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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Queen Harrison will have one more important piece of hardware to add to an already crowded trophy shelf, the 2010 Bowerman.

“It doesn’t really feel real,” Queen Harrison said humbly upon winning the award.

The Bowerman award is given to the most outstanding male and female athlete of the season, as voted on by the Bowerman Advisory Board and a handful of select media members. Fans were allowed to vote online as well, with the majority winner earning one vote towards their total. Harrison finished second in the fan’s vote at 43 percent, just behind Iowa State’s Lisa Koll at 53 percent. The third women’s finalist was UTEP’s Blessing Okagbare. Oregon’s Ashton Eaton won the men’s award.

Harrison gave a short and succinct speech, thanking her family and the Virginia Tech coaching staff, for helping her grow as an athlete and a woman. Harrison displayed her trademark smile and excited demeanor, a common sight during the entire 2010 season.

In 2010, Harrison became Tech’s first ever women’s NCAA Champion, eventually earning three titles and becoming the first athlete in NCAA history to win both the 100 and 400-Meter Hurdles during the outdoor championships. She was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year, earned four ACC titles and set four school records, including an ACC Championship record in the 60-Meter Hurdles.

The Bowerman is named in honor of legendary former Oregon coach Bill Bowerman. At Oregon, Bowerman guided the team to four team NCAA titles and 24 individual titles during his 24 years as the coach (1949-1972). He also coached the U.S. Olympic track team at the 1972 Munich Olympics, co-founded Nike, Inc., and was a key figure in the National Collegiate Track and Field Coaches Association, the predecessor to the modern day United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

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