Thirteen Track and Field Athletes Earn All-Conference Sun Belt Honors in Indoor

Thirteen Track and Field Athletes Earn All-Conference Sun Belt Honors in Indoor

2/29/2024 12:01:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Thirteen Southern Miss track and field athletes earned Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field honors released Thursday by the league office in New Orleans.

Seven men's performers, along with six Southern Miss women athletes, collected all-league honors based on their finishes in the Sun Belt Conference Indoor meet. The selections include first-team Golden Eagle picks Zayne Palomino and Kingsley Unorji for the men and Trinity Benson on the women's side.

Za'Isha Fraser earned the only second team spot for the women's team, while by Kelvin Chiku and De'Aundre Ward earned a spot on the men's side. The third team picks included Addison McLaurin, Trinity Flagler, Savi'a Varnell and Jada McDougle, while the men's side had Omar Austin, Piers Cameron, and Kaya Ludgood.

Palomino, who will be the only Golden Eagle representing the school in the NCAA Indoor Championships next month in Boston, won the league's high jump title with a personal best 2.20-meter leap. Unorji, a freshman, won the Sun Belt 60 meters race with a time of 6.70. Benson registered a personal best of her own with a 7.38 to win the women's 60 meters race. She also finished third in the 400 meters with a 55.63.

Fraser finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 12.95 meters, while Chiku placed second in the 800 meters with a 1:53.22 and Ward was second in the league meet with a 7.41-meter leap in the long jump.

On the third team, Omar Austin finished the 400 meters race in third with a time of 47.71, while Piers Cameron finished the third in the shot put (17.15 meters) and fourth in the weight throw (17.60 meters), while Kaya Ludgood ended in third in the weight throw (18.17 meters). The women's 4x400 relay squad, which included McLaurin, Flagler, Varnell and McDougle came in third with a time of 3:44.84.

The following is a listing of all the individual league awards as well as the Sun Belt all-league teams:

Men's Track –
High-Point Scorer: Dominick Yancy, Texas State
Track Performer of the Year: Daniel Harrold, Texas State
Field Performer of the Year: Bradley Jelmert, Arkansas State
Freshman of the Year: J'Marcus Sewell, ULM
Co-Newcomers of the Year: Shawn Collins, Texas State / Sacha Perrier, South Alabama
Coach of the Year: Jim Patchell, Arkansas State

Women's Track –
High-Point Scorer: NaJ Watson, Georgia Southern
Track Performer of the Year: NaJ Watson, Georgia Southern
Field Performer of the Year: Eunice Ilunga Mbuyi, ULM
Freshman of the Year: Ebba Hedberg, Coastal Carolina
Newcomer of the Year: Michelle Ogbemudia, Arkansas State
Coach of the Year: Jim Patchell, Arkansas State

2024 Sun Belt Women's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference First Team
Bella Coscetti, Arkansas State
Cheyenne Melvin, Arkansas State
Michelle Ogbemudia, Arkansas State
Cadence Lapp, Arkansas State
Hanyla Milligan, Arkansas State
Rahel Broemmel, Arkansas State
Ebba Hedberg, Coastal Carolina
Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina
NaJ Watson, Georgia Southern
Alanna Smith, Georgia Southern
Sofia Molina, Georgia Southern
Lauren Euler, Georgia Southern
Kennedy London, Louisiana
Kylee Mastin, Marshall
Abby Herring, Marshall
Trinity Benson, Southern Miss
Melanie Duron, Texas State
Eunice Ilunga Mbuyi, ULM
Claudine Raud-Gumiel, ULM

2024 Sun Belt Women's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Second Team
Rhys Ammon, App State
Jasmine Donohue, App State
Elizabeth Fuller, App State
Kaitlyn Obremski, App State
Selase Sampram, Arkansas State
Amanda Kinloch, Coastal Carolina
Lauren Gordon, Coastal Carolina
Amanda Kinloch, Coastal Carolina
Zionna Perez-Tucker, Coastal Carolina
Amelia Canetto, Coastal Carolina
Keniya Walker, Georgia State
Miranda Stanhope, James Madison
Taylor Davis, Louisiana
Dianna Goodman, Marshall
Za'Isha Fraser, Southern Miss
Mathilde Canet, Texas State
Elisabet Runarsdottir, Texas State
Taejha Badal, Texas State

2024 Sun Belt Women's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Third Team
Ashlee Osaji, App State
Camryn Lorick, Coastal Carolina
Ellie Wolski, Coastal Carolina
Imani Moore, Georgia Southern
Maleah Heard, Georgia State
Jordyn Henderson, James Madison
Bodine Degli-Umberti, South Alabama
Alexis Gratia, South Alabama
Addison McLaurin, Southern Miss
Trinity Flagler, Southern Miss
Savi'a Varnell, Southern Miss
Jada McDougle, Southern Miss
Luize Opola, Texas State
Kimberly Gloria, Texas State
Alexia Macias, Texas State
Abigail Parra, Texas State
Aliyah Simmons, Texas State

2024 Sun Belt Men's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference First Team
Colby Eddowes, Arkansas State
Bradley Jelmert, Arkansas State
Lasse Funck, Arkansas State
Hannes Fahl, Arkansas State
Cash Kunkel, Arkansas State
Tyren Hannah, Louisiana
Sebastian Loschner, South Alabama
Sacha Perrier, South Alabama
Kingsley Unorji, Southern Miss
Zayne Palomino, Southern Miss
Dominick Yancy, Texas State
Brian West II, Texas State
Daniel Harrold, Texas State
Chris Preddie, Texas State
Avery Veiseh, Texas State
Shawn Collins, Texas State
Rojs Puks, ULM
Santana Richardson, ULM
Reid Guirlando, ULM
Juwan Blignaut, ULM

2024 Sun Belt Men's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Second Team
Willem Coertzen, Arkansas State
Jacob Pyeatt, Arkansas State
Dawson Mayberry, Arkansas State
Kenyon Parker, Arkansas State
Reece Shelby, Louisiana
Jarell Joseph, Louisiana
Joseph Patterson, Louisiana
Peyton Chiasson, Louisiana
Caemon Scott, Louisiana
Mekhi Boutte, Louisiana
Antoni Hoyte-Small, Louisiana
Javed Jones, Louisiana
Sebastian Reyneke, South Alabama
Dorian Curry, South Alabama
Francois Prinsloo, South Alabama
Kyle Rademeyer, South Alabama
Kelvin Chiku, Southern Miss
De'Aundre Ward, Southern Miss
J'Marcus Sewell, ULM
Stafon Roach, ULM

2024 Sun Belt Men's Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Third Team
John Carswell, Arkansas State
Noah McMurtrey, Arkansas State
Handre Jonker, Arkansas State
Andrew Mason, Arkansas State
Trejun Jones, Louisiana
Xavier Johnson, South Alabama
Omar Austin, Southern Miss
Piers Cameron, Southern Miss
Kaya Ludgood, Southern Miss
Easton Hammond, Texas State
Aiden Hayes, Texas State
Devin Bilbo, ULM
Algirdas Strelciunas, ULM
Jay Louison-Roe, ULM
Ericleon May, ULM
Santana Richardson, ULM
Imani Coleman, ULM