Jordan Anthony earns accolade as The Bowerman finalist

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas sprinter Jordan Anthony has been named one of three finalists for The Bowerman in 2025 and becomes the fourth finalist for the Razorback men’s program.

In completing his first full season of collegiate track and field, Anthony delivered a pair of national sprint titles and three SEC titles while claiming high point honors at both SEC Outdoor and NCAA Outdoor Championship meets.

“After bouncing around the past couple of years, I finally found a home,” noted Anthony, who was previously at Kentucky and Texas A&M. “It’s a home that is really important to me and allowed me to be myself, allowed me to put in the work ethic, and allowed me to showcase my talent.

“I’m just really grateful to be here and be a Bowerman finalist at Arkansas and wearing Arkansas across my chest.”

Aided by the scoring efforts from Anthony, Arkansas placed fourth in team scoring at the NCAA Indoor and were third at NCAA Outdoor. The Razorbacks were named Program of the Year as they produced three podium finishes in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field for the 2024-25 season.

It marked the first three NCAA trophy season by a men’s program in nine years and the first by the Razorbacks since 1999-2000.

The Bowerman fan voting starts today at 3 p.m. (CT) and will end on Thursday, July 10 at 1 p.m. (CT) at the following link: https://www.ustfccca.org/the-bowerman/the-bowerman-fan-vote. The Bowerman presentation will take place on December 18th at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas.

Previous Arkansas finalists for the men’s Bowerman, which started in 2009, include Jarrion Lawson (2016), Ayden Owens-Delerme (2022), and Jaydon Hibbert (2023).

Lawson and Hibbert each won The Bowerman, and the Razorbacks are one of four schools – joining Oregon, Florida, and Florida State – with a pair of men’s Bowerman winners.

The four Bowerman finalists rank the Arkansas men’s program equal third overall behind Oregon (8 finalists among five athletes) and Florida (five finalists among four athletes). Texas A&M is another program with four men’s finalists for the Bowerman.

Joining Anthony as The Bowerman finalists for the 2025 season are Baylor’s Nathaniel Ezekiel and Auburn’s Ja’Kobe Tharp.

While Antony swept the NCAA Indoor 60m and NCAA Outdoor 100m, from lane 9 no less, Tharp claimed a pair of NCAA titles in the 60m hurdles and 110m hurdles. Ezekiel won the 400m hurdles at NCAA Outdoor and finished second in the 400m at NCAA Indoor.

“What a crazy, great season he had,” said Arkansas men’s associate head coach Doug Case. “Starting with the SEC Indoor he wins the 60m, goes to NCAA Indoor and wins the 60m, goes outdoors and wins the SEC 100m and 200m with sub-10 and sub-20 times, and then goes on to win the 100m at NCAA Outdoor along with a fourth in the 200m.

“Overall, what a season that included a combination of great runs, back-to-back-to-back. The guy is just phenomenal. All of those races were two weeks apart and he doubled every single time. He did a great job all the way through. It talks about his resilience and ability to every single time walk out there and when he had to put on a good performance, he did it. I’m really proud of that.”

Anthony noted his highlight of the season was sweeping the SEC Outdoor 100m and 200m titles along with the 9.75w he produced at the NCAA West First Round in College Station, Texas.

As the Razorbacks contended for team titles in SEC and NCAA Championships, Anthony supplied vital points for Arkansas. He earned the Commissioner’s trophy at the SEC Outdoor Championships as the high-point scorer with 21.5 points as the Razorbacks claimed the team title.

“Sweeping the SEC 100m and 200m really showcased a lot,” noted Anthony, “because a lot of people didn’t have faith in me to run the 200 and I doubled.

“I didn’t even know the Commissioner’s trophy was a thing because I haven’t competed at the outdoor conference meet before. When they announced I had won it, I thought this is legit, now it’s time for me to really showcase what I can do.”

Twenty of those conference points came in sweeping the 100m and 200m with stellar performances of 9.95 and 19.93 as Anthony became just the third sprinter in SEC history to achieve the sweep with sub-10 and sub-20 second times.

Named the SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year, Anthony became the first Razorback to attain the honor since Caleb Cross in 2012.

Anthony was also the high-point scorer at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with 16.5 points. Combining the NCAA Indoor (10 points) with his NCAA Outdoor tally, Anthony produced the most points between both championships in 2025 with 26.5 points.

A 2.1 wind on the 9.75 performance would adjust to 9.76 with a 2.0 tailwind or 9.83 with a 0.0 wind. The collegiate record is 9.82 set in 2017 by Christian Coleman of Tennessee.

“Running a 9.75, even with the wind, was ridiculous,” Anthony stated. “I never thought that would happen this early.”

On all-conditions all-time lists, Anthony ranks =No. 9 world, =No. 3 American, and =No. 2 collegian. For the 2025 season, the 9.75w ranks as the world leader under all-conditions, sharing the top position with a wind-legal 9.75 set by Jamaican Kishane Thompson a month after Anthony.

Anthony established UA school records in the 60m and 100m with times of 6.47 and 9.95. In sweeping the NCAA titles, Anthony became the first sprinter since Coleman in 2017 to claim the NCAA 60m and 100m titles. Anthony was also the lone sprinter to reach the NCAA Indoor 60m, NCAA Outdoor 100m and 200m finals this season.

In addition to setting school records in the 60m and 100m, the 19.93 performance in the 200m ranks second on the Arkansas all-time list behind a 19.89 registered by Wallace Spearmon, Jr. in 2005.

With Anthony running anchor leg on the 4 x 100m relay, which placed third at SEC and NCAA Outdoor meets, the Razorbacks generated a season best of 38.51 in the NCAA semifinal to rank No. 3 on the UA all-time list behind the school record of 38.47 set in 2015.