Adeshina Misses Out as Hodge, Johansson, Oakley Unveiled Bowerman Women’s Finalists
The USA Track and Field and Cross-Country
Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has announced the women’s finalists for The Bowerman, collegiate track and field’s highest individual honour, with Nigeria’s Temitope Adeshina missing out despite an undefeated season in the high jump.
The Bowerman Advisory Board selected Adaejah Hodge of Georgia, Axelina Johansson of Nebraska, and Dejanea Oakley of Georgia as the three most outstanding athletes of the 2026 indoor and outdoor campaigns.
Collectively, the trio captured six NCAA titles, set four collegiate records, and delivered 22 all-time top-10 performances.
Adeshina, who swept the NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump crowns while remaining unbeaten throughout the year, was not included in the final shortlist. Her omission comes despite a season that saw her dominate the event and establish herself as one of the premier jumpers in collegiate athletics.
Hodge’s record-breaking sprint double at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, 10.63 in the 100m and 21.68 in the 200m, made her the first woman since Dawn Sowell to hold both collegiate records simultaneously.
Johansson completed an undefeated year in the shot put, sweeping NCAA titles and nearly breaking both indoor and outdoor records.
Oakley set a collegiate record in the 400m with a 48.79 performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming the only collegian with multiple sub-49 clockings.
The Bowerman Advisory Board, comprised of track and field experts nationwide, considered performances recorded between December 1, 2025, and the conclusion of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships earlier this month.
