Hoppel named to The Bowerman semifinalist list

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas junior Bryce Hoppel was named one of 10 semifinalists for The Bowerman—track & field’s highest individual honor—announced Thursday by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The group of 10 semifinalists will be trimmed to three finalists on June 20. The Bowerman, which has been called “the Heisman Trophy of Track & Field,” is presented to the top male and female collegiate athletes in NCAA Track & Field during the USTFCCCA Coaches Convention, which will be in Orlando, Florida, December 16-19.

Hoppel makes the semifinalist list after not having been named to a watch list for the award for the entirety of the 2019 season. The Midland, Texas native put together an impressive junior campaign which saw him complete a perfect season, winning all 19 of the individual races he competed in. Of those 19 races, two won him NCAA titles in the 800 meters, and two more earned him Big 12 conference crowns in his signature event.

At the Big 12 Indoor Championship, Hoppel broke the Kansas school record in the 800 meters, winning the conference title with a time of 1:46.84. He then went on to break his own school record in the final of the 800 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, clocking in with a time of 1:46.46 to win the national crown.

Hoppel’s outdoor season included a conference title in the 800 meters and an NCAA title that came along with a personal-best time of 1:44.41, which made him the No. 5 performer in the event in collegiate history.

Hoppel is just the second Jayhawk to be named to the semifinalists list, joining Kansas great Michael Stigler, who earned a spot on the list in 2015.