Ofili Named to Bowerman Watch List
1/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Jan. 6, 2016
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Senior sprinter/hurdler Cindy Ofili has been named to the Women's NCAA Indoor Championship Watch List for The Bowerman, collegiate track and field's highest honor, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced on Wednesday (Jan. 6).
The Bowerman has been awarded each year to the top male collegiate athlete and to the top female collegiate athlete in the sport of NCAA track and field since 2009. This indoor championship season, Ofili is one of 10 student-athletes named to this list, while another nine athletes received votes. She is the first University of Michigan athlete to be honored with this recognition. A full list of past winners and finalists is available here.
The recognition is well deserved, coming off one of the most prolific seasons in U-M track and field history. Ofili has four program records already under her belt. She broke her sister's 100-meter dash (11.39) and 100-meter hurdles (12.60) records at the NCAA Championships last June on her way to a runner-up finish in the hurdles and her third career All-America honor.
Ofili was undefeated in 100-meter hurdle races before that national meet, proving her dominance at the conference level by defending her conference titles in both the indoor (60-meter hurdles) and outdoor (100-meter hurdles) seasons. Ofili shattered her previous PR of 12.81 with a run of 12.60 at the NCAA Championships, proving she is at her best when the moment is biggest.
She has also found success off the track in the classroom with her work as a student teacher while she pursues her degree in elementary education, earning two USTFCCCA All-Academic and two Academic All-Big Ten honors along the way. She has been recognized seven tiles as the conference's track athlete of the week, with six such recognitions coming in the 2015 season.
Though competition and performances outside the NCAA are not considered for the award, Ofili has also spread her wings to the international level. She earned a silver medal at her national championships and represented Team Great Britain at the IAAF World Championships last summer in Beijing, China.
Bill Bowerman served the sport of track and field in numerous ways. His leadership in the USTFCCCA's predecessor organization, the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association, and his contributions to NCAA track and field and the running community as a whole are among his many lasting legacies. More information about the award and voting process is available at http://www.ustfccca.org.
The Wolverines will get the indoor season underway this weekend at the Hillsdale Winter Opener. The meet is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday (Jan. 9) at Hillsdale University's Biermann Athletic Center in Hillsdale, Michigan.
Bowerman Award Watch List
Quanesha Burks, Alabama
Kyra Jefferson, Florida
Akela Jones, Kansas State
Shamier Little, Texas A&M
Cindy Ofili, Michigan
Keturah Orji, Georgia
Demi Payne, Stephen F. Austin
Raevyn Rogers, Oregon
Raven Saunders, Ole Miss
Shelbi Vaughan, Texas A&M
Also received votes:
Morolake Akinosun, Texas
Kendall Baisden, Texas
Erica Bougard, Mississippi State
Courtney Frerichs, New Mexico
Courtney Okolo, Texas
DeAnna Price, Southern Illinois
Irena Sediva, Virginia Tech
Molly Seidel, Notre Dame
Kendell Williams, Georgia
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
