DENVER, CO. (KNWA/KARK) – Arkansas freshman jumper Jaydon Hibbert was named the 2023 Bowerman Award winner on Thursday night in Denver, Colorado.
The award is given to the most outstanding male and female collegiate athlete that year.
Hibbert is the first male freshman to ever win the award and the second from Arkansas after Jarrion Lawson won in in 2016.
Hibbert has been setting collegiate records since he stepped on campus. He swept the NCAA and SEC Triple Jump Titles in both Indoor and Outdoor this year.
Hibbert got emotional after he heard his name called.
“This moment is truly a dream come true. And I could say that it definitely made up for what happened in Budapest. As I look on the surface of this prestigious award, I see a reflection of a kid that did not and will not give up on and is also a reminder of how he can transform you from nothing to something great,” Hibbert said in his acceptance speech.
Arkansas had two finalists for the Bowerman Award this year as Britton Wilson was up for honor on the women’s side.