St Lucia’s Julien Alfred was on Thursday night named winner of The Bowerman award for the 2022-23 season to complete a Caribbean sweep alongside Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert.
The award is the highest honour in collegiate track and field.
According to defending the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Outdoor track and field champions, University of Texas, Alfred is the second Longhorn and fourth woman from the state to win the award. She became the first international woman to take home the trophy.
In a dominant season, the Puma athlete broke the NCAA indoor 60m record six times, going undefeated. She now holds nine of the top-10 fastest times in collegiate history.
Additionally, she went on to break the indoor 200m record with a time of 22.01 seconds and became the first Big 12 woman to sweep both titles at the NCAAs and the second female sprinter to complete the double in the last 25 seasons, according to the university’s website.
Alfred also went undefeated in the 100m for the second-straight season and defended her title with the fastest all-conditions time in NCAA history at 10.72w. In the process, she became the sixth woman to defend a 100m title and first in Big 12 in history. She completed her second double of the year with another all-conditions top time in the 200 at 21.73w.
Along with her individual achievements, the St Lucian helped the Texas women defend their 4x100m relay, a team that broke the NCAA record three times.Alfred won the prestigious award ahead of 2023 NCAA indoor long jump and triple jump champion and outdoor triple jump champion Jasmine Moore and NCAA indoor 400m champion Britton Wilson of Arkansas.
