STARKVILLE — Anderson Peters moved a step closer to becoming the first thrower to ever win The Bowerman, collegiate track and field’s highest honor, with the announcement of the post-conference championship watch list on Thursday.
The Bowerman was created in 2009 and is given annually to the top male and female athlete in track and field by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Peters finished as a semifinalist for the award in 2018 and was Mississippi State’s first ever semifinalist.
Peters defended his SEC Championship last weekend, breaking the meet record in back-to-back years along the way. He also holds the NCAA Championships meet record, set last season.
MSU’s 2018-19 Male Athlete of the Year holds all of the top-10 throws in the javelin in the NCAA this year. He and teammate Curtis Thompson hold all of the top-20 marks.
Excluding fouls, every one of his 15 attempts ranks among the top-20 marks this year. He has thrown the Nos. 3, 4, 7 and 8 marks in collegiate history this year and is approaching Patrik Boden’s (Texas) all-time collegiate record of 89.10m (292-4).
The St. Andrews, Grenada, native broke his own national record with the No. 3 throw in the world this season, tossing the implement 86.07m (282-4) at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. At 21 years, 5 months and 8 days old when he threw his best mark, Peters is the second-youngest in NCAA history to break 86.00m.
His mark ranks third in NCAA history and is nearly 8m farther than Thompson (78.68m, 258-2), who ranks second in the NCAA this year.
For more information on the Mississippi State track and field team, visit HailState.com and follow “HailStateTF” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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