Rachel Glenn makes career debut on 2024 Bowerman watch list
FAYETTEVILLE – Winning the NCAA Indoor high jump title by equaling the collegiate record and defeating the defending champion earned Razorback Rachel Glenn a place on the recent Bowerman watch list.
This marks the career debut for Glenn on the Bowerman watch list as she becomes the 12th athlete from the Arkansas women’s program to be named to a watch list. Only Oregon (17) and Texas A&M (15) have had more women named to a watch list in award history.
Awards for Glenn following the 2024 indoor season have included USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year as well as South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year.
In addition to becoming the first Razorback to win the women’s high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Glenn is the first Arkansas female to receive the indoor National Field Athlete of the Year honor. Previously, Tina Šutej earned the outdoor accolade in 2011.
Glenn’s victory in Boston had her defeating Texas A&M’s Lamara Distin, who is also on the Bowerman watch list. Distin entered the NCAA Indoor meet as defending champion who set the collegiate record of 6-6.75 (2.00) in winning the SEC Indoor title this season.
Among the 10 athletes on the third Bowerman watch list, six are from SEC schools. In addition to Glenn and Distin the others include JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina), Brianna Lyston (LSU), Michaela Rose (LSU), and Parker Valby (Florida).
The rest of the watch list includes Jasmine Jones (USC), Olivia Markezich (Notre Dame), Maia Ramsden (Harvard), and Juliette Whittaker (Stanford).
Glenn displayed her versatility at the SEC Indoor Championships when she competed in four events a year after missing the 2023 season due to an injury and produced 12 team points.
Glenn collected silver medals in the high jump, equaling her UA school record of 6-4.25 (1.94), and 4 x 400m relay, where she supplied a 51.46 second leg split on Arkansas’ 3:26.33 effort.
She also finished seventh in the 60m hurdles (8.15) and placed 11th in the 200m prelims with a career best of 23.03. Prior to the conference meet, Glenn improved her hurdle career best to 8.14 at the Tyson Invitational.
Focused on just the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Glenn cleared the first six bars, from 5-8.25 (1.75) to 6-4.25 (1.94), on first attempts to lead the field with Distin runner-up since she required a second attempt at 6-3.25 (1.91).
With the Paris Olympic qualifying standard of 6-5.5 (1.97) the next height in the competition, the lead switched hands with Distin clearing on first attempt while Glenn needed a second attempt to clear.
The next height moved the bar to the collegiate record height of 6-6.75 (2.00). Glenn cleared on first attempt to move back into the lead while Distin missed three times and finished as the silver medalist.
Glenn finished the indoor season as the 2024 U.S. leader and equal No. 2 on the world list. Additional records by Glenn included the NCAA Indoor meet record as well as the American collegiate record, bettering both indoor and outdoor marks.
