Chambana Sun

Tacoria Humphrey, a recent Big Ten Indoor champion in the long jump, has been named to The Bowerman Watch List by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as of March 5. This recognition places her among the top collegiate track and field athletes.

Humphrey is only the third woman from Illinois to appear on this prestigious list, following Angela Bizzarri in 2010 and Olympic medalist Ashley Spencer in 2012 and 2013. She earned her first Big Ten title on February 28 with a record-breaking leap of 6.94 meters, which stands as the third-farthest long jump in NCAA history.

Earlier this season, Humphrey achieved two other notable performances that placed her within the collegiate top-25 marks. On January 11 at the Fighting Illini Open, she recorded a jump of 6.78 meters, ranking as the 17th-best indoor mark historically. On February 7 at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, she achieved another significant mark of 6.77 meters.

Looking ahead, Humphrey aims to become Illinois' first indoor field event national champion at the NCAA Indoor Championships scheduled for March 14-15. Historically, Illinois has had two All-Americans in this event: Yvonne Mensah in sixth place in 2007 and Elizabeth Ndudi who finished seventh in 2024.

The Bowerman Award is given annually to collegiate track & field's top male and female athletes based solely on their performances during the indoor and outdoor seasons. The selection process excludes cross country results. The current track & field season began on November 29, 2024, and will conclude on June 14, 2025.

The Bowerman Advisory Board constructs these watch lists by voting for their top ten collegiate track & field athletes at any given time during the season. There are eight such watch lists released throughout each season.