Valby marks the ninth time a Gator has been named a finalist for the award.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Just hours before Parker Valby will race for a spot on the 2024 Olympic Roster in the 5000m, she has been named a finalist for The Bowerman, the most prestigious award in Track & Field. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced the three finalists of the award on Monday afternoon. Joining Valby as finalists are Maia Ramsden of Harvard and Jaida Ross of Oregon.
Valby is one of four women and eight Gator Track & Field athletes in the program’s history to be named a finalist for The Bowerman. Marquis Dendy (2015) and Grant Holloway (2019) are the only two Gators to have won the award, meaning Valby, if she were to win, will be first female Gator in program history to do so.
The Bowerman Finalists in Florida Track & Field History
Christian Taylor, 2011
Tony McQuay, 2012
Marquis Dendy, 2015
Grant Holloway, 2018 and 2019
Yanis David, 2019
Anna Hall, 2022
Jasmine Moore, 2023
Parker Valby, 2024
PARKER VALBY’S 2024 SEASON
To tell you the story of Valby’s historic 2024 campaign, we’ll have to take you back to 2023 when she opened her Indoor Track & Field season at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Only a couple weeks removed from being crowned the NCAA Individual Champion in Cross Country, Valby set the indoor 5000m collegiate record with a groundbreaking time of 14:56.11. Valby’s mark was an outstanding 16 seconds faster than the previous indoor collegiate record of 15:12.22 which was set by Emily Sisson in 2015. It also undercut the outdoor record (15:03.12) by seven seconds which was set by Katelyn Tuohy in 2023. She becomes the first woman to ever run a sub-15-minute 5000m race during a collegiate competition.
She resumed her indoor season at the SEC Indoor Championships as she tallied two gold medal performances, one as a member of the Women’s DMR team and the other in the 3000m. The Women’s DMR team of Elise Thorner<https://floridagators.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/elise-thorner/16594>, Laila Owens<https://floridagators.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/laila-owens/16463>, Flomena Asekol<https://floridagators.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/flomena-asekol/16586> and Valby earned a time of 10:53.29 which was a SEC Indoor Championship record and the No. 2 time on UF’s All-Time Top 10 List. The next day, competing in the 3000m, Valby recorded a finish of 8:42.29 which, at the time, stood as the Florida school record, SEC Championships record and the Randal Tyson Track Center facility record.
After earning the indoor 5000m collegiate record earlier in the season, Valby undercut her own record on route to the NCAA Indoor 5000m title as she ran a time of 14:52.79. This time also set a new meet record, facility record, school record and personal record. However, she was not finished.
A day later Valby set out to complete the “distance double” as she was entered in the 3000m. She once again set records en route to her second NCAA Individual Championship of the weekend as she set a meet record and personal record time of 8:41.50. This time stood as the third fastest women’s 3000m time ever recorded in collegiate competition. She became the first Gator in program history to win indoor titles in each event.
Valby opened her outdoor season at the Bryan Clay Invitational as she made her collegiate debut in the 10,000m. Despite it being her first time competing at said distance, the redshirt junior shattered the collegiate record in the event by posting a time of 30:50.43. The previous record, which was held by Lisa Uhl (31:18.07), had stood for 14 years before Valby’s performance on Thursday. In other words, Valby surpassed the previous record by an outstanding 28 seconds. Valby joins an elite group of women as she became the 13th woman in American history to have broken 31 minutes in the 10,000m.
She continued her season at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Racing on her home track for the first time in her collegiate career, she became the back-to-back SEC Outdoor 5000m Champion in meet record time of 15:07.86. Before her performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, this stood as the school record in the event as she topped her own time by nearly 18 seconds (15:25.03 – 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships).
She ended the campaign at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships where she tallied NCAA Championships in both the 10,000m and 5000m. Valby first competed in the 10,000m where she set yet another meet record on route to her first place finish (31:46.09) and became the first Gator woman in program history to be an individual champion in the event. This marked Valby’s fifth career NCAA Individual Championship.
Two days later Valby totaled her sixth NCAA title and the third collegiate record of her career as she took home first place in the Women’s 5000m with a time of 14:52.18, topping the previous record by 11 seconds. The now back-to-back NCAA 5000m Champion also set a meet record, facility record, program record and personal record with her time.
2024 ACCOLADES
• 4x NCAA Individual Championships
o NCAA Outdoor Track & Field 10,000m Champion
o NCAA Outdoor Track & Field 5,000m Champion
o NCAA Indoor Track & Field 5,000m Champion
o NCAA Indoor Track & Field 3,000m Champion
• 3x Collegiate Records
* Indoor 5,000m: 14.52.79 at 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
* Outdoor 5,000m: 14:52.18 at 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
* Outdoor 10,000m: 30:50.43 at 2024 Bryan Clay Invitational
* 3x SEC Individual Champion
* SEC Outdoor Track & Field 5,000m Champion
* SEC Indoor Track & Field 3,000m Champion
* SEC Indoor Track & Field DMR Champion
* USTFCCCA Awards
* The Bowerman Finalist
* NCAA Div. I National Outdoor Track & Field Women’s Track Athlete of the Year
* NCAA Div. I National Indoor Track & Field Women’s Track Athlete of the Year
* Indoor First Team All-American (3,000m)
* Indoor First Team All-American (5,000m)
* Outdoor First Team All-American (5,000m)
* Outdoor First Team All-American (10,000m)
* Honda Sport Award Winner – Track & Field
* School Records
* Indoor 3,000m: 8:41.50 at 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
* Indoor 5,000m: 14.52.79 at 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships
* Outdoor 5,000m: 14:52.18 at 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
* Outdoor 10,000m: 30:50.43 at 2024 Bryan Clay Invitational
THE BOWERMAN VOTING
Votes received from The Bowerman Voters for female candidates shall be tabulated as follows:
1. Ballots: Each female Finalist shall receive 3 points for each “first choice” vote, 2 points for each “second choice” vote, and 1 point for each “third choice” vote.
2. Fan Voting: The top female vote-getter in the Fan Voting for The Bowerman shall receive 3 points. The second-highest female vote-getter shall receive 2 points, and the third highest female vote-getter shall receive 1 point.
3. USTFCCCA Member Voting: The top female vote-getter in the USTFCCCA Member Voting for The Bowerman shall receive 3 points. The second-highest female vote-getter shall receive 2 points, and the female third highest vote-getter shall receive 1 point.
DETERMINATION OF THE WINNER
The female Finalist with the highest point total after the tabulation of ballots, fan voting, and USTFCCCA member voting shall be declared the women’s winner of The Bowerman.
The Bowerman will be awarded in December at the annual USTFCCCA Convention in Orlando, Florida.
FAN VOTING
Fan voting opens Tuesday, June 25 at 4 PM ET and is linked here<https://www.ustfccca.org/the-bowerman?doing_wp_cron=1719259145.6369190216064453125000>.
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