Cory McGee Named to The Bowerman Trophy Women's Preseason Watch List
Thursday, January 9, 2014 | Track and Field
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida middle-distance senior Cory McGee is one of 10 standout women's track and field athletes on The Bowerman Trophy Women's Preseason Watch List, announced by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Thursday. McGee makes it three Gators named to The Bowerman Preseason Watch Lists, as UF men's athletes Marquis Dendy and Arman Hall were included on the men's preseason tally unveiled Wednesday.
McGee was one of two SEC athletes recognized alongside Kamaria Brown from Texas A&M. With the inclusion of Brown and McGee, the SEC is the first women's conference to surpass 100 total watch list appearances with 101. The SEC also surpassed the mark on the men's side with 107 total appearances.
If last year is any indication, the Preseason Watch List is the place to be for the women: six of the 10 eventual semifinalists in 2013 were present on the very first Watch List of the year, while a seventh received votes outside the top 10. The Bowerman, regarded as 'The Heisman' of collegiate track and field, is awarded each year to the top male and female collegiate athletes in the sport of NCAA track and field.
The first regular-season edition of the Women's Watch List for The Bowerman will be released Thursday, February 6.
CORY McGEE NOTABLES
The Bowerman Notes: McGee makes her first appearance on the Watch List, and is the third Florida woman to have been included all-time. The Gators' 11 combined women's Watch List appearances is tied for the eighth-most in the award's history, with in-state rival UCF and Iowa State.
Last Season: McGee was the national runner-up over 1500 meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 4:13.94, less than a three-quarters of a second behind winner Natalja Piliusina of Oklahoma State. She led the tactical race on the final straightaway, but was overcome by a hard-charging Piliusina just before the line.
A middle-distance specialist, McGee claimed an SEC individual title in the indoor mile, finished runner-up in the outdoor 1500 meters, and was the top collegian — second overall — in the indoor mile at the UW Husky Classic in 4:32.10. Additionally, she was the second-best collegian in the Payton Jordan Invitational 1500 meters, crossing the finish in 4:10.55 in sixth overall.
Her breakthrough in 2013 came after the collegiate season at the USA Outdoor Championships and beyond. She finished third over 1500 meters at the USA Championships to earn a spot on Team USA at the 2013 IAAF World Championships, and clinched the spot later with a World Championships "B" Standard and personal-best 4:06.67.
View The Bowerman Women's Preseason Watch List release on USTFCCCA.org.
| NAME | YEAR | SCHOOL | EVENTS | HOMETOWN |
| JR | Texas A&M | Sprints | Baton Rouge, La. | |
| SR | Dartmouth | Distance | Topsfield, Mass. | |
| SR | Oregon | Sprints | Queens, N.Y. | |
| RS SR | Arizona State | Throws | Bakersfield, Calif. | |
| SR | Colorado | Distance | Salt Lake City, Utah | |
| SR | Florida | Mid-Distance | Pass Christian, Miss. | |
| SR | Oregon | Mid-Distance | Fargo, N.D. | |
| JR | Texas | Sprints | Indianapolis, Ind. | |
| SR | San Diego State | Sprints/Jumps | Clarendon, Jamaica | |
| JR | Kansas | Combined Events | Hamilton, Mo. | |
| Also Receiving Votes (Alphabetically by last name): Natalia Bartnovskaya (Kansas); Emma Bates (Boise State); Dezerea Bryant (Kentucky); Bethany Firsick (Buell) (South Dakota); Morgann Leleux (Georgia); Natalja Piliusina (Oklahoma State); Colleen Quigley (Florida State); Cierra White (Texas Tech) | ||||
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