Hibbert deserves Bowerman nod – coach
Published:Wednesday | June 28, 2023 | 1:37 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
IN A freshman collegiate season where World Under-20 triple jump champion, Jaydon Hibbert, has surpassed any and all expectations, University of Arkansas head coach Chris Bucknam is a proud man.
Bucknam’s latest reason to be proud came yesterday with the announcement that Hibbert was named one of the three finalists for the Bowerman Award, the top NCAA individual award given to the best male and female athletes of the season.
Leo Neugebauer of the University of Texas and Kyle Garland of the University of Georgia are the other finalists for the men’s award.
In his first season for the Razorbacks, Hibbert captured both the indoor and outdoor titles, as well as breaking the under-20 world record, and is the best jumper in the world this season.
Bucknam said that given the adjustment that Hibbert had to make to the demands of the college set-up, he was proud of how he not only adapted, but also thrived.
“What a great honour for Jaydon, for the university. He had a heck of a year this year. Phenomenal job. I am just really proud of how he came into a new system, a new way of life, following our collegiate way of doing things and accomplished a lot of goals this year,” Bucknam told Arkansas Track and Field.
Bucknam said that the trust between him and associate head coach Travis Geopfert was instrumental in having success this early in his collegiate career but knowing that they are also crafting the path for the future.
“Jaydon is just a coachable person. He has got a great trust in Travis and they had a plan from the very beginning. And I just let them execute it. That is why we call him ‘One Hibby’ because he takes one or two jumps and gets it done,” Bucknam said.
GOING FORWARD
“We are playing the long game in terms of his future, working on just doing the right thing for him going forward. Saving as many jumps as we can for the future. As he grows and gets stronger, he will have to take more jumps.”
In a year where he has remained undefeated and surpassed school records, Bucknam said that Hibbert’s desire for success has been the catalyst for a memorable first season.
“He looked at it as a bar to shoot for and he surpassed it. Just his competitiveness, the way he listens and executes, he has just done a great job,” Bucknam said.