Shakima Wimbley Named Bowerman Award Semifinalist
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami’s Shakima Wimbley was named a semifinalist for The Bowerman Award, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The senior sprinter, who was the national runner-up in the women’s 400m, appears on The Bowerman Award Watch List for the third straight edition after initially cracking the list prior to the NCAA East Preliminary in May.
Wimbley, who was named the 2017 USTFCCCA South Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, competed in three events at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Miami superstar finished second in the women’s 400m with a time of 50.68 seconds, while anchoring Miami’s 4x400m relay to a seventh place finish. Wimbley earned First Team All-America honors in both the 400m and the 4x400m, while receiving honorable mention for competing with the women’s 4x100m relay at the NCAA Championships.
One of the best Hurricanes’ sprinters ever, Wimbley rewrote the record books at Miami and in the ACC. The superstar closed her ACC career with eight 200m titles, seven 400m titles, three 4x100m titles and five 4x400m titles. She also has six school records, four ACC records and six ACC Championship records.
Wimbley was outstanding at the 2017 ACC Outdoor Championships, winning the 200 meters, the 400 meters, the 4×100 relay and the 4×400 relay and earning ACC Women’s Track MVP honors for the second straight year.
Her 400-meter time of 50.40 seconds earned her the 2017 ACC gold medal and broke ACC, ACC Championship and school records. That time also makes Wimbley the ninth-best performer in the 400 meters all-time. During the indoor campaign, Wimbley captured the 400-meter NCAA title with a time of 51.07 seconds that is the fastest indoor 400m time in the world this year.
The senior standout made history on the final day of the 2017 ACC Outdoor Championships, becoming the first athlete in ACC history to win eight conference titles in the 200m. Wimbley secured her fourth consecutive ACC outdoor title and eighth overall conference championship in the women’s 200m final with a time of 22.54 seconds.
She helped the women’s 4x100m relay team of Carolyn Brown, Wimbley, Aiyanna Stiverne and Kristina Knott defend Miami’s ACC title in the event, setting conference, ACC Championship and school records with a time of 43.36 seconds. Wimbley also anchored Miami’s 4x400m relay team to a gold medal, teaming with Anna Runia, Stiverne and Brittny Ellis to run an ACC Championship record time of 3:29.99.
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