Fouad Messaoudi Named to Final Bowerman Watch List Heading into NCAA Championships

June 05, 2023 | Cowboy Cross Country & Track

AUSTIN, Texas – Oklahoma State distance runner Fouad Messaoudi was named to his third consecutive Bowerman Watch List, the organization announced Monday.

Messaoudi remains he fourth Cowboy to be named to the Watch List for track & field's version of the Heisman Trophy since the award's inception in 2009, joining German Fernandez (Finalist, 2010), Nick Miller (Semifinalist, 2016) and Chad Noelle (Watch List, 2016).

During the 2023 indoor season, he won two NCAA Championships in the Distance Medley Relay and 3,000 Meters, becoming the first Cowboy to win an indoor NCAA title since 1986. He was also the leadoff leg of the Cowboy DMR that set the collegiate record as well as the unofficial indoor world record in the event. He was the only men's athlete to win two NCAA indoor titles this season, defeating fellow Bowerman Watch List member Dylan Jacobs of Tennessee in the process.

In addition to his four school records, Messaoudi currently sits in the top 10 in NCAA history in three separate events: No. 1 (Indoor DMR), No. 4 (Outdoor 1,500 Meters) and No. 8 (Indoor 3,000 Meters).

At the Big 12 Indoor Championships, he won a pair of Big 12 titles in the Mile and DMR, while also picking up a third-place finish in the 3,000 Meters in his third race in two days. He later added to his collection by picking up his second consecutive Big 12 championship in the 1,500 Meters last month

Messaoudi enters the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships as a top contender in the 1,500 Meters, owning the fastest time in the NCAA this year in the event, running 3:35.16 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in California. He will look to add his third NCAA title of the calendar year, which could help advance him to the semifinalist list for the Bowerman.

Semifinalists will be named following the NCAA Championships on June 20, with the finalists being named on June 27.

The Bowerman – collegiate track & field's highest individual honor – will be awarded in December at the USTFCCCA Convention in Denver, Colorado. Only marks from the 2023 indoor or outdoor collegiate track & field seasons are to be considered for the award.

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