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 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

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

Article source and photo credit: lionathletics.com