Blessing Okabare

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP’s Blessing Okagbare has been named a top 10 finalist for The Bowerman Award presented by the the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) to the nation’s top collegiate track and field student-athlete.

Okagbare capped off an illustrious collegiate career with a pair of national titles at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She was the 60m and long jump champion at the NCAA Indoor Championships to become the first woman in UTEP history to claim two titles at a single national meet.

The 11-time USTFCCCA All-American garnered USTFCCCA National Female Field Athlete of the Year, USTFCCCA Mountain Region Track Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA Mountain Region Field Athlete of the Year honors during the indoor season.

With titles in the 60m, 200m, triple and long jumps at the Conference USA Indoor Championships, Okagbare was named the Performance of the Meet and High Point Scorer of the Meet. She eclipsed her own triple jump meet record and set a new school and meet standard in the 60m.

During the outdoor season, Okagbare posted the season’s best collegiate mark of 6.88m (22-7) in the long jump with a meet record at the Texas Relays. She closed out the regular season with a pair of titles at the C-USA Championships in the 100m and long jump to earn High Point Scorer of the Meet and Performance of the Meet honors. She became the first student-athlete in league history to sweep the C-USA Track Athlete of the Year and C-USA Field Athlete of the Year awards during the indoor and outdoor seasons.

A finalist for the Honda Sports Track and Field Woman of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, Okagbare was named the USTFCCCA Mountain Region Female Track Athlete of the Year.

The group of 10 will be narrowed to three women by the ten-member Bowerman Advisory Board on July 12. Once the finalists are set, The Bowerman Voters, a group of around 100, consisting of national and regional media personnel, track & field statisticians, NCAA collegiate administrators, and Presidents of affiliated organizations will make their selections. Previous winners Galen Rupp and Jenny Barringer will also receive one vote. Once tabulations are calculated, award winners will be announced at the USTFCCCA Convention, held December 13-16 in San Antonio, Texas.

For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the recently-debuted trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org.

THE BOWERMAN FINAL CANDIDATE LIST, 2010 WOMEN
-Semoy Hackett, Lincoln (Mo.), Soph., Sprints, Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago
Won five NCAA Division II titles in 2010, setting three championships records and an all-time Division II best in the 200
-Queen Harrison, Virginia Tech, Senior, Hurdles, Richmond, Va. (Hermitage HS)
Became the first female to win NCAA titles in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles in same season, also was 60m hurdle champ indoors
-Kylie Hutson, Indiana State, Senior, Pole Vault, Terre Haute, Ind. (Terre Haute North HS)
Swept indoor and outdoor NCAA pole vault crowns, was undefeated in collegiate competition, and set outdoor NCAA meet record
-Mariam Kevkhishvili, Florida, Senior, Throws, Tbilisi, Georgia (Varketili Secondary)
Swept indoor and outdoor NCAA shot put titles, was undefeated in 2010, and claimed marks of over 60 feet four times
-Lisa Koll, Iowa State, Senior, Distance, Fort Dodge, Iowa (Fort Dodge HS)
Won NCAA 5k/10k titles outdoors and was 5k champion indoors and notched new collegiate record in 10k at 31:18.07
- Porscha Lucas, Texas A&M, Senior, Sprints, Plano, Texas (Plano HS)
NCAA outdoor 200-meter 4×100 champ, second nationally at 100m, second leg of undefeated 4×100-meter squad
-Francena McCorory, Hampton, Junior, Sprints, Hampton, Va. (Bethel HS)
Claimed both indoor and outdoor 400-meter titles, won indoor title in American Record 50.54
-Blessing Okagbare, UTEP, Senior, Sprints/Jumps, Umuahi, Nigeria (Delta State)
First ever to win both 100m and long jump titles in single NCAA meet, also was NCAA indoor champ at 60m and long jump
-Brianne Theisen, Oregon, Junior, Combined Events, Humboldt, Saskatchewan (Humboldt Collegiate Institute)
Was the NCAA champ in the pentathlon indoors and heptathlon outdoors, also led off Ducks’ 4×400 that won NCAA crown
-Phoebe Wright, Tennessee, Senior, Mid-Distance, Signal Mountain, Tenn. (Red Bank HS)
Swept 800m NCAA crowns, led off DMR to NCAA indoor title, undefeated at 800m, member of three Penn Relays champ teams