Tyler Adams, Thai Williams Named Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – Sam Houston State senior Tyler Adams and Lamar junior Thai Williams are the 2018 Southland Conference Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Year, the league announced Thursday along with the first, second and third team all-conference athletes and individual superlative winners. Southland Athletes of the Year are presented by
Ready Nutrition.
Both shot their way into the conference record books last week in Birmingham, Ala., as Adams also won his third straight Outstanding Field Events Performer award and Williams was named Women’s Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive indoor season after two gold medal performances and a broken meet record.
Dave Self also repeated as both Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, earning both accolades for the third consecutive season. His Bearkat men have now won three team titles while the women have won six.
Southland Conference indoor track & field superlatives are nominated and voted upon by the league’s head coaches. Voting for oneself or one’s own athletes is not permitted. First, Second and Third Team All-Conference distinction is given to the first, second and third place finishers in each championship event final.
For athletes that achieved
qualifying marks this season, the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be hosted by Texas A&M from March 9-10 at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station.
The
2018 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held from May 4-6 in San Antonio, Texas, hosted by UIW.
Men’s Outstanding Field Events Performer – Tyler Adams, Sam Houston State
Tyler Adams won the heptathlon for the fourth consecutive year, tallying a final score of 5,544 points – the third-highest in overall conference history. In addition, he took gold in the standalone long jump and high jump, and sixth in the 60m hurdles to finish as the high point scorer with 34, breaking the previous meet record of 27 set in 1994. This mark’s Adams’ third-straight field events award.
Men’s Outstanding Running Events Performer – Jamie Crowe, Lamar
Jamie Crowe dominated the distance running events, taking gold medals in the 3,000m and 5,000m, helping pace Lamar to a fourth-place team finish.
Men’s Freshman of the Year – Zachary Johnson, Sam Houston State
The Bearkat freshman put on a well-rounded performance in his first trip to Birmingham, taking second in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump as part of Sam Houston’s third-straight men’s team title.
Men’s Newcomer of the Year – Jamie Crowe, Lamar
In Crowe’s first season with the Cardinals, he helped solidify Lamar’s dominance in men’s indoor distance running with his win in the 5,000m and leading a 1-2 finish ahead of teammate Matthew Arnold in the 3,000m.
Men’s Athlete of the Year – Tyler Adams, Sam Houston State
Adams emphatically paced the Bearkats to their third consecutive team indoor championship, tallying 34 points behind gold medals in the heptathlon, high jump and long jump.
Men’s Coach of the Year – Dave Self, Sam Houston State
Self has confidently led Sam Houston State to three consecutive team titles in as many years. With the program since 2005, his team tallied 128 total points in this year’s championships, finishing 25 ahead of runner-up Stephen F. Austin. It is the largest margin of victory for his team in the last three seasons.
Women’s Outstanding Field Events Performer – Sarea Alexander, UIW
Alexander earned a gold in the triple jump and silver in the long jump at the 2018 championships, helping the Cardinals to a sixth-place team finish with 56.5 points.
Women’s Outstanding Running Events Performer – Rabea Schöneborn, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Schöneborn handily took gold in the 3,000m and 5,000m events. The senior Islander won the 3,000m by nearly five seconds and smashed the previous meet record in the 5,000m (16:36.01) by 9.55 seconds, finishing in 16:26.46 to win by almost 17 seconds over second place.
Women’s Freshman of the Year – Kelsey Ramirez, Stephen F. Austin
In her first season as a Ladyjack, Ramirez found her way on to the podium with a silver medal finish in the mile run, one of two competitors finishing in under five minutes. She also ran the anchor leg of SFA’s second-place distance medley relay squad.
Women’s Newcomer of the Year – Rabea Schöneborn, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
In her first Islander campaign, Schöneborn helped pace Corpus Christi to its best program finish in history. The Islanders finished sixth with 69 total points, paced by her gold medals in the 3,000m and 5,000m.
Women’s Athlete of the Year – Thai Williams, Lamar
Williams earned her second-straight Athlete of the Year award with a meet-record breaking 60m dash gold medal (7.37) to go along with her first-place finish in the long jump. The Cardinals finished seventh as a team with 54 team points.
Women’s Coach of the Year – Dave Self, Sam Houston State
Self also earned his third-straight Women’s Coach of the Year awards after leading the Bearkats to their third consecutive and sixth overall team title. This year, the team finished with 123 points, 28 clear of second place.
2018 Southland Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Teams
| Event |
First |
Second |
Third |
| 60m |
Chris Jefferson, SHSU |
Kie’Ave Harry, NSU |
Michael McGruder, NSU |
| 200m |
Chris Jefferson, SHSU |
Amir James, NSU |
Lawrence Coleman, SHSU |
| 400m |
Maverick Bowleg, SLU |
Tedrick Hawkins, SFA |
Kerry Gleason, SFA |
| 800m |
Alex Hanson, UCA |
Daniel Shelton, HBU |
Deion Hardy, UIW |
| Mile |
Deion Hardy, UIW |
Keith Fallon, LU |
Joshua Wilkins, NSU |
| 3,000m |
Jamie Crowe, LU |
Matthew Arnold, LU |
Garett Cortez, UIW |
| 5,000m |
Jamie Crowe, LU |
Nathan Jones, MCN |
Garett Cortez, UIW |
| 60m Hurdles |
Fabian McCall, SHSU |
Tremayne Flagler, NSU |
Darion Dunn, MCN |
| 4x400m |
SFA: K. Gleason, C. Fentress, D. Murphy, T. Hawkins |
ACU: A. Williams, J. Williams, L. Bloomfield, T. Hawkins |
SHSU: Z. Gasca, F. McCall, E. Pouncy, L. Coleman |
| DMR |
LU: C. Kelly, W. Slaughter,
K. Fallon, M. Arnold |
SFA: L. Deramus, C. Fentress,
D. Murphy, E. Rotich |
UCA: M. Schweikert, M. Keeton, S. Sullivan, J. Jeandree |
| High Jump |
Tyler Adams, SHSU |
Eric Moore, UCA |
Lentz Similien, MCN |
| Pole Vault |
Antonio Ruiz, SFA |
Clayton Fritsch, SHSU |
James Manders, AMCC |
| Long Jump |
Tyler Adams, SHSU |
Isaiah Pittman, SFA |
Michael Strong, UNO |
| Triple Jump |
Brian O’Bonna, LU |
Zachary Johnson, SHSU |
Ceaser Stephens, NSU |
| Shot Put |
Stevon Crooks, SLU |
Morgan Knight, ACU |
Cedric Paul, NSU |
| Weight Throw |
Joshua Hernandez, SHSU |
Morgan Knight, ACU |
Kyrin Tucker, NSU |
| Heptathlon |
Tyler Adams, SHSU |
Hunter Key, SFA |
James Manders, AMCC |
2018 Southland Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Teams
| Event |
First |
Second |
Third |
| 60m |
Thai Williams, LU |
Daijah Washington, SLU |
Dominique Taylor, LU |
| 200m |
De’Shalyn Jones, NSU |
Natashia Jackson, NSU |
Kendesha Ingraham, SLU |
| 400m |
Natashia Jackson, NSU |
Teona Spivey, SHSU |
Erekha Sebastion, UIW |
| 800m |
Camry Grigsby, SHSU |
Dominique Allen, UIW |
LaSean Davis, SFA |
| Mile |
Allyson Girard, AMCC |
Kelsey Ramirez, SFA |
Georgia Tuckfield, LU |
| 3,000m |
Rabea Schöneborn, AMCC |
Alexandria Hackett, ACU |
Michaela Hackett, ACU |
| 5,000m |
Rabea Schöneborn, AMCC |
Alexandria Hackett, ACU |
Michaela Hackett, ACU |
| 60m Hurdles |
Daeshon Gordon, NSU |
Jerica Love, UIW |
Dominique Taylor, LU |
| 4x400m |
NSU: C. Willis, N. Jackson, W. Lageroy, D. Moore |
SFA: I. Nave, D. Jackson, T. Williams, A. Teel |
SHSU: T. Spivey, K. Dixon, K. Church, C. Grigsby |
| DMR |
SHSU: C. Grigsby, K. Church, J. Eckford, M. Seales |
SFA: L. Davis, K. Sanders, S. Ford, K. Ramirez |
UIW: S. Diaz, G. Odendahl, D. Allen, K. Ramirez |
| High Jump |
Hannah Noble, UCA |
Quanese Jones-Young, NSU |
Sashane Hanson, AMCC |
| Pole Vault |
Kaylee Bizzell, SFA |
Hannah McWilliams, AMCC |
Carson Dingler, SFA |
| Long Jump |
Thai Williams, LU |
Sarea Alexander, UIW |
Tristyn Allen, SHSU |
| Triple Jump |
Sarea Alexander, UIW |
Tristyn Allen, SHSU |
Natayla Nance, HBU |
| Shot Put |
Ashley Davis, SLU |
Kristine Hanks, SHSU |
Kayla Melgar, ACU |
| Weight Throw |
Yarixza Rivera, SHSU |
Lonnie Smith, ACU |
Alanna Arvie, MCN |
| Pentathlon |
Grace McKenzie, MCN |
Courtney Lord, SHSU |
Migle Miraskaite, LU |