Canada’s Savannah Sutherland makes history as Bowerman finalist
The University of Michigan standout could become the first Canadian woman ever to win the NCAA's most prestigious track and field honour
Nick Iwanyshyn
Less than two weeks ago, Canadian Olympic finalist Savannah Sutherland of Borden, Sask., made history as the first University of Michigan athlete to be named a Bowerman semi-finalist. Now, she’s gone one step further. On Monday, the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Sutherland as one of three finalists for The Bowerman–the highest honour in NCAA track and field.
She is the first Canadian track-specific female athlete ever to reach finalist status. If she wins, Sutherland would become the first Canadian woman in history to take home the award.
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Named after legendary Oregon coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, the award honours the most outstanding male and female NCAA athletes each year.
It’s been three years since a Canadian woman cracked the Bowerman finalist list–Camryn Rogers (University of California), now an Olympic and world champion hammer thrower, was named in 2022. Before that, it was multis standout Brianne Theisen (University of Oregon) in 2012. The last Canadian to actually win the award was Olympic bronze medallist Derek Drouin in 2013.
Could Canada’s Savannah Sutherland win the NCAA’s highest honour?
An extraordinary year of hurdling
To say Sutherland’s earned her place would be an understatement. The 21-year-old was placed on the Bowerman watch list twice during the indoor season, then went on a tear outdoors–claiming her third-straight Big Ten conference title in the 400m hurdles and her second NCAA title in the event.
Her NCAA-winning time of 52.46 seconds didn’t just break her own Canadian record of 53.26–it smashed the NCAA record of 52.75 set by world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 2018. Sutherland is now the second woman in NCAA history to go under 53 seconds.
She’s also only the third Michigan Wolverine ever to win multiple NCAA individual titles and the first to be named the USTFCCCA Women’s Track Athlete of Year for outdoors.
When you find out you’re a finalist for @thebowerman 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ltmVjwwAtg
— Michigan Track & Field / Cross Country (@UMichTrack) July 7, 2025
Sutherland’s 52.46 ranks her the ninth-fastest 400m hurdler in history and the third-fastest globally this year. The run capped a remarkable year for the Canadian, who also finished seventh at the Paris Olympics last summer–becoming the first Canadian since 1996 to reach the event finals.
The other two Bowerman finalists are the University of New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei and the University of Alabama’s Doris Lemngole.
Online voting opens July 8 at 4 p.m. ET and closes July 10 at 2 p.m. ET. Winners will be announced in December at the Bowerman presentation in Grapevine, Texas.
