HARARE - United States-based track star Ngoni Makusha believes the Bowerman Awards symbolise a wakeup call to athletes to keep striving for greater heights.

The Bowerman is awarded to the most outstanding collegiate male and female athlete of the year.

Makusha won the award last year after an inspirational outdoor season in which he was the NCAA Champion in the 100m dash after running a collegiate record 9.89 seconds in the rain.

Makusha also won bronze in the long jump at 2011 IAAF World Championships.

Injury would limit Makusha’s hopes in 2012, also forcing the long jumper and sprinter from to pull out of Zimbabwe’s 2012 London Olympic Games.

 This year, Southern Utah long distance athlete Cam Levins and LSU sprinter Kimberlyn Duncan were named winners of the Bowerman last week in front of a packed house at the US. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Convention in Orlando.

Speaking during the ceremony, Makusha described the annual Bowerman Awards as one of the pinnacle achievements of a US collegiate athlete.

 “Its special, it’s a very good event, it’s like a good reminder,” Makusha said.

The award is named after legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

“It shows great things we do as athletes, but what is very important it’s a very good wake up call for us athletes,” he added.

Makusha said the experience of winning and being around some of the world’s most renowned athletes has made his Florida State University (FSU) stint an unforgettable experience.

“Just winning, just being part of a great team with great athletes like Walter Dix, Charles Clark, Maurice Mitchell I can’t mention all of them.

We did a lot of great things, we had a great team ever since I got to FSU, there was just so many people to respect, so many people to cherish (and) so many people to look up to, it was amazing.”

The former Mandedza High School student singled out the FSU coaching criteria as one of the best in the world of track and field athletics.

“It’s the coaching, recruiting yes is part of the game but that’s not everything. What takes everything to the next level is coaching,” he said.

“They (FSU) have the best athletes but what takes it to the next level is the coaching and they have proven that from time to time starting from Walter Dix, he was a very high recruit kid everyone saw what happened he turned into an Olympian when he was still in college.”

He added: “Even Maurice Mitchell, even Brian Dzingai you look back into time, numbers don’t lie.

Florida has been bringing the results not only at NCAA but also on a professional level you can see that the coaching at Florida State is very good.”