2023 Bowerman semifinalists: Ackera Nugent, Britton Wilson

NEW ORLEANS – A pair of Razorbacks – Ackera Nugent and Britton Wilson – are among the 10 semifinalists for the women’s 2023 Bowerman Award, as announced by USTFCCCA on Wednesday.

This is the second time for Wilson to be a Bowerman semifinalist while Nugent makes her first appearance. It’s the sixth and seventh appearance by Razorbacks in the history of the Bowerman, which started in 2009.

Previous women’s Bowerman semifinalist for Arkansas includes Tina Šutej (2011), Sandi Morris (2015), Dominique Scott (2016), Janeek Brown (2019), and Wilson (2022). Šutej and Brown each advanced to the final round.

The three individuals who advance as women’s Bowerman finalists will be announced on Monday, June 26.

Of the 10 Bowerman semifinalists, half are from SEC schools while Texas, soon to be in the SEC, have three semifinalists.

2023 Bowerman Semifinalists

In a season of records and all-time bests, Nugent and Wilson both excelled in 2023.

Nugent, a transfer from Baylor, arrived at Arkansas with lofty career best times of 7.27 (60), 7.89 (60H), 11.09 (100), 24.13 (200 indoor), 24.18 (200 outdoor), and 12.45 (100H) and proceeded to better her times in four of the five events.

Opening the season with an 8.00 victory in the 60m hurdles, Nugent bettered her career best with a 7.88 victory two weeks later.

In the SEC Indoor Championships, Nugent lowered her 60m hurdle best to 7.81 as silver medalist and her 60m best fell twice – 7.22 in the prelims and 7.20 as the bronze medalist.

Prepared to face the same elite hurdlers she raced in the conference meet during the NCAA Indoor Championships, Nugent broke the collegiate record in the semifinal with a 7.72 to top the previous record of 7.75 set by Kentucky’s Masai Russell earlier in the season.

Nugent also became the Jamaican national record holder, bettering the 7.74 by Michelle Freeman from 1998. On the world all-time list, Nugent ranks as the No. 6 performer with the No. 10 performance.

In the NCAA 60m hurdle final, a 7.73 for Nugent delivered her second gold in the event over a 7.78 for Russell. Nugent previously won the indoor title in 2021.

Outdoors, Nugent opened in the 100m hurdles with a windy 12.95 (3.9) in the Texas Relays prelims but didn’t contest the final. Russell won the final in a collegiate record of 12.36 (2.0) with LSU’s Alia Armstrong runner-up at 12.57.

Racing at the LSU Invitational, on the same venue hosting the SEC Championships two weeks later, Nugent edged out Armstrong for a 12.52 to 12.56 victory.

On the return visit to Baton Rouge for the conference meet, Nugent clocked a windy 12.49 (2.2) in the prelims and set a career best 12.43 to earn a silver medal in the final, moving to No. 6 on the all-time collegiate list.

Armstrong claimed the victory in 12.40 with Russell third at 12.47. Nugent added a fourth place in the 100 with an 11.13.

Nugent generated a pair of NCAA West preliminary round records with times of 12.72 and 12.69 in Sacramento. Nugent held the previous meet record of 12.76 set in 2021 while with Baylor.

Such finite margins between the three hurdlers led to an ultimate showdown in Austin for the NCAA Championships. Armstrong led the field in the semifinals with a 12.54, followed by a 12.55 for Nugent with Russell at 12.76 after clipping a hurdle early in her section.

In the final, Nugent flew down the track to earn the victory with a scintillating 12.25w (3.8), which became the collegiate all-conditions best time ever. A 12.32w for Russell claimed silver while Armstrong finished with bronze at 12.49w.

On the world level, Nugent’s breakthrough performance equaled the No. 6 performer and No. 10 performance on the all-conditions world all-time list. Among Jamaicans on the list Nugent is second to a 12.23w for Britany Anderson from 2022.

For the 2023 season Nugent ranks second in the world to a 12.17w for Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.

Nugent also ran on the Razorback 4 x 100m relay that finished a surprising fourth place in 42.83, the second fastest time in Arkansas history behind a 42.65 school record set on the same track in 2019.

Collegiate All-Time List | 60m Hurdles

Collegiate All-Time List | 100m Hurdles All-Conditions

Wilson totaled five collegiate records in 2023 and added an American record in winning the NCAA Indoor 400m with a 49.48 that also ranks No. 2 on the world all-time list.

Starting with 600m indoors, Wilson clocked 1:25.16 to break the previous collegiate record of 1:25.80 set by Athing Mu of Texas A&M in 2021. After earning SEC silver in the 800, equaling her debut best of 2:02.13, Wilson set a career best of 50.69 in the NCAA Indoor 400m prelims.

Her 49.48 in the NCAA 400m final bettered the 50.15 American and collegiate record combo delivered by Florida’s Talitha Diggs in the recent SEC Championships.

Wilson then punctuated her indoor performance with an all-time world best split of 49.19 to anchor the Razorbacks to an all-time world best victory of 3:21.75. Runner-up to Arkansas was Texas (3:25.67), trailing by nearly four full seconds.

The previous best indoor split on a 4 x 400m relay was 49.53 by Mu in 2021. Arkansas bettered the world record of 3:23.37 set by Russian in 2006 as well as the outdoor collegiate record of 3:21.93 set by Kentucky in 2022.

Outdoors, Wilson opened with a 53.23 in the 400m hurdles at Florida’s Tom Jones Memorial, just off her career best of 53.08 set as the silver medalist in the 2022 USATF Championships. The 53.23 ranks No. 3 on the collegiate all-time list.

The following day at Florida a 49.51 victory in the 400m broke the outdoor collegiate record of 49.57 set by Mu in the 2021 NCAA Championships.

Attempting both events on the same day during the SEC Championships, Wilson produced another collegiate record with a 49.40 in the prelims followed by a 53.76 in the 400m hurdles.

In the SEC finals, she achieved a repeat double victory with a 49.13 collegiate record in the 400m followed by a 53.28 in the 400m hurdles to produce a world best one-day double. Her 400m performance was the fastest time by an American sprinter since 2009 as she moved to No. 4 on the U.S. all-time list.

Wilson was named SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year for a second consecutive year. Following the conference performance Wilson graced the cover of Track & Field News magazine, becoming the first Razorback female to be on the cover as a collegian.

Meet records were claimed by Wilson at the NCAA West preliminary rounds as she posted a 49.51 in the 400m and added a pair of meet records in the 400m hurdles with times of 54.08 and 53.71.

At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Wilson set a meet record with a 49.36 in the semifinal. That mark was bettered in the final with a 49.20 by Rhasidat Adeleke of Texas while Wilson finished as the silver medalist in 49.64.

Overall, Wilson generated five of the top six collegiate all-time performances in the 400m during her 2023 campaign as well as three of the top eight collegiate performances in the 400m hurdles.

Collegiate All-Time List | 400m

Collegiate All-Time List | 400m Hurdles