Texas Tech University Athletics
Oduduru One of 10 Named to Bowerman Watch List
January 08, 2019 | Track and Field
The reigning 200m champion is one of 10 on the preseason watch list for track’s highest honor.
NEW ORLEANS – Texas Tech sprinter Divine Oduduru was one of 10 student-athletes named to the men's watch list for The Bowerman by the USTFCCCA. Founded in 2009, The Bowerman is considered the highest accolade a collegiate track athlete can earn.
Oduduru gains the recognition after a 2018 campaign that began with him racking up 18 points towards Tech's first-ever Big 12 Indoor Championship. He then went on to earn First Team All-America status in both the 60m and 200m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. When the outdoor campaign rolled around, Oduduru won the 100m and 200m individually before helping the 4x100 team to a first-place finish for a combined 30 points contributed towards the third Big 12 Outdoor Championship in the history of the Red Raider men's program.
He capped off his outstanding debut year in Lubbock by becoming the first sprinter in Texas Tech history to win a national title, coming away victorious in the 200m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a 20.28.
"It's always an honor to even be mentioned for an award like that," said assistant coach Calvin Robinson. "He's one of the best in the country, and he proved that last year."
Robinson went on, saying, "He's still hungry. He had a great fall and we worked on a lot of specific things that he needed to fix from last year, so he should have a good season. I think the toughest part at this point is the mental aspect of track and field and making sure that you're mentally prepared to go into a season with the success that he had last year."
Though he specializes in short distance, Oduduru will actually be running the 300m – which is not an NCAA-sponsored event – at Saturday's Corky Classic. Robinson explained the strategy behind having the junior from Nigeria run longer races to start:
"He's training up a little bit and not focusing as much on short speed," he said. "He's a naturally fast guy, but we want to make sure he's got good strength and endurance to make sure he's good for the whole year."
Below is the full Bowerman watch list for 2019.
Men's Watch List
Denzel Comenentia, Georgia
Mondo Duplantis, LSU
Andre Ewers, Florida State
Grant Fisher, Stanford
Grant Holloway, Florida
Morgan McDonald, Wisconsin
Kahmari Montgomery, Houston
Chris Nilsen, South Dakota
Divine Oduduru, Texas Tech
Anderson Peters, Mississippi State
Women's Watch List
Jazmine Fray, Texas A&M
Olivia Gruver, Washington
Jessica Hull, Oregon
Lynna Irby, Georgia
Lexi Jacobus, Arkansas
Dani Jones, Colorado
Ednah Kurgat, New Mexico
Mackenzie Little, Stanford
Allie Ostrander, Boise State
Sammy Watson, Texas A&M
Oduduru gains the recognition after a 2018 campaign that began with him racking up 18 points towards Tech's first-ever Big 12 Indoor Championship. He then went on to earn First Team All-America status in both the 60m and 200m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. When the outdoor campaign rolled around, Oduduru won the 100m and 200m individually before helping the 4x100 team to a first-place finish for a combined 30 points contributed towards the third Big 12 Outdoor Championship in the history of the Red Raider men's program.
He capped off his outstanding debut year in Lubbock by becoming the first sprinter in Texas Tech history to win a national title, coming away victorious in the 200m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a 20.28.
"It's always an honor to even be mentioned for an award like that," said assistant coach Calvin Robinson. "He's one of the best in the country, and he proved that last year."
Robinson went on, saying, "He's still hungry. He had a great fall and we worked on a lot of specific things that he needed to fix from last year, so he should have a good season. I think the toughest part at this point is the mental aspect of track and field and making sure that you're mentally prepared to go into a season with the success that he had last year."
Though he specializes in short distance, Oduduru will actually be running the 300m – which is not an NCAA-sponsored event – at Saturday's Corky Classic. Robinson explained the strategy behind having the junior from Nigeria run longer races to start:
"He's training up a little bit and not focusing as much on short speed," he said. "He's a naturally fast guy, but we want to make sure he's got good strength and endurance to make sure he's good for the whole year."
Below is the full Bowerman watch list for 2019.
Men's Watch List
Denzel Comenentia, Georgia
Mondo Duplantis, LSU
Andre Ewers, Florida State
Grant Fisher, Stanford
Grant Holloway, Florida
Morgan McDonald, Wisconsin
Kahmari Montgomery, Houston
Chris Nilsen, South Dakota
Divine Oduduru, Texas Tech
Anderson Peters, Mississippi State
Women's Watch List
Jazmine Fray, Texas A&M
Olivia Gruver, Washington
Jessica Hull, Oregon
Lynna Irby, Georgia
Lexi Jacobus, Arkansas
Dani Jones, Colorado
Ednah Kurgat, New Mexico
Mackenzie Little, Stanford
Allie Ostrander, Boise State
Sammy Watson, Texas A&M
Players Mentioned
Sprints
/ Track and Field2026 Texas Relays Recap
Wednesday, April 08
Wes Kittley Media Session
Wednesday, April 08
Alyssa Colbert Media Availability
Wednesday, March 25
Wes Kittley Media Availability - Masked Rider Open
Wednesday, March 25