Clovis High alum, ex-Oregon star Jenna Prandini wins track and field ‘Heisman’
Jenna Prandini, a Clovis High School graduate who went on to star at Oregon, won the most prestigious individual award in collegiate track and field.
Prandini received the Bowerman Trophy as the Outstanding Female Student-Athlete in the sport Thursday during an awards presentation in San Antonio.
Among her accomplishments in 2015: She was the most prolific point scorer at the NCAA Championships, amassing 49 when including both the indoor and outdoor finals.
“Wow, this is amazing,” Prandini said on stage. “To my coaches, thank you for believing in me and pushing me each and every day.”
She also thanked her teammates and training partners.
To her parents, in the audience, she said: “Thank you for supporting me. Ever since I was little, they’ve been by my side through the good and the bad. I can’t say enough about them.”
At the outdoor championships, Prandini won the 100 meters and was runner-up in the 200 and long jump while totaling 26 points. She picked up 23 indoors points by winning the long jump and finishing second in the 200 and fourth in the 60.
Prandini’s outdoor time in the 100 was the second fastest in collegiate history at 10.92 seconds and her outdoor 200 was fourth fastest at 22.21. Both are Oregon school records.
Florida’s Marquis Dendy, the NCAA long jump record holder, won the men’s Bowerman Trophy, established in 2009 and billed as the equivalent of college football’s Heisman Trophy.
Award season has been kind to Prandini, a 14-time indoor and outdoor All-American with the Ducks.
Earlier this month, Prandini was named Breakthrough Athlete of the Year as part of the Wing Awards (formerly known as the Fan’s Choice) after falling just short of qualifying for the 200-meter final at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. She did win silver as a member of the 400-meter relay team.
In November, Prandini was named Athlete of the Year by the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Prandini also was Oregon’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2014-15 and the Honda Sports Award winner as NCAA Athlete of the Year for women’s track and field.
This summer, Prandini signed with Puma and will forgo her senior season with the Ducks.
Oregon has dominated the Bowerman in its short history. The Ducks have had nine finalists and three winners, both of which are the most of any college in the country. Galen Rupp and Ashton Eaton won back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. Laura Roesler was the first Oregon woman to earn the trophy in 2014.
This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Clovis High alum, ex-Oregon star Jenna Prandini wins track and field ‘Heisman’."