. To think that the coaches took the time to put us center stage is very special.”

Barringer was joined at the ceremony by parents Bruce and Janet Barringer.

Among his many feats, Rupp represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 10,000-meter run. Barringer represented America at the 2008 Olympics in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

The Bowerman is named in honor of track and field pioneer Bill Bowerman, who served the sport of track and field in numerous ways, including his leadership in the USTFCCCA’s predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole.

To watch a taped version of the ceremony, visit Flotrack.org. For more information on the USTFCCCA Convention, visit ustfccccaconvention.com. More details about The Bowerman can be found at TheBowerman.org.

About the USTFCCCA The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is the non-profit professional organization that represents men’s and women’s cross country and track & field coaches in the United States. The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members, including 93% of NCAA track & field programs. 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.

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Flashing some heavy mettle

Oregon’s Galen Rupp and Colorado’s Jenny Barringer are the first winners of their sport’s Bowerman Award

By Curtis Anderson

The Register-Guard

Appeared in print: Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009, page C1

It was a grand night for distance runners.

Before a packed audience of more than 1,200 at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday night, Oregon’s Galen Rupp and Colorado’s Jenny Barringer were named the inaugural winners of The Bowerman.

The award, named in honor of former UO track and field coach Bill Bowerman, is given to the nation’s top collegiate male and female track and field athletes for the 2009 indoor and outdoor seasons.

Rupp, a Portland native, claimed a total of five NCAA indoor and outdoor titles on the track during his remarkable senior campaign at Oregon.

“This is such a great honor,” he said. “The way it worked out, being an Oregon boy, going to the University of Oregon, and having this award named after the legendary coach at Oregon, is really a special thing. I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

Rupp, a 2008 Olympian in the 10,000 meters, began the indoor track season by breaking the American record in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13 minutes, 18.12 seconds at the Tyson Invitational last February.

His finish was even more impressive as Rupp became the first collegian to “triple” at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas, last March.

He won both the 3,000 and 5,000 meters, and ran the 1,600-meter anchor leg on the triumphant UO distance medley relay as the Ducks collected their first NCAA indoor title in school history.

Rupp went on to claim victories in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., last June.

He won the 5,000 despite having to come to a complete stop and put on his shoe, which had partially come off early in the race.

The gracious Rupp paid homage to the other two male finalists — UO junior decathlete Ashton Eaton and Oklahoma State freshman middle distance runner German Fernandez — during his acceptance speech.

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“The people I was up against are both so well deserving,” he said. “You could have made a case for anyone to win the award ... German is a superstar in the making and Ashton is an unbelievable athlete.

“I think (The Bowerman) is a really cool concept and recognition like this is exactly what our sport needs to raise its profile and get it back on the national stage in a positive way.”

Barringer, from Oviedo, Fla., had an equally amazing senior season at Colorado as she established six NCAA records. Indoors, she clocked the fastest time ever run by a collegian in the 5,000 (15:01.70), mile (4:25.91) and 3,000 (8:42.03).

Outdoors, Barringer twice broke her own collegiate mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, successfully defended her NCAA title in that event, and set the collegiate record in the 5,000 (15:07.64).

Although competition outside the NCAA track season was not considered by The Bowerman voters, Barringer went on to place fifth in the steeplechase at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin last August with a U.S. record of 9:12.50.

She also set an NCAA record of 3:59.90 in the 1,500 at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in June.

“It’s just so cool to wrap up my collegiate career in this way,” Barringer said. “This has to be the most prestigious award in the NCAA, because the athletes in track and field are world class ... people talk about (Bill Bowerman) as an innovator and on the frontier of things. I feel very blessed that the passion I believe in was at the frontier of women’s track and field.”

The other two women’s finalists were Texas high jumper Destinee Hooker and Texas A&M sprinter Porscha Lucas. Hooker was unable to attend the ceremony because the Longhorns are competing in the NCAA Final Four of women’s volleyball.

The presentation of The Bowerman featured a short video interview of Bowerman’s wife, Barbara.

She was asked what she thought of the award being named after her husband, who died on Christmas Eve, 1999, at the age of 88.

“I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “It shows how much his success meant to other people, and if he were here, he would say his success is based on other people.

“I feel the same way. This is an interaction that is very precious.”

The actual Bowerman trophy, a futuristic gold-plated award made of aluminum, was created by Tinker Hatfield, Nike’s chief designer and a former UO athlete who competed for two years under Bowerman before his retirement from coaching.

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Jenny Barringer and Oregon’s Galen Rupp win The Bowerman awards Posted By staff On December 17, 2009 @ 10:10 AM In College | No Comments

Galen Rupp and Jenny Barringer with their awards PHOTO/Thebowerman

University of Colorado’s Jenny Barringer and Oregon’s Galen Rupp were named the recipients of the inaugural The Bowerman awards on Wednesday night.

The Bowerman will recognize annually the most outstanding collegiate women’s track and field athlete and is administered by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

It is named in honor of track and field pioneer Bill Bowerman, who served the sport of track and field in numerous ways, including his leadership in the USTFCCCA predecessor organization the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole.

Barringer had an amazing 2009, setting two indoor and three outdoor collegiate records on the track while adding two NCAA and two Big 12 crowns. Indoors, Barringer set all-time collegiate bests in three events over the span of five weeks. On February 14, it was a 15:01.70 clocking at Washington’s Husky Classic over 5,000 meters that was the fastest time ever run by a collegian, all- conditions, indoors or outdoors.

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Two weeks later at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas, Barringer blazed a 4:25.91 clocking in the mile to earn the conference title in the event. In another two weeks, she returned to College Station to win the NCAA 3,000 meters in a collegiate record time of 8:42.03. Outdoors, Barringer broke her own collegiate 3,000-meter steeplechase record twice and defended her NCAA title in the event while also recording an outdoor 5,000- meter collegiate record.

“The prestige of this award is unparalleled within our sport at the NCAA level.” Barringer said. “To be a recipient is an honor I’ll proudly carry to the next level of my career. I want to thank the USTFCCCA for putting the athletes center stage at their own convention and for making this an event I’ll never forget.”

Meanwhile, Rupp, a 14-time All-American said: “This is a really fun thing to be a part of at the end of the season You could have made a case for anyone to win the award.

“I think it’s a really cool concept and I think recognitions like this are exactly what our sport needs to raise the profile and to get it back on the national stage in a positive way.”

To report corrections, additions and clarifications, please shoot an email to our editor Lorraine Cummings [1].

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