The Sun Belt Conference on Friday announced its Indoor Track & Field Awards, recognizing standout performances from the 2025 season. The awards were voted on by the head coaches of Sun Belt Conference track & field programs.
The Sun Belt also announced the All-Sun Belt Conference honorees from the 2025 Sun Belt Indoor Championships.
The student-athletes recognized include:
Women’s Track Performer of the Year: Kylee Mastin, Marshall
Women’s Field Performer of the Year: Michelle Ogbemudia, Arkansas State
Women’s Newcomer of the Year: Shatalya Dorsett, Georgia Southern
Women’s Freshman of the Year: Lilly Nichols, App State
Women’s Coach of the Year: John Frazier, Texas State
Women’s Elite Award Winner: Imani Moore, Georgia Southern
Men’s Track Performer of the Year: Lawson Jacobs, Louisiana
Men’s Field Performer of the Year: Colby Eddowes, Arkansas State
Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Henry Buckles, Texas State
Men’s Freshman of the Year: Lawson Jacobs, Louisiana
Men’s Coach of the Year: Tommy Badon, Louisiana
Men’s Elite Award Winner: Algirdas Strelciunas, ULM
Women’s Track Performer of the Year: Kylee Mastin, Marshall
Marshall’s Kylee Mastin finished her collegiate career winning three total Gold Medals at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships. She won the Mile, 3K and was the anchor leg of the Women's DMR. As a result of her three gold medals, she became Marshall University Track & Field's most decorated athlete of all-time, male or female, with her six total gold medals, including last fall's Cross Country title. Mastin leaves Marshall as the school's record holder in the Indoor 800, 1K, Mile, 3K, and DMR and Outdoor 800 and 1500.
Women’s Field Performer of the Year: Michelle Ogbemudia, Arkansas State
Arkansas State’s Michelle Ogbemudia scored 18 points at the conference meet with gold in the weight throw and silver in the shot put. Ogbemudia set a meet record in the weight throw with a mark of 21.75m (71-4.25), breaking her own school record by over two feet and leading the Sun Belt this season by over four feet – currently top 15 nationally. She threw a career-best 16.37m (53-8.5) to take silver in the shot put, moving up to second in school history.
Women’s Newcomer of the Year: Shatalya Dorsett, Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern’s Shatalya Dorsett claimed the 60m dash at the Sun Belt championships with a new personal best and school record time of 7.33. The freshman took fifth at the championships in the 200m and holds the fifth fastest time in the Sun Belt. Dorsett’s 23.56 marked a new personal best in the 200m and moves her into third all-time in program history. The freshman placed inside the top three in the 60m in every meet this season.
Women’s Freshman of the Year: Lilly Nichols, App State
App State freshman Lilly Nichols secured silver in the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.18m (13’ 8.5”) and helped the Mountaineers to a third-place team finish at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships. In her collegiate debut, Nichols set the App State, Sun Belt regular season, and Polish U20 records with a clearance of 4.26m (13’ 11.75”) at the Virginia Tech Invitational (Jan. 17-18). Nichols was named the SBC’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for her efforts on Jan. 22. Over the course of the regular season, she tallied four top-10 finishes. At the time of nomination, Nichols ranks eighth in the NCAA Southeast Region and 37th in the NCAA in the women’s pole vault event.
Women’s Coach of the Year: John Frazier, Texas State
Texas State head coach John Frazier led the women’s team to a total of 108 points at the SBC Indoor Championships and their first indoor title since 2019. Under him, the Bobcats have the No. 5 ranked shot putter in the NCAA (Melanie Duron), the No. 7 shot put event squad and the No. 13 weight throw event squad. Under his coaching, Texas State recorded nine podium finishes at the conference meet and had 10 athletes enter the Texas State record book during the meet. The team finished the season with 16 athletes ranked in the top-10 of the SBC in their respective events (13 events in total).
Men’s Track Performer of the Year and Freshman of the Year: Lawson Jacobs, Louisiana
Louisiana’s Lawson Jacobs was named both the Men’s Track Performer of the Year as well as the Freshman of the Year. Jacobs shattered his own school and meet record in the 400m with a time of 45.92. Earlier in the day he nearly won the 60m at a personal-best 6.72 seconds, missing the gold by 0.01 seconds. The Spring, Texas native clinched the meet for the Cajuns as the anchor in the 4x400m relay. The Cajuns won gold in the event with Jacobs running a 46.2 split.
Men’s Field Performer of the Year: Colby Eddowes, Arkansas State
Arkansas State’s Colby Eddowes won gold at his second straight SBC Indoor Championships with a season-best 5,738 points in the heptathlon, currently top 15 in the nation. The win also marked his fourth straight gold in the heptathlon/decathlon at a conference championship meet as he also placed fifth in the men’s long jump with a mark of 7.17m (23-6.25). For the season, Eddowes ranks first in the heptathlon and third in the 60-meter hurdles (7.81), as well as fourth in the long jump (7.48m/24-6.5) and seventh in the high jump (2.06m/6-9).
Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Henry Buckles, Texas State
Texas State’s Henry Buckles earned gold in the shot put and recorded a personal best mark of 19.91m. His mark set the school record and tied the SBC meet record. He is now ranked fifth in the NCAA for the event and is the only SBC athlete to record a mark over 19 meters. Throughout the indoor season, he placed second or better at all four indoor meets, recorded three top-10 marks in program history for the event and led the conference for the majority of the season.
Men’s Coach of the Year: Tommy Badon, Louisiana
Louisiana head coach Tommy Badon led Louisiana to its first Sun Belt Conference Indoor title since 1996. Louisiana won five events, their most since 2010. The Ragin' Cajuns won the 200m, 400m, and 800m, while finishing second in the 60m by 0.01 seconds and taking a second-place finish in the mile. Badon, a Louisiana alum, coached the Cajuns to 142 points to end Arkansas State's run of five straight indoor titles.
ULM’s Algirdas Strelciunas was named the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Elite Award Winner as Georgia Southern’s Imani Moore was named the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field Elite Award Winner.
The SBC Elite Award recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the Sun Belt Conference Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The SBC Elite award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating on the final day for each of the Sun Belt Conference’s championships.
2025 Sun Belt Women’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference First Team
Jasmine Donohue, App State
Michelle Ogbemudia, Arkansas State
Carly Pujol, Arkansas State
Amanda Kinloch, Coastal Carolina
Shatalya Dorsett, Georgia Southern
Imani Moore, Georgia Southern
Alaysha Veal, Louisiana
Kylee Mastin, Marshall
Brynn McKeever, Marshall
McKenna Woodruff, Marshall
Hannah Wyler, Marshall
Jaellene Burgess, Southern Miss
Trinity Flagler, Southern Miss
Za’Isha Fraser, Southern Miss
Addison McLaurin, Southern Miss
Kennedi Sanders, Southern Miss
Taejha Badal, Texas State
Melanie Duron, Texas State
Kady Schwietz, Troy
2025 Sun Belt Women’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Second Team
Jayla Adams, App State
Lauren Johnston, App State
Ja-Naya Linder, App State
Savannah Moore, App State
Lilly Nichols, App State
Addison Ollendick-Smith, App State
Emma Russum, App State
Nicole Wells, App State
Jordyn Henderson, James Madison
Holly Mpassy, James Madison
Naj Watson, Georgia Southern
Valissa Brown, Georgia State
Precious Okougbodu, Texas State
Abigail Parra, Texas State
Utitofon Sam, Texas State
Chinenye Uzoh, Texas State
2025 Sun Belt Women’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Third Team
Miranda Burgett, Arkansas State
Kiara Strayhorn, Arkansas State
Amilia Wise-Sweat, Coastal Carolina
Maleah Heard, Georgia State
Kayli Williams, Georgia State
Evalyn Abdmoulaie, Louisiana
Kayla Harrison, Louisiana
Quincy Simon, Louisiana
Shenell Tucker, Louisiana
Lara Check, Marshall
Rebecca Merritt, Marshall
Diana Goodman, South Alabama
Maria Kaylor, Southern Miss
Alexia Macias, Texas State
Kila Rodas, Texas State
Lauryn Small, Texas State
2025 Sun Belt Men’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference First Team
Colby Eddowes, Arkansas State
Will Glass, Arkansas State
Noa Isaia, Arkansas State
Jacob Pyeatt, Arkansas State
Mark Daley, Louisiana
Jonathan Gammara, Louisiana
Lawson Jacobs, Louisiana
Jarell Joseph, Louisiana
Jeremy Nelson, Louisiana
Joseph Patterson, Louisiana
Caemon Scott, Louisiana
Kyle Rademeyer, South Alabama
Kingsley Unorji, Southern Miss
Henry Buckles, Texas State
Kason O’Riley, Texas State
Juwan Blignaut, ULM
Carlos Martinez-Jaramillo, ULM
Elijah Palao, ULM
Bradley Riccardi, ULM
Algirdas Strelciunas, ULM
2025 Sun Belt Men’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Second Team
Bradley Jelmert, Arkansas State
Josh Jones, Arkansas State
Avinash Patel, Arkansas State
Brandon Williams, Arkansas State
Oliver Jack, Louisiana
Kazuma Bowring, Marshall
Addison Painter, Marshall
Nic Glass, South Alabama
Piers Cameron, Southern Miss
Shedrack Apeki, Texas State
Drew Donley, Texas State
Daniel Garland, Texas State
Henok Hagos, Texas State
Aiden Hayes, Texas State
Mihajlo Katanic, Texas State
Devin Bilbo, ULM
Stafon Roach, ULM
2025 Sun Belt Men’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference Third Team
Willem Coertzen, Arkansas State
Natnael Enright, Arkansas State
Mehki Hoo, Arkansas State
Kamil Przbyla, Arkansas State
Spencer Taylor, Arkansas State
Teodor Borgius, Louisiana
Louden Boudreaux, Louisiana
Andrew Leck, Louisiana
Matthew Maynard, Louisiana
Josiah Whitaker, Louisiana
Sacha Perrier, South Alabama
Kendal White, South Alabama
Zayne Palomino, Southern Miss
Kelsey Singleton, Southern Miss
De’Aundre Ward, Southern Miss
Gracious Ushie, Southern Miss
Michael Hermes, Texas State
Edward Ta’Amilo, Texas State
Jovan Canak, ULM
J’Marcus Sewell, ULM