NEW ORLEANS – Texas A&M senior Sam Humphreys was named to The Bowerman Watch list this week following his performance at the NCAA West preliminary rounds in Austin this past weekend.
Humphreys was the top qualifier in the javelin with a throw of 268 feet, 8 inches (81.90), which moved him to from No. 10 with his 261-7 (81.40) to No. 7 on the all-time collegian list and improved his school record by an inch. His throw also bettered the current NCAA Championship meet record of 268-7 (81.86) set by Esko Mikkola of Arizona in 1998.
Among U.S. born collegians Humphreys currently ranks fourth all-time, trailing Tom Pukstys (Florida) 273-3 (83.30), Cyrus Hostetler (Oregon) 272-10 (83.16), and Corey White (USC) 272-2 (82.97).
The Bowerman, awarded to the top collegian track and field performer, includes 10 athletes on the watch list prior to the NCAA Championships held from June 5-8 next week in Eugene, Oregon. Among those 10 athletes, Humphreys is one of three throwers listed. The other two throwers include Julian Wruck of UCLA (shot put, discus) and Ryan Crouser of Texas (shot put, discus).
Since opening his senior campaign on March 16 in Tempe, Arizona at the Baldy Castillo Invitational with a win that measured 267-1 (81.40), Humphreys has held the top mark in 2013 on the United States and collegiate list throughout the season. The Laredo, Texas native has enjoyed his first undefeated season as well.
At the Texas Relays, in late March, Humphreys claimed his third javelin title in four years with a 257-9 (78.57) that bettered the field by nine feet. Humphreys became just the second thrower to capture a collection of three javelin titles at the historic meet, joining Swedish thrower Dag Wennlund of Texas, who had three consecutive titles from 1985 to 1987.
In Eugene for the Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational, Humphreys won with a 256-3 (78.10) effort that topped the field by 18 feet. A victory at Arkansas measured 252-2 (76.87).
The 11-year-old stadium record of 249-3 (75.98) in Columbia, Missouri, was broken by Humphreys as he won the SEC title by 22 feet with a mark of 257-1 (78.36) into a strong headwind.
At the NCAA West preliminary rounds in Austin this past weekend, Humphreys faced two-time defending national champion Tim Glover of Illinois State. After his first throw slipped from his hand, Humphreys produced the 268-8 that improved his school record. Glover, who won the 2012 NCAA title with a 268-0 (81.69) mark, was second best at the NCAA West meet and 10 feet behind Humphreys with a 258-0 (78.65) effort.
Going into the NCAA Championships as one of the favorites to win the javelin, Humphreys could become the first Aggie thrower in school history to score in a throwing event for four consecutive years at the NCAA Outdoor meet. Darrow Hooper scored three times in both the shot put and discus from 1951 to 1953.
After finishing fifth in the NCAA as a freshman, Humphreys placed third as a sophomore and second as a junior. He has totaled 18 points at the NCAA meet over the three-year span in addition to winning four consecutive conference titles, three in the Big 12 and the final one in the SEC.
The NCAA bronze medal finish in 2011 was very important in the team battle as Humphreys surpassed a thrower from Florida in the sixth and final round by one inch. Texas A&M defeated the Gators 55-54 for the team championship.
This year Humphreys will compete on the final day of the NCAA Championships in Hayward Field, the same venue he won the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials with a then school record of 268-7 (81.86).
Humphreys has produced the top 10 performances in school history in the javelin, adding five marks to the list in 2013 which rank No. 1, 3, 6, 7, and 10. The school record prior to Humphreys breaking it during his freshman year was 251-8 (76.70) set by Nery Kennedy in 1994.