The Bowerman 2023 Women’s Pre-NCAA Outdoor Championships Watch List: Adeleke in, Ofili out again

Rhasidat Adeleke is still in the running for the Bowerman award, collegiate track and field’s highest honour will be awarded in December at the USTFCCCA
Convention in Denver, Colorado after been named to the 2023 Women’s Pre-NCAA Outdoor Championships Watch List.

The Irish national record holder in the 200m and the 400m is among 10 female athletes who will be in action later this weekend when the final collegiate event of the year, the NCAA outddor championships holds at the Mike Myers stadium in Austin, Texas.

‘Adeleke will be in the 400m and is part of the Longhorns’ 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. She moved to No. 2 collegian all-time
in the 400m in the West First Round at 49.54, a time that is faster than the collegiate record was at the beginning of the year,’ wrote the Bowerman’s website.

‘It was her second time in sub-50 territory, having run 49.90 in April. She won the event at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships after earlier running a leg on
Texas 4×100 team that broke their own CR with a time of 41.89.’

‘Adeleke also clocked PRs of 11.31 and 22.38 in the 100 and 200, respectively, this spring and joined fellow Watch List member Alfred on four winning
foursomes at the Texas Relays, with three setting CRs – 42.00 4×100 (since broken), 1:28.78 4×200 and 3:36.10 sprint medley.

‘Indoors she set a short-lived CR in the 400 of 50.33 and finished runner-up at the NCAA Championships. This is Adeleke’s fourth career Watch List appearance.’

Conspicuosly missing for the second time running is Nigeria’s Favour Ofili who has been trying to find the form that fetched her the 22.11 lifetime best she ran in the 200m at the NCAA indoor championships.

Ofili, who ran inside 22 seconds (21.96) outdoors last year was off the track for over a month after her indoor heroics and has managed to run a 22.58 personal season’s best which, if repeated, may not get her a lane in the 200m final at the championships.