Kerley used a last leg surge in the men’s 4×400 to secure the 2017 men’s indoor track and field title. He came from behind once more to secure the fan vote for the Bowerman Award. The Bowerman is given each year to “the top male collegiate athlete and the top female collegiate athlete in the sport of NCAA track and field.”
The finalists, selected by the Bowerman Advisory Board, were named on June 22. Kerley and Coleman were joined by fellow Texas A&M runner Lindon Victor. The inclusion of two Aggies in the final three marks the third time in Bowerman history that a pair of athletes (men or women) from any school have been named finalists at the same time.