Sports
Fuseini, Modeste earn superlatives, 12 ETAMU track and field athletes named to all-Southland teams
Twelve student-athletes from the East Texas A&M University track and field teams earned all-Southland Conference recognition following their performances at the SLC Outdoor Championships, including a pair of superlative awards. Highlighting the honors for the Lions are Ibrahim Fuseini (Accra, Ghana), who earned the conference’s Athlete of the Year award to go along with being the Outstanding […]
Twelve student-athletes from the East Texas A&M University track and field teams earned all-Southland Conference recognition following their performances at the SLC Outdoor Championships, including a pair of superlative awards.
Highlighting the honors for the Lions are Ibrahim Fuseini (Accra, Ghana), who earned the conference’s Athlete of the Year award to go along with being the Outstanding Running Events performer and the Most Valuable Performer at the outdoor meet, while Armani Modeste (Castries, Saint Lucia) was named the co-Newcomer of the Year.
Fuseini put together an impressive season for East Texas A&M as he went 4 for 4 in winning conference championships at the meet in Houston, being part of two school record and one Southland meet record performance as well. He won the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 4×100 meter relay, and 4×400 meter relay, setting the school record in the 200 meter dash and the 4×100 meter relay, and breaking the Lions’ SLC meet record in the 4×100 meter relay as well.
Modeste ran alongside Fuseini in the 4×100 meter relay and 4×400 meter relay, winning gold in both races, while also scoring points for the Lions in the 200 meter dash (fourth) and the 400 meter dash (seventh).
Along with the individual honors, the conference also announced the all-conference teams, with 12 Lions being named to the three all-conference teams. The Lions finished fourth on the men’s side at the conference championships, while the Lion women finished sixth.
Fuseini earned first team all-Southland honors in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 4×100 meter relay, and 4×400 meter relay. Joining Fuseini on the first team are Justin Vincent (Agde, France) in the men’s long jump, Veronika Kramarenko (Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine) in the women’s high jump, and Romi Griese (Salzkotten, Germany) in the women’s discus.
The four individual champions on the first team were joined by the 4×100 meter relay team of Fuseini, Modeste, Enoch Fosuhene (Accra, Ghana), and Oguz Uyar (Cannakele, Turkey) and the 4×400 meter relay team of Fuseini, Modeste, Fosuhene, and Philip Krenek (Prague, Czech Republic).
Fosuhene was also named to second team all-Southland in the 200 meter dash, while Jonas Gran (Riehen, Switzerland) earned second team honors in the decathlon.
On the women’s side, the third team all-conference honors were Analice Pursley (Georgetown – East View) in the 400 meter hurdles, Cassandra Rendon (San Antonio – Madison) in the discus, and Blessing Samuel (Ghana) in the long jump.
Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field superlative awards are nominated and voted upon by the league’s head coaches. Voting for oneself or one’s own athletes is not permitted. All-conference distinction is given to the first-, second- and third-place finishers in each championship event final.
Women’s Athlete of the Year – Samari Finney, Northwestern State
Women’s Outstanding Running Events Performer – Maygan Shaw, Northwestern State
Women’s Outstanding Field Events Performer – Raven-Symone Jarrett, Northwestern State
Women’s Freshman of the Year and Most Valuable Performer – Elizabeth Khatevi, A&M-Corpus Christi
Women’s Newcomer of the Year – Basia Mitchell, SFA
Women’s Phil Olson Coach of the Year – Mike Heimerman, Northwestern State
Men’s Athlete of the Year, Most Outstanding Running Events Performer and Most Valuable Performer – Ibrahim Fuseini, East Texas A&M
Men’s Outstanding Field Events Performer – Marcus Francis, McNeese
Men’s Freshman of the Year – Elkana Kipruto, SFA
Men’s Co-Newcomer of the Year – Emmanuel Ekuma, A&M-Corpus Christi
Men’s Co-Newcomer of the Year – Armani Modeste, East Texas A&M
Leon Johnson Award (Men’s Coach of the Year) – Robert Hansen, SFA
2025 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
| Event | First | Second | Third |
| 100 meter dash | Ibrahim Fuseini, East Texas A&M | Corin Burns, UTRGV | Tavis Wilson, NSU |
| 200 meter dash | Ibrahim Fuseini, East Texas A&M | Enoch Fosuhene, East Texas A&M | Corin Burns, UTRGV |
| 400 meter dash | Cameron Chin, Lamar | William Achee, NSU | Victory Achapoekri, SLU |
| 800 meter run | Phillip Jensen e Castro, TAMUCC | Tray’Quan Francis, McNeese | Luke Parker, Lamar |
| 1,500 meter run | Edouard Lecrivain, HCU | Fredd Richardson, Lamar | Riley Elliott, SFA |
| 5,000 meter run | Elkana Kipruto, SFA | Griffin Neal, UIW | Freddy Richardson, UIW |
| 10,000 meter run | Elkana Kipruto, SFA | Griffin Neal, UIW | Lloyd Sheppard-Brown, Lamar |
| 110 meter hurdles | Olufolabo Ogunyemi, SLU | Dishawn Lamb, NSU | Ashton Munoz-Nieves, HCU |
| 400 meter hurdles | Jarvis Anderson, SFA | Jaden Powell, McNeese | Denzel Hinds, HCU |
| 3,000 meter steeplechase | Christopher Daniels, UIW | Zephirin Darhan, SFA | Ethan Malsich, UIW |
| 4×100 meter relay | Oguz Uyar, Enoch Fosuhene, Armani Modeste, Ibrahim Fuseini – East Texas A&M | Galen Loyd, Mikkel Johansson, Elijah Rowe, Tavis Wilson — NSU | Christopher Murphy, Madonna Favour, Daryl Bachmann, Darryl George, Jr. – UNO |
| 4×400 meter relay | Enoch Fosuhene, Philip Krenek, Armani Modeste, Ibrahim Fuseini– East Texas A&M | Vincent Granini, Desmond Duncan, Galen Loyd, William Achee – NSU | Alejandro Arellano, Jamari Harts, Ricky Young, Derrius Henry –UTRGV |
| High Jump | Elijah Jackson, Lamar | Hunter Murphy, SFA | Nicholas Grullon, SFA |
| Pole Vault | Brayden Hill, SFA | Garrett Savage, SFA | Cade Carter, SFA |
| Long Jump | Justin Vincent, East Texas A&M | Keamonie Archie, UTRGV | Christopher Murphy, UNO |
| Triple Jump | Bryson Williams, SFA | Joshua Gillis-Harry, HCU | Aaron Cooper, UTRGV |
| Shot Put | Marcus Francis, McNeese | Donroy Brown, SLU | Emmanuel Ekuma, TAMUCC |
| Discus Throw | Marcus Francis, McNeese | Anthony Oliver, Lamar | Micah Miller, SLU |
| Hammer Throw | Anthony Oliver, Lamar | Gerrit Viser, SLU | Tyler Challis, McNeese |
| Javelin Throw | Thomas Knoop, Lamar | Gabriel Lim, SLU | Alex Del Popolo, TAMUCC |
| Decathlon | Leo Chauchard, UIW | Jonas Gran, East Texas A&M | Bruce Boon, NSU |
2025 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
| Event | First | Second | Third |
| 100 meter dash | Nayla Harris, UTRGV | Sileena Farrell, NSU | Kennedy Swann, SFA |
| 200 meter dash | Maygan Shaw, NSU | Jizzale Davis, UTRGV | Samari Finney, NSU |
| 400 meter dash | Maygan Shaw, NSU | Onyah Onyinye Favour, SLU | Samari Finney, NSU |
| 800 meter run | Elizabeth Khatevi, TAMUCC | Lilliana Guerrero, UTRGV | Kailey Salazar, UTRGV |
| 1,500 meter run | Elizabeth Khatevi, TAMUCC | Eline Mast, HCU | Inca Padfield, Lamar |
| 5,000 meter run | Elizabeth Khatevi, TAMUCC | Inca Padfield, Lamar | Alicia Finnis, TAMUCC |
| 10,000 meter run | Valentine Jemutai, SFA | Ahston Rainey, Lamar | Alicia Finnis, TAMUCC |
| 100 meter hurdles | Kayli Johnson, Lamar | Helen Baugaretn, UNO | Raven-Symone Jarrett, NSU |
| 400 meter hurdles | Esther Nwaze, SLU | Silet Gray, NSU | Analice Pursley, East Texas A&M |
| 3,000 meter steeplechase | Samantha Gonzalez, UTRGV | Oceane Cercueil, UIW | Micah Mizell, TAMUCC |
| 4×100 meter relay | Samari Finney, Maygan Shaw, Dynia Lewis, Sileena Farrell — NSU | Kierra Yarbough, Jada Gibson, Kennedy Swann, Whitenee Teagle — SFA | Ahmasia Brown, Kayla Smith, Kayli Johnson, Chantell Brown — Lamar |
| 4×400 meter relay | Kahliyah Anderson, Tranasia Jones, Margret Conteh, Samari Finney — NSU | Miriam Kauer, Nina Sorapuru, Esther Nwanze, Onyah Onyinye Favour — SLU | Aliyah Castillo, Zoe Adams, Trinity Kirk, Jizzale Davis — UTRGV |
| High Jump | Veronika Kramarenko, East Texas A&M | Achol Maywin, UTRGV | Isabella Gonzalez-Velasquez, UIW |
| Pole Vault | Kalli Knott, NSU | Iliana Singh, UIW | Kira Van Den Ham, SFA |
| Long Jump | Samari Finney, NSU | Kayli Johnson, Lamar | Blessing Samuel, East Texas A&M |
| Triple Jump | Jaslyn Smith, NSU | Nyadhol Thichoit, TAMUCC | Kayli Johnson, Lamar |
| Shot Put | Shakera Williams, NSU | Efe Latham, UTRGV | Jaslyn Russell, McNeese |
| Discus Throw | Romi Griese, East Texas A&M | Shakera Kirk, NSU | Cassandra Rendon, East Texas A&M |
| Hammer Throw | Hannah Hilding, UTRGV | Breyunna Dowell, TAMUUC | Cyan Green, TAMUCC |
| Javelin Throw | Neelie Schiel, Lamar | Cecile Bogliolo, Lamar | Teodors Samac, NSU |
| Heptathlon | Raven-Symone Jarrett, NSU | Basia Mitchell, SFA | Mariam Buenanueva-Saleme, Lamar |
Article source and photo credit: lionathletics.com