Baylor University’s 400m and 400m hurdles star, Nathaniel Ezekiel, is on Bowerman Watch List, a honour that is bestowed to collegiate track and field’s top male and female athlete for the year.

Organisers of the event have announced that the Nigerian remains on the Bowerman Watch List. This marks the sixth update in a row the 21-year-old Ezekiel has been represented on the Watch List.

According to the organisers of the award, Nathaniel, who hails from Delta State, Nigeria, will compete in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA DI Outdoor Championships. The Baylor standout continues to ride a wave of momentum from the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in May.

“That is where he notched a pair of all-time top-ten performances in collegiate history: 47.90sec in the prelims for what was the seventh fastest mark in collegiate history and then squeaked under in the final at PR 47.89sec.

“Nathaniel Ezekiel is undefeated in final competition this outdoor season in both the 400 and 400H. During the indoor season, Ezekiel finished runner-up in the 400 by 0.01 seconds at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships,” the organisers said.

Semifinalists for the Bowerman award are slated to be announced Wednesday, June 25 (women) and Thursday, June 26 (men). Finalists will be announced the week of Monday, June 30.

According to SportsNow.co.ng, two other Nigerians, Temitope Ajayi and Samuel Ogazi, are also mentioned as receiving votes which means they have garnered some recognition from the voting panel but have not yet made it onto the official Bowerman Watch List.

The Watch List highlights the top contenders for the award, and athletes who receive votes are essentially on the radar but haven’t secured a spot among the top names yet.