Florida's Tony McQuay Named Bowerman Semifinalist
Tuesday, June 19, 2012 | Track and Field
University of Florida junior Tony McQuay (Riviera Beach, Fla.) has been named a semifinalist for collegiate track and field's biggest award – The Bowerman. He is among 10 male semifinalists for the award, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced this week.
With the collegiate season complete, the semifinalists will be evaluated by the 10-person Bowerman Advisory Board and three finalists will be named from the semifinalist group on Friday, June 29.
McQuay helped lead the Gators to their first NCAA Outdoor team title with a national crown in the 400 meters and as anchor of the 4x400-meter relay team that took victory. In the 400, McQuay claimed top honors with the season's collegiate best time of 44.58 seconds, just ahead of Oregon's Mike Berry. In the 4x400-meter relay, McQuay literally clinched the team title for the Gators.
Taking the baton in second place, Florida, down two points heading into the meet's final event, needed to win the relay to secure at least a share of the team crown. McQuay, with a 44.01 split, fired past Southern California's Bryshon Nellum to take the tape. Because LSU finished third in the relay, the Gators managed a four-point swing, enough to place Florida on top of the point standings.
He was the winner of the 400 meters at the SEC Championships, as part of an outdoor undefeated season in the event, in 45.48 and also led Florida to the SEC crown in the 4x400-meter relay. The 4x400 squad also won the Drake Relays title.
McQuay is the first since 2008 to sweep NCAA indoor and outdoor 400-meter crowns. He won the national indoor title in the season's best by a collegian, 45.77.
McQuay extends the leads for Florida (5) and the SEC (9) on the all-time semifinalist men's appearance list. Former Gator NCAA Champions Christian Taylor and Will Claye were semifinalists a year ago, with Taylor being named a finalist prior to his IAAF World Championship in the men's triple jump.
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Florida track and field on Twitter at @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField. You can also find the Gators on Facebook.
| THE BOWERMAN SEMIFINALISTS, 2012 MEN | ||||
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| Donn Cabral | SR | Princeton | Distance | Glastonbury, Conn. |
| Jordan Clarke | RS JR | Arizona State | Throws | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Tim Glover | JR | Illinois State | Javelin | Normal, Ill. |
| Charles Jock | SR | UC Irvine | Mid-Distance | San Diego, Calif. |
| Erik Kynard | JR | Kansas State | Jumps | Toledo, Ohio |
| Cam Levins | SR | Southern Utah | Distance | Black Creek, B.C. |
| Tony McQuay | JR | Florida | Sprints | Riviera Beach, Fla. |
| Maurice Mitchell | SR | Florida State | Sprints | Kansas City, Mo. |
| Andrew Riley | SR | Illinois | Sprints/Hurdles | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Alexander Ziegler | JR | Virginia Tech | Throws | Dischingen, Germany |
THE BOWERMAN SEMIFINALIST & AWARD HISTORY
2009
Winner: Galen Rupp, Oregon
Finalist: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: German Fernandez, Oklahoma State
(semifinalists were not named in 2009)
2010
Winner: Ashton Eaton, Oregon
Finalist: Andrew Wheating, Oregon
Finalist: Ryan Whiting, Arizona State
Sam Chelanga, Liberty
Jeff Demps, Florida
Johnny Dutch, South Carolina
Walter Henning, LSU
Kirani James, Alabama
David McNeill, Northern Arizona
Christian Taylor, Florida
2011
Winner: Ngoni Makusha, Florida State
Finalist: Jeshua Anderson, Washington State
Finalist: Christian Taylor, Florida
Robby Andrews, Virginia
Sam Chelanga, Liberty
Will Claye, Florida
Kirani James, Alabama
Leonard Korir, Iona
Maurice Mitchell, Florida State
Scott Roth, Washington
Multiple Semifinalist Appearances by School (2010-2012)
Florida (5): Christian Taylor (2), Will Claye, Jeff Demps, Tony McQuay
Florida State (3): Maurice Mitchell (2), Ngoni Makusha*
Alabama (2): Kirani James (2)
Arizona State (2): Jordan Clarke, Ryan Whiting
Liberty (2): Sam Chelanga (2)
Oregon (2): Ashton Eaton*, Andrew Wheating
* Previous Winner
| All-Time Male Semifinalist Appearances by Current Conference | ||
| Conference | App. | Last |
| SEC | 9 | 2012 |
| Pac-12 | 5 | 2012 |
| ACC | 5 | 2012 |
| Big South | 2 | 2011 |
| Big 12 | 1 | 2012 |
| Big Ten | 1 | 2012 |
| Big West | 1 | 2012 |
| Ivy | 1 | 2012 |
| Missouri Valley | 1 | 2012 |
| Summit League | 1 | 2012 |
| Metro Atlantic | 1 | 2011 |
| Big Sky | 1 | 2010 |
ABOUT THE BOWERMAN
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.
Florida State's Ngoni Makusha and Texas A&M's Jessica Beard are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.
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.
For more information on The Bowerman, the award, the magnificent trophy, and Bill Bowerman himself, visit TheBowerman.org. Keep up with Bowerman candidates on the USTFCCCA's weekly results page (http://www.ustfccca.org/weekly-results) and by following the organization's twitter feed twitter.com/TheBowerman and Facebook page facebook.com/TheBowerman.
ABOUT THE USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches' interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
