EUGENE, Oregon — In two days, the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships will start in Eugene, Oregon at Hayward Field. This marks the final time for collegiate track & field’s stars to not only impress The Bowerman Watch List Committee, but those who vote on the prestigious award.

With that known, it’s time to find out those 10 men who stood out to The Bowerman Watch List Committee up until this point of the season and ended up on the Pre-Championships version of The Bowerman Watch List.

As you can see, there was minimal movement in the Watch List with nine of the 10 men from the Pre-NCAA Prelims version remaining in place. The only athlete dropped to the "Also Receiving Votes" category was Tennessee’s Jake Blankenship in favor of the returning Nick Miller, who last appeared on the early-May version.

Ferocious competition at NCAAs should give us a clear look at the best bets in each discipline for The Bowerman.

For example: TCU’s Ronnie Baker could meet up with Arkansas’ Jarrion Lawson (he’ll also contest the long jump) and LSU’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake in the finals of the 100 meters. Don’t forget about Houston’sCameron Burrell, Tennessee’s Christian Coleman or Oklahoma State’s John Teeters, all of whom received votes at some point this year.

Over in the 800, Mississippi State’s Brandon McBride is on a collision course with Texas A&M’s Donavan Brazier and BYU’s Shaquille Walker. McBride is the only man in that group still on the Watch List, but Brazier was a three-time Watch List member (February 4, March 3, March 17) and Walker received votes on the April 21 version.

Then how about in the decathlon, where Texas A&M’s Lindon Victor will put his breakthrough season to the test against former Watch List members Maicel Uibo (Georgia) and Zach Ziemek (Wisconsin). Don’t forget about Uibo’s teammate Karl Saluri, who also earned mention earlier.

Washington’s Izaic Yorks will have to fight to prove he’s the best at 1500 meters. Yorks faces several former Watch List members, namely Penn State’s Brannon Kidder and Akron’s Clayton Murphy (both of whom are moving up from their 800-meter specialty).

The Oregon duo of Devon Allen and Edward Cheserek won’t face anybody from a previous Watch List in their respective events (110 hurdles and 5000/10000 double). Allen, however, must tangle with a talented field and more runners will be fresh to push Cheserek to the limit than in years prior.

Pennsylvania’s Sam Mattis enters Eugene as the overwhelming favorite in the discus throw as he owns a near five-meter lead on the field. Mattis will try to recapture the magic he used to write his name all over the collegiate record books in early March.

Miller finally returned to the NCAA system at the Big 12 Championships, where he won the hammer throw and then dominated the NCAA West Prelim. While Miller’s sample size is small (four recorded throws), his heave of 76.93m (252-5) in Lawrence, Kansas is a personal best.

Blankenship and East Carolina jumper Avion Jones ended up in the "Also Receiving Votes" category.

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.

Oregon’s Jenna Prandini and Florida’s Marquis Dendy are the reigning winners of The Bowerman, which is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

Past winners include Olympic gold medalist, four-time World Champion and decathlon world-record holder Ashton Eaton (2010), 10,000-meter Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp (2009), 2011 IAAF World Champion at 1500 meters Jenny Simpson (2009), 2013 100-meter hurdles World Champion Brianna Rollins (2013) as well as 2012 Olympic high jump bronze medalist and 2015 World Champion Derek Drouin (2013).