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December 15, 2010



Eaton Wins 2010 Bowerman Award

World heptathlon record-holder is the second straight Duck to claim the honor.



SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Five-time NCAA champion and world heptathlon record-holder Ashton Eaton was named the 2010 Bowerman Award winner Wednesday night by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Eaton becomes the second consecutive Duck to win the award, which is track and field’s equivalent of the Heisman. Galen Rupp won the inaugural Bowerman in 2009, when Eaton was also a finalist.

“It’s awesome to win this award and to be associated with the University of Oregon,” said Eaton, one of three 2010 finalists along with teammate Andrew Wheating and Ryan Whiting of Arizona State. “I am so happy to have gone to Oregon for my collegiate experience, and to now win this award that is named for one of our great coaches. It really means a lot.

“I think all the finalists should have got Bowerman Awards,” said Eaton. “We all go to practice every day, we all work hard and we all know what you’ve got to go through to reach this level.”

The 2010 campaign was one for the ages for the senior from Bend, Ore. He began the year by breaking the world record in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships, scoring 6,499 points. He set five event PR’s to better Dan O’Brien’s 1993 world record of 6,476 points. He then came back at the end of the meet to run a leg on the Ducks’ sixth-place 4x400 meter relay team as the Ducks tied for second overall.

After opening the outdoor season by scoring an impressive 8,310 points to win the decathlon at Texas A&M in April, he put on a performance for the ages at the 2010 Pac-10 Championships in May at Berkeley, Calif. He opened the meet with his third straight Pac-10 title in the decathlon, scoring 8,154 points. Then, he added titles in the 110 meter hurdles (13.54) and long jump (25-7.5/7.81m) and a second-place finish in the 100 meters (10.33). He also ran a leg on the Ducks’ fourth-place 4x100 meter relay squad to help lead Oregon to its fourth straight Pac-10 title.

Then in his final home appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June, Eaton became the first person ever to capture three straight NCAA decathlon titles. His personal-best winning total of 8,457 points set NCAA meet, Pac-10 and school records in helping Oregon finish third overall.

“I was getting kind of nervous until they announced my name, and then I just started thinking about 2010 and all the people who helped me get here,” said Eaton. “I think this year really embodied my entire career.

“When I’m 60 years old and they are still giving out Bowerman Awards, and my name will be there with all the future greats of track and field - just to be a part of that is really big,” said Eaton.



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Greg Walker

Associate Director, Media Relations

University of Oregon

Track & Field and Cross Country Contact

541-346-2252 (o)

541-954-8775 ©

Here is the write-up

Harrison, Eaton Named 2010 Winners of The Bowerman

Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison and Oregon’s Ashton Eaton honored as the top collegiate track & field athletes of the year

December 15, 2010

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – In a night full of pomp and circumstance, elegance and entertainment, Virginia Tech’s Queen Harrison and Oregon’s Ashton Eaton were crowned as the 2010 recipients of The Bowerman. Awarded by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), The Bowerman is awarded to the year’s best collegiate track & field athletes.

In 2010, Eaton, a native of Bend, Ore., netted a second-straight NCAA heptathlon title during the indoor season and a third-consecutive NCAA decathlon crown outdoors. Scoring 6,499 points at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Eaton topped the 17-year-old world record held by Dan O’Brien. Twice during the indoor season, Eaton bettered the heptathlon collegiate record. Outdoors, Eaton scored over 8150 points in each of his three decathlons, and beat the NCAA Championships meet record in the event. Eaton was the USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season and shared the award with Ryan Whiting outdoors.

Harrision, a native of Richmond, Va., became the first female in NCAA history to win both 100- and 400-meter hurdle national titles. In addition, Harrison won the NCAA indoor crown in the 60-meter hurdles. Harrison recorded the 2010 collegiate-best times in all three hurdle events spanning the indoor and outdoor seasons and went undefeated in every final of those events. Harrison notched the fourth-best, all-time collegiate best 100-meter hurdle time in winning the Penn Relays title (12.61). Harrison was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor campaigns.

The beginning of the 2011 season is just around the corner. Announcements of the official preseason watch lists for the 2011 award will be released in mid-January.

Direct link … http://www.ustfccca....of-the-bowerman