Feb. 4, 2016
- USTFCCCA Full Release
NEW ORLEANS -Senior Brannon Kidder became the first Nittany Lion to ever be added to the Bowerman watch list Thursday afternoon as announced by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
It's only right that two of January's biggest headliners - Texas A&M's Donavan Brazier and Penn State's Brannon Kidder - found themselves on the February edition of The Bowerman Watch List, released Thursday by The Bowerman Watch List Committee.
Brazier and Kidder replaced Mississippi State's Brandon McBride and Oklahoma State's Chad Noelle on the Watch List. The other eight members of the preseason Watch List - Oregon's Devon Allen, TCU's Ronnie Baker, Tennessee's Jake Blakenship, Oregon's Edward Cheserek, Florida's Najee Glass, Arkansas' Jarrion Lawson, Oklahoma State's Nick Miller and Georgia's Maicel Uibo - remained in place.
Kidder, in his first attempt running the event, set the 1000-meter collegiate record in only his second indoor meet of the season.
Kidder's incredible run came at the Nittany Lion Challenge in a race that included former record-holder Robby Creese. Using a pace quickened by rabbit Jordan Makins, Kidder finished in 2:18.26, more than two seconds faster than the competition.
"I wanted to get out pretty hard and set myself up for the record, kind of - I didn't really have any expectations to get it," Kidder told us on the QA2 Max Podcast. "I just wanted to get through 800 fast and see what I had."
Then two weeks later, Kidder shined with a two-race weekend at the Penn State National. Kidder anchored the Nittany Lions' Distance Medley Relay team to a come-from-behind win over Stanford and the fourth fastest time in collegiate history (9:27.20), then followed it up with a victory in the 800 (1:47.01).
Kidder is the first Penn State athlete, of either gender, to be named to The Bowerman Watch List.
The next Watch List will come out on Thursday, March 3.
Information from USTFCCCA was used in this release.
The Bowerman Men's Watch List - February 2016
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