Ayden Owens-Delerme awaits The Bowerman ceremony

AURORA, Colo. – Razorback double NCAA champion Ayden Owens-Delerme will attend The Bowerman ceremony on Thursday evening at the USTFCCCA convention being held at the Gaylord Rockies.

Coverage of The Bowerman presentation will be available through YouTube starting at 8 p.m. (CT). Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv5Hx2iU3Mo&feature=youtu.be

Owens-Delerme is one of three men’s finalist for the award, which has been presented annually since its debut in 2009 to the most outstanding male and female NCAA track and field athlete. The other two finalists for the men’s award include Florida State hurdler Trey Cunningham and North Carolina A&T sprinter Randolph Ross, Jr.

Athletes from the SEC have claimed the men’s Bowerman in six of the past seven presentations from five different SEC schools.

Arkansas’ Jarrion Lawson won The Bowerman in 2016 following a triple NCAA victory – 100, 200, and long jump – that matched the amazing effort last achieved by Jesse Owens of Ohio State in 1936.

“It’s about time that we have another Razorback on the men’s side up for The Bowerman,” stated Lawson, who is back in Fayetteville training. “I remember my experience. The athletic director and all the coaches came down and it felt like a special moment of family, friends, staff, and coaches.

“I remember the excitement, but also the anxiousness of not knowing if you were going to win the award being up against such good competitors with the other two finalists. It was just a great moment. I think it’s a moment that is about you and you have to take it all in. It’s a special night. We’re all winners regardless of who wins the award.”

Each year The Bowerman invites previous winners back for the festivities around the next award presentation and Lawson has returned numerous times.

“Absolutely, I’ve been back three or four times,” Lawson said. “Of course, the most important time to come back is the year after you win so you can hand the trophy to the next winner. It’s always a special moment. They treat all the past Bowerman winners and the current finalists the same, and it’s very special to be part of it all.”

Each of the three men’s finalists in 2022 were double NCAA Champions, claiming national titles during the indoor and outdoor seasons in their respective events. Owens-Delerme became just the fourth individual to sweep NCAA titles in heptathlon and decathlon during the same season.

His victory at the NCAA Indoor meet came about in dramatic fashion, moving from fourth to first place after winning the final event, the 1,000m with a career best time.

Then outdoors Owens-Delerme produced leading scores on the first day of decathlons twice before completing victories at the Mt. SAC Relays and in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. His score of 8,528 at Mt. SAC bettered the then wind-legal collegiate record while his tally of 8,457 for the NCAA victory equaled the meet record set by Oregon’s Ashton Eaton.

“Any multi-event I was in during this past season was probably the most memorable,” noted Owens-Delerme. “First, it had to be coming back to win the heptathlon at indoor nationals to win my first NCAA title.

“Then in my first decathlon at Mt. SAC, breaking the former collegiate record, it told me I’m capable of being right up there with the likes of Ashton Eaton and the guys who came through before me. After I did that, I knew the NCAA Outdoor title was the next step.”

Arkansas has been fortunate to have world-class athletes in its program over the decades. Lawson and Owens-Delerme are recent examples of the caliber of athlete the Razorbacks staff develops.

“We’re all very fortunate here to work with at least two once-in-a-lifetime athletes, so to speak,” said Arkansas men’s associate head coach Travis Geopfert. “Things between those guys are extremely similar. When you look at what Jarrion was able to accomplish and the intentional focus that it takes to do the triple he did back in 2016 that ultimately won him the Bowerman. When you compare that to what Ayden did on day two of the NCAA heptathlon with three events he had, you can see a ton of similarities.

“They’re a couple of men that when they put their mind to something they’re going to do it. Tell me what to do, I’m going to get this done.”

That attitude came into play during the NCAA Indoor heptathlon with the 1,000m the only event remaining. After day one, Owens-Delerme trailed the leader by 252 points as was in fourth place.

Going into the 1,000m trailing the leader by 152 points, and still in fourth place, a four-second career best time of 2:31.55 scored 970 points to generate a final score of 6,211 points as Owens-Delerme earned the overall victory by 11 points and produced the third-best winning score in NCAA history.

“In the 1,000m in particular, Ayden said tell me what to run and I’ll do it,” recalled Geopfert. “As a coach you just appreciate that because nobody else knows what that individual is like. For Ayden most people would have said there is no way he can run that fast, but he knew it and I knew it. Then you are put to task, and you need to get it done. He flat out got it done.”

Arkansas men’s head coach Chris Bucknam stated: “I think that was a Bowerman moment. That comeback was phenomenal. I’ve never kind of witnessed anything like that before. Where he was so far behind going into the 1,000m everybody had written him off except, I think, Coach Geopfert and Ayden himself.”

That tenacity by Owens-Delerme carries over when he competes in events outside of the heptathlon or decathlon. He has a desire to contribute to the team anyway he can, particularly when team points are at stake in conference or national championships.

During the indoor season he split 45.46 seconds as third leg on the 4 x 400 relay (3:03.18) when the Razorbacks broke the all-conditions school record of 3:03.34 that dated back to 1985 as well as the 3:03.50 former collegiate record set in 2013 by Arkansas on an 200m banked track. Outdoors, he was a member of the Arkansas 4 x 100 relay that collected a silver medal in the SEC Championships.

“I love the relay, just to do something outside of your event area and it’s fun having your teammates involved,” said Owens-Delerme. “Being part of a relay takes the pressure out of the equation and allows you to have fun alongside the guys you train with the whole year.

“To go out there and break the school record in the 4 x 400 relay indoors was crazy. It was an amazing experience and my first relay of the year. Then to be part of a silver medal relay at SEC Outdoor just speaks to the versatility of myself as well as the prestige that we have with Arkansas track and field, we do it all.”

That willingness to aid the team in various aspects, particularly in a conference or national meet, is an element that sharpens his leadership qualities. Doing by example goes a long way in assisting teammates towards the goal of a team championship.

“Ayden has proven he’s a team player for us,” stated Geopfert. “It’s one of those things, too, that we’re very aware of managing his schedule and competitions. None of it was by accident. We planned out the year and things did go according to plan in limiting his total combined event competition. But then also using some of our championship meets to work on his hurdles and flat-out sprint speed in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400.

“It was good for him, but he was also very willing to do it because it helped the team component as well. He’s a great leader for us, and a leader by example. Even if he’s not competing in his marquee event, he shows he’s there for the team and wants to score points for the team. He’s just a competitor, and when he steps on the track, he’s going to bring it.”