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

A side-by-side graphic of two track and field athletes that reads "Newcomer of the Year" and "Outstanding Running Events Athlete"

By Lion Athletics

Two East Texas A&M University track and field student-athletes received recognition from the Southland Conference on Friday, while 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 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 HS), 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 this week.