Edward Cheserek of Oregon celebrates winning the 5k indoor titleNEW ORLEANS – Edward Cheserek of Oregon, in just his first year as a collegian, is making a habit of stealing the show from his more experienced veteran competitors.
This past weekend he derailed 2013 The Bowerman Finalist Lawi Lalang’s attempt at a triple-championship performance right from the start as Cheserek outkicked the Arizona Wildcat for the 5000 meters title, and went on to add another title at 3000 meters – a title held by Lalang from 2013.
Wednesday – the day that Lalang moved past Florida’s Jeff Demps to became the all-time leader in career Men’s The Bowerman Watch List appearances with 20 in its Post-NCAA Indoor Championships edition – it was again Cheserek of the national team champion Ducks who took the spotlight as the headliner of a new group of five additions to the Watch List.
The Bowerman Men’s Watch List –
Post-NCAA Indoor Championships 2014
(Click student-athletes’ names for biographies)
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Shawn Barber | SO | Akron | Pole Vault | Kingwood, Texas |
| Curtis Beach | SR | Duke | Combined Events | Albuquerque, N.M. |
| Edward Cheserek | FR | Oregon | Distance | Newark, N.J. |
| Ryan Crouser | JR | Texas | Throws | Gresham, Ore. |
| James Harris | SR | Florida State | Sprints/High Jump | Lanett, Ala. |
| Lawi Lalang | SR | Arizona | Distance | Eldoret, Kenya |
| Jarrion Lawson | SO | Arkansas | Jumps | Texarkana, Texas |
| Deon Lendore | JR | Texas A&M | Sprints | Arima, Trinidad & Tobago |
| Anthony Rotich | JR | UTEP | Distance | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Julian Wruck | RS SR | UCLA | Throws | Brisbane, Australia |
| Also Receiving Votes: Diondre Batson (Alabama); Arman Hall (Florida); Johannes Hock (Texas); Sam Kendricks (Mississippi); Michael Lihrman (Wisconsin); Omar McLeod (Arkansas); Michael Stigler | ||||
Joining Cheserek as new additions were pole vault champion Shawn Barber of Akron, heptathlon champ Curtis Beach of Duke, high jump champion James Harris of Florida State and long jump winner Jarrion Lawson of Arkansas.
Cheserek, the first frosh on the Men’s Watch List in 2014 and the first since 2013 The Bowerman Semifinalist Johannes Hock from Texas, wasn’t the only Watch List member to take down Lalang this past weekend.
Anthony Rotich of UTEP took Lalang’s mile title from him by less than a third of a second, leaving the award’s all-time most frequent Watch List member with two national runner-up finishes on the weekend.
A testament to how highly the Watch List committee thinks of the former finalist – and his competition – Lalang was the only member of this edition who competed this weekend who appeared despite not winning a national title.
He had been the top seed and defending national champion both in the mile and at 3000 meters – a collegiate record holder in the former and a two-time defending champ in the latter – and was the 2012 champion and the collegiate record holder at 5000 meters.
Remaining on the Watch List along with Lalang and Rotich were shot put champion Ryan Crouser of Texas, 400 meters champ Deon Lendore of Texas A&M and 2013 Finalist Julian Wruck of UCLA, who has yet to open the season in his signature discus event.
Behind Lalang on the all-time list among active student-athletes are Beach and Wruck with eight appearances apiece. Beach, who hadn’t appeared since the indoor season a year ago, is alone with Lalang as the only active men to have appeared on the Watch List in each of the past three years.
Four members of the Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List dropped down into the “also receiving mention” classification in Florida’s Arman Hall, Texas’ Johannes Hock, Mississippi’s Sam Kendricks and Wisconsin’s weight throw champion Michael Lihrman.
Joining them were 2014 “also receiving votes” mainstay Michael Stigler of Kansas as he awaits his signature 400 hurdles event outdoors, 200 meters champion Diondre Batson of Alabama and 60-meter hurdles champion Omar McLeod of Arkansas.
With Lendore and Lawson, the SEC brought its all-time best Men’s Watch List appearance total to 116, while the Pac-12 continued to make up ground at 81 with three representatives in Cheserek, Lalang and Wruck.
Making its first appearance on the Watch List – men or women – via Barber was the Mid-American Conference.
Biographies for each of the members of the Watch List can be found here.
