This marks the final watch list of the season. Award semifinalists will be announced on Tuesday, June 18.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Wednesday afternoon the USTFCCCA announced the final Bowerman Watch List for the 2024 season which featured Parker Valby as she made her eighth career and eighth consecutive appearance on the list. Valby is one of two women who were listed on each watch list this calendar year and is the third Florida woman to do so, joining 2010 semifinalist Mariam Kevkhisvili and 2023 finalist Jasmine Moore.
Additionally, Alida van Daalen, who has broken the University of Florida school record in the Discus Throw on four separate occasions, holds the collegiate lead in Discus and the No. 3 all-time mark in the event received votes for the first time in 2024 and in her collegiate career.
Award semifinalists will be announced on Tuesday, June 18 and finalists are slated to be announced on Monday, June 24.
Additionally, Grace Stark, who has snapped her own University of Florida school record in the 100m H twice and holds the national lead in the event, received votes for the first time in 2024. Stark appeared on the 2022 Bowerman Watchlist five times.
PARKER VALBY RESUME
2024 Outdoor Track & Field
This past weekend, Valby qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in two events: 5000m and 10,000m. She tallied times of 15:19.76 and 32:43.91 in the two events which resulted in auto-qualifying bids to Eugene, Oregon.
Two weeks prior, running on her home track for this first time in her collegiate career, Valby became the back-to-back SEC Outdoor Champion in the Women’s 5000m recording a time of 15:07.86. The time stands as a new program record, topping her own time by nearly 18 seconds (15:25.03 – 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships). Her time is also the new SEC Outdoor Championship meet record, the Percy Beard Track facility record and No. 4 in NCAA history.
Valby became the first Florida female athlete in 41 years, Shelly Steely (1984-1985), to win back-to-back SEC Outdoor 5000m titles. Her and Steely are also the only two in program history to achieve this feat.
Earlier this season, Valby competed in the 10,000m for the first time in her collegiate career, Valby shattered another NCAA record as she crossed the finish line in 30:50.43 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. The previous record, which was held by Lisa Uhl (31:18.07), had stood for 14 years before Valby’s performance on April 11.
Valby joined an elite group of women as she became the 13th woman in American history to have broken 31 minutes in the 10,000m. Her time ranks 11th on the American all-time list and is No. 5 in the world in 2024. What was even more remarkable about Valby’s performance was her splits. The redshirt junior split 15:30 and 15:20 in the first and second halves of the race which is groundbreaking considering her record in an outdoor 5000m sits at 15:20.10, which she ran last year at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
2024 Indoor Track & Field
The Tampa, Florida native took home titles in both the 5000m and 3000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships in record setting fashion. In the 5000m, Valby snapped her own collegiate record as she crossed the finish line in 14:52.79. Her time also stands as the NCAA Indoor Championships meet record and the TRACK at New Balance facility record. Approximately 24 hours later she stepped back on to the track where she broke the NCAA Indoor Championships meet record in the 3000m with a time of 8:51.30 which is also the third fastest time in indoor collegiate history.
Valby’s undefeated season also included the No. 2 time in the 5000m (14:56.11), which was the first time a woman had run sub-15 indoors or outdoors at the collegiate level, as well as the No. 6 time in the indoor 3000m (8:42.29) which was achieved at SEC Championships.
ALIDA VAN DAALEN RESUME
2024 Outdoor Track & Field
As mentioned previously, van Daalen has reset the University of Florida school record in the Discus Throw on four separate occasions during the 2024 outdoor season. She first broke the school record while competing at the Pepsi Florida Relays with a mark of 61.84m/202’11”. Since then she has recorded subsequent marks of 62.23m/204’2″, 62.58m/205’4″ and 66.31m/217’6″ (recorded at USATF event).
In her most recent competition, van Daalen punched two tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. First competing in the Shot Put, van Daalen recorded a mark of 18.01m/59’1.25″ and placed second in the competition. Two days later van Daalen qualified in the discus as she recorded two throws in the series that landed at over 65m. Her best throw of 65.25m/214’1″ makes van Daalen the No. 3 all-time collegiate performer and the 2024 collegiate leader in the event. She has now qualified for the National Championship in both the Shot Put and Discus Throw for two consecutive seasons.
2024 Indoor Track & Field
The Rotterdam, Netherlands native was named a USTFCCCA First Team All-American behind a fifth-place finish in the Shot Put at NCAA Indoor Championships. The sophomore also earned a silver medal in the Shot Put while competing at the SEC Indoor Championships behind a season best throw of 18.59m/61’0″.
THE BOWERMAN 2024 WOMEN’S UPDATE #6
JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina – Sprints
Rachel Glenn, Arkansas – Hurdles/Jumps
Jasmine Jones, Southern California – Sprints/Hurdles
McKenzie Long, Ole Miss – Sprints
Brianna Lyston, LSU – Sprints
Nickisha Pryce, Arkansas – Sprints
Maia Ramsden, Harvard – Mid-Distance/Distance
Michaela Rose, LSU – Mid-Distance
Jaida Ross, Oregon – Throws
Parker Valby, Florida – Distance
Receiving Votes
Maribel Caicedo, Washington State (Hurdles)
Doris Lemngole, Alabama – Distance
Hilda Olemomoi, Alabama – Distance
Alida van Daalen, Florida – Throws
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter<https://twitter.com/GatorsTF> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Florida-Track-Field-and-Cross-Country/272013273259?ref=bookmarks> | YouTube<https://www.youtube.com/user/uftrack> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/gatorstf/?hl=en>
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
