Kerr Named to The Bowerman Men's Preseason Watch List
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — University of New Mexico track & field student-athlete Josh Kerr earned a spot on The Bowerman Men’s Preseason Watch List, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Tuesday.
Kerr, a two-time NCAA champion, is one of 10 men selected to the watch list. The redshirt sophomore from Edinburgh, Scotland, was a semifinalist for The Bowerman, the highest individual honor in collegiate track & field, in 2017.
“It’s the first time in school history we’ve had someone on the Watch List, and it’s a testament to Josh and what he’s done and what his marks have been,” UNM head coach Joe Franklin said.
During his outstanding 2017 track campaign, Kerr won a pair of national titles for New Mexico, sweeping both the mile run and the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor championships.
At the NCAA Indoor Championships last March at Gilliam Indoor Track in College Station, Texas, Kerr defeated 17-time national champion Edward Cheserek of Oregon in the mile to claim his first NCAA crown.
Last June, at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Kerr seized his second national title, holding off the field to win the 1,500.
He is just the 11th athlete in NCAA history — and the first since 2008 — to accomplish the indoor/outdoor sweep.
Kerr also ran the sixth-fastest 1,500-meter time in NCAA history at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April 2017, clocking in at 3:35.99. His time sits just .69 seconds off Sydney Maree’s 36-year-old NCAA record in the 1,500 and also doubles as the New Mexico and Mountain West records in the event.
Kerr also met the qualifying standard for the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London, and subsequently qualified to the World Championships in July.
On top of that, he earned wins in the mile and the distance medley relay at the MW Indoor Championships in February and the 800 and 1,500 at the MW Outdoor Championships in May.
Along with his selection as a semifinalist for The Bowerman, Kerr was also named Mountain West Male Athlete of the Year and MW Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Student-Athlete of the Year last year.
The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is presented annually by the USTFCCCA to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track & field athletes in the nation. Performances during the indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons count for the award; performances achieved in cross country are not considered.
The other nine Preseason Watch List member for the men’s Bowerman are Nathon Allen (Auburn), KeAndre Bates (Florida), Cameron Burrell (Houston), Isaiah Harris (Penn State), Grant Holloway (Florida), Justyn Knight (Syracuse), John Kyriazis (Texas A&M), Kemar Mowatt (Arkansas) and Chris Nilsen (South Dakota).
Kerr is the first New Mexico athlete to appear on the Preseason Watch List. On Monday, teammate Ednah Kurgat was receiving votes on The Bowerman Women’s Preseason Watch List.
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