Rowan Hamilton was also named the Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete of the Year earlier this spring.
Cal Star Was Program’s First Men’s NCAA Hammer Champ Since 1922
California track & field alumnus Rowan Hamilton was named the NCAA Division I West Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year on Friday, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Hamilton is just the second man in program history to receive the honor, following Mykolas Alekna in 2022, and is also just the second Cal hammer thrower – man or woman – to win a West Region award (Camryn Rogers, 2022).
The USTFCCCA initially presented regional awards in 2007. Hamilton is not the first hammer thrower to win in the Men’s West Region category, but he is the only man to do so while competing in just one event, like Rogers before him in the Women’s West Region category.
The native of Chilliwack, British Columbia, capped a dominant collegiate outdoor season last week at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, throwing the hammer a school-record 77.18m (253-2) to earn the Golden Bears’ first men’s title in the event since 1922 (Jack Merchant), as well as the first by a Canadian man since 1979 (Scott Neilson). He is also the first Golden Bear to win a conference championship in the men’s hammer since 1919 (Merchant) and was subsequently named Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete of the Year. Hamilton ended his Cal career as the No. 8 collegiate performer of all time.
Hamilton and the other regional winners will now advance to the national ballot, the results of which will be announced on Monday, June 17.
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