Bowerman artwork courtesy of USTFCCCA.org
Christian Coleman wins Bowerman Male Athlete of Year for 2017! story by Tyler Mayforth, USTFCCCA
PHOENIX – When Beth Alford-Sullivan took over at the University of Tennessee, Christian Coleman said he wanted to put the Volunteers back on the map.
It’s safe to say he did just that in 2017 as he won four NCAA titles, broke or tied a pair of collegiate records and now added winning The Bowerman to his resume.
Coleman became the first Tennessee athlete to win collegiate track & field’s highest honor on Friday night as he was feted during The Bowerman Presentation at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa during the 2017 USTFCCCA Convention. He also is the fourth male athlete from the Southeastern Conference to win The Bowerman in a row, joining Deon Lendore (2014), Marquis Dendy (2015) and Jarrion Lawson (2016).
The former Tennessee standout beat out the strongest group of men’s finalists in the history of The Bowerman. This year was the first time in the nine years that The Bowerman has been around that all three finalists shattered collegiate records. Fred Kerley lowered the all-time mark in the 400 and was part of several record-breaking relay teams, while Lindon Victor twice bettered the collegiate decathlon record, not to mention Coleman’s aforementioned feats.
Coleman separated himself from the pack at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships when he completed the double-double. He was the first male athlete in NCAA DI history to sweep the indoor and outdoor short-sprint titles since fellow Volunteer great Justin Gatlin in 2002.
To read complete press release, please go here: http://www.ustfccca.org/2017/12/featured/christian-coleman-wins-the-bowerman-in-2017
RunBlogRun opines: Fantastic pick by USTFCCCA! Christian Coleman had an amazing season with something around 38 races in 2017! Here’s Christian at presser from London World Championships in August 2017! A great end of season commentaries by Usain Bolt, Justin Gatlin and a very tired Christian Coleman! https://www.runblogrun.com/2017/08/the-shoe-addicts-present-mens-100-meters-london-2017-wc-presser.html
