Ezekiel headlines NCAA Athlete of Year final shortlist News

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Ezekiel headlines NCAA Athlete of Year final shortlist

By Daily Sports Nigeria on June 19, 2025

Nigerian 400m hurdles sensation, Ezekiel Nathaniel, has been named among the final contenders for the prestigious 2025 NCAA Track and Field Athlete of the Year Award, following a string of record-breaking performances that saw him dominate the collegiate athletics circuit in the United States this year, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, organisers of the annual honour, officially known as The Bowerman, announced the final shortlist using Ezekiel’s image as the face of the class of 2025 finalists.

The 21-year-old Baylor University athlete is the only Nigerian to make the final cut, a distinction that underscores his remarkable campaign this season.

His compatriots, Temitope Adeshina and Samuel Ogazi, were also on the watchlist earlier in the year but did not make it to the final phase.

Ezekiel’s inclusion comes on the back of an extraordinary season in which he shattered Nigeria’s 400m record and earned top podium finishes across multiple championships.

He clocked a continental indoor best of 44.74s at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in Texas in March, a time that moved him up to eighth on the world all-time list for the event.

He followed up with an emphatic victory in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon earlier in June, stopping the clock at 47.49s.

The performance placed him third on the all-time collegiate list and capped a dominant season which also included retaining his Big 12 Conference title with a meet record of 47.89s.

The Bowerman, named in honour of legendary Oregon coach Bill Bowerman, is considered the highest individual accolade in US collegiate track and field. It recognises the most outstanding male and female athletes each year based solely on performances from the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Ezekiel joins a fiercely competitive final shortlist that includes Arkansas sprinter Jordan Anthony, who claimed the men’s 100m title at the NCAA finals, and Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp, who ran a personal best 13.05s to win the 110m hurdles.

Others on the men’s list are steeplechase champion James Corrigan (BYU), distance runner Ishmael Kipkurui (New Mexico), and shot put/hammer throw double medallist Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Ole Miss), among others.

The women’s final shortlist features standout athletes such as Georgia’s Aaliyah Butler, South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford, and Alabama’s record-breaking steeplechaser Doris Lemngole.

Voting for the award will be conducted throughout July by a panel comprising national and regional media, statisticians, past winners, NCAA officials, and fans.

The winners will be formally announced in December.

Source Punch Ng

Posted June 19, 2025