Fuseini, Samuel earn SLC Awards, 14 ETAMU athletes named to all-Southland teams

Two East Texas A&M University track and field student-athletes received recognition from the Southland Conference on Friday as well as 10 individuals and one relay team were named to all-Southland Conference teams.

Blessing Samuel (Ghana) was named the conference’s Co-Women’s Newcomer of the Year and Ibrahim Fuseini (Accra, Ghana) was named the Men’s Outstanding Running Athlete of the Year.

Fuseini reached the podium in all three races he competed in last week at the 2025 SLC Indoor Championships, including winning the conference championship in both the 60 meter dash and the 200 meter dash, while finishing as the runner up in the 4×400 meter relay.

Samuel finished in the top four in both events she competed in at the 2025 SLC Indoor Championships, winning a silver medal in the long jump and placing fourth in the triple jump.

Fuseini is the first Lion to earn the Outstanding Running Athlete of the Year award during the indoor season as is Samuel, who is the first SLC Newcomer of the Year for the Lions.

Additionally for East Texas A&M, 10 individuals and one relay team also were named to all-Southland Conference teams based on their performances at the indoor championships.

Southland Conference Indoor 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.

On the men’s side, Fuseini in the 60 meter dash and 200 meter dash as well as Ushan Perera (Mahabage, Sri Lanka), who won the high jump conference championship, were named to first team all-SLC, while Enoch Fosuhene (Accra, Ghana) was named to second team all-conference in the 200 meter dash as was the 4×400 meter relay team of Fuseini, Fosuhene, Myles Redding (Waco – University), and Philip Krenek (Prague, Czech Republic).

For the Lion women, Leah Pettis (McKinney North) and Magdaline Campo (Montpellier, France), the conference champions in the 200 meter dash and high jump, respectively, were named to first team all-SLC, while Pettis was named to second team all-SLC in the 60 meter dash as were Amaka Ezukanma (Fort Worth – Timber Creek) in the triple jump, Samuel in the long jump, and Veronika Kramarenko (Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine) in the high jump.

The Lion men finished third at the indoor championships and the women placed fifth. Both teams begin the outdoor season next week.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SUPERLATIVES
Men’s Athlete of the Year – Kyle Sieracki, UIW
Men’s Coach of the Year – Robert Hansen, SFA
Men’s Outstanding Field Athlete of the Year – Kyle Sieracki, UIW
Men’s Outstanding Running Athlete of the Year – Ibrahim Fuseini, East Texas A&M
Men’s Freshman of the Year – Elkana Kipruto, SFA
Men’s Newcomer of the Year – Edouard Lecrivain, HCU
Men’s Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet – Kyle Sieracki, UIW

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SUPERLATIVES
Women’s Athlete of the Year – Kayli Johnson, Lamar
Women’s Coach of the Year – Mike Heimerman, Northwestern State
Women’s Outstanding Field Athlete of the Year – Kayli Johnson, Lamar
Women’s Outstanding Running Athlete of the Year – Maygan Shaw, Northwestern State
Women’s Freshman of the Year – Phylis Kibet, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Women’s Co-Newcomers of the Year – Blessing Samuel, East Texas A&M & Dyna Lewis, Northwestern State
Women’s Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet – Kayli Johnson, Lamar

2025 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

2025 SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

Source and photo credit: lionathletics.com