North Carolina State University Athletics
Grace Hartman Named to The Bowerman Preseason Watch List
1/7/2026 4:03:00 PM | Track
NEW ORLEANS - NC State distance athlete Grace Hartman has been named to The Bowerman Women's Preseason Watch List as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Wednesday afternoon.
Hartman, just the second NC State woman to be named to the The Bowerman watch list, following 2023 semifinalist Katelyn Tuohy, earned the preseason recognition following a remarkable 2025 track & field campaign in which she broke multiple program, facility, meet and conference records, establishing herself among the nation's elite distance runners.
During the 2024-25 indoor season, Hartman showcased her versatility and consistency across multiple distances. She opened the season at the JDL Fast is Flat meet with a converted 5000m time of 15:19.72, breaking both the meet and facility records. At the Eagle Elite Invitational, she ran a personal-best 8:46.57 in the 3000m to win the event and move to No. 2 on NC State's all-time list.Â
Hartman continued rewriting the record books at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational, clocking a personal-best 4:06.72 in the 1500m to set a new NC State program record. She followed with a 4:24.76 mile, ranking as the third-fastest in NCAA history and the second-fastest in program history. She capped the indoor conference season by finishing third in the mile at the ACC Indoor Championships with a time of 4:26.82, earning First-Team All-ACC honors.
At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Hartman delivered standout performances on the national stage. She finished sixth in the 5000m to earn First-Team All-America honors while setting the fastest time in program history, and placed fifth in the 3000m with a time of 9:03.37 to secure an additional First-Team All-America distinction.
The momentum carried into the 2025 outdoor track & field season, where Hartman produced a series of historic performances. At the Raleigh Relays, she broke the program, facility and meet records in the 10,000m with a personal-best time of 31:20.60, a mark that currently ranks as the fifth-fastest in NCAA history.
She continued her record-breaking campaign at the Duke Twilight, where her 14:58.11 in the 5000m set the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history while also breaking both the ACC and NC State program records. Hartman's dominance carried into the postseason as she captured the ACC individual title in the 5000m with a meet-record time of 15:12.03, securing both the ACC and ACC Championship records in the event.
Hartman was later named the 2025 ACC Women's Outdoor Track Performer of the Year and capped the outdoor season by earning First-team All-America honors in both the 5000m and 10,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The Bowerman is awarded to collegiate track & field's top male and female athlete of the Year. The Bowerman Advisory Board, and ultimately, The Bowerman Voters, are instructed to consider performances inclusively from the collegiate indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons only. Cross country results are not within this consideration. The current collective track & field season began on November 28, 2025 and will end on June 13, 2026.
The first update to the watch list will be announced on Feb. 4 for the women and Feb. 5 for the men.
Players Mentioned
