Ezekiel Sweeps Bowerman Fan and Member Votes

Baylor University’s track titan and Nigerian sensation, Nathaniel Ezekiel, has just redefined collegiate greatness.

Ezekiel has been voted the best in both The Bowerman 2025 Fan Vote and Membership Vote, thereby cementing his place as one of the most decorated athletes in NCAA history.

He finished ahead of fellow finalists Jordan Anthony (Arkansas) and Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) in a tight contest. More than 27,000 votes poured in over 48 hours, making his win not just monumental—but monumental with a roar.

Since The Bowerman’s inception, this kind of double-vote win has frequently signaled a future champion. Eight of the last fifteen men’s winners of the Fan and Membership Votes eventually took home collegiate track and field’s most prestigious individual honor by year’s end—names like Ngoni Makusha, Trey Cunningham, and most recently, Jaydon Hibbert and Leo Neugebauer.

Now, Ezekiel is poised to join this elite company. His 2025 season has been nothing short of spectacular:

NCAA Champion in the 400m hurdles with a blazing 47.49 — No. 3 mark in collegiate history

Holder of four all-time top-10 NCAA performances in the 400m hurdles

First Baylor athlete ever named a Bowerman finalist

2025 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year

9-time All-American

11-time Big 12 medalist (5 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)

Big 12 and Nigerian record holder in the 400m hurdles

School records in the 400m hurdles, indoor 400m, and indoor 4×400 relay

4 NCAA medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)

Perhaps most astonishingly, Ezekiel is now the only athlete in NCAA history with multiple all-time top-10 marks in the 400m hurdles—owning four.