HOUSTON – East Texas A&M University track and field sprinter
Ibrahim Fuseini competed in four races at the Southland Conference Championships on Saturday and he ended each race with a gold medal around his neck as the Lion men took fourth and the women finished sixth to close out the 2024-25 season this weekend at Holloway Field.
Fuseini (Accra, Ghana) won the gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay, the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, and ended the night by running the anchor leg and winning the 4x400 meter relay. He was responsible for 25 of the Lions' 86 points as they finished fourth, while the women totaled 63.5 points for sixth.
The 25 individual points scored by Fuseini were the highest by any student-athlete at the meet and he was named the Men's Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet.
The Southland Conference Outdoor Championships this weekend in Houston ended the 2024-25 season for the Lions and it is also the last competition in the academic year for the athletic department.
COACH PINCOCK'S THOUGHTS
MEN
In the first race of the day on the men's side, the Lions broke their own meet record in the 4x100 meter relay as the quartet of
Oguz Uyar (Cannakele, Turkey),
Enoch Fosuhene (Accra, Ghana),
Armani Modeste (Castries, Saint Lucia), and Fuseini clocked in at 39.36 seconds to take the SLC crown.
The time run by the Lions breaks the meet record of 39.38 set by East Texas A&M on its home track in Commerce in 2023. The Lions have won two of the three 4x100 meter relay titles since joining the SLC and finished as the runner up a year ago.
Fuseini repeated as the 100 meter dash champion with a time of 10.15 seconds for the second year in a row. Fosuhene timed 10.45 seconds for fourth. The duo also reached the podium in the 200 meter dash as Fuseini set a school and meet record with a time of 20.20 seconds in the 200 meter dash to win his second straight title in the event, while Fosuhene took silver with 20.51 seconds.
East Texas A&M is now 3 for 3 in winning the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash at the SLC championships.
To close out the meet, Modeste, Fosuhene, and Fuseini grouped up with
Philip Krenek (Prague, Czech Republic) to win the 4x400 meter relay for the second straight year, timing 3:06.86. The time is also a school record.
Modeste added two more points for the Lions as he ran a time of 47.43 seconds for seventh in the 400 meter dash. He also finished fourth in the 400 meter dash with a time of 21.06 seconds.
Jeremiah Garcia (Northwest Eaton) collected a point for the Lions in the 5,000 meter run, finishing eighth with a time of 14:54.19.
Modeste was co-awarded the conference's Male Newcomer of the Year honor
WOMEN
The Lions took two of three spots on the podium in the discus as
Romi Griese (Salzkotten, Germany) won her first Southland title with a throw of 169-06 (51.67m) in her sixth attempt, while
Cassandra Rendon (San Antonio – Madison) collected a bronze medal for the second year in a row.
Veronika Kramarenko (Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine) won her second high jump title in three years as she cleared 5-9.75 (1.77m) to tie with UTRGV's Achol Maywin, but Kramarenko was awarded the gold medal as she had fewer misses. The Lions have won the gold medal in the high jump in all three years since joining the SLC.
The only Lion to reach the podium on the track on Saturday was
Analice Pursley (Georgetown – East View), who timed 1:02.47 for a bronze medal in the 400 meter hurdles.
Anete Randma (Tallinn, Estonia) scored the first points on the track for the Lion women on Saturday as she finished eighth in the 1,500 meter run with a time of 4:37.74. In the 100 meter dash,
Leah Pettis (McKinney – North) clocked in at 12.32 seconds for seventh, while
Kiara Brown (Dallas – Carter) timed 19.06 seconds for eighth.
In the final race of the day, the quartet of
Roane Lion (Georgetown – East View),
Oriana Gee (Cy-Fair),
Anayah Copeland (Copperas Cove), and
Cece Charles (Morne Fendue St.Patrick, Grenada) timed 3:43.16 for fourth in the 4x400 meter relay.
Two Lions placed in the top six in the triple jump as
Amaka Ezukanma (Fort Worth – Timber Creek) recorded a mark of 40-3.5 (12.28m) for fifth and
Blessing Samuel (Ghana) came in sixth with a mark of 39-10 (12.14m).
MEN'S TEAM SCORE
SFA took its first outdoor team title since re-joining the Southland, totaling 146 points, while Lamar came in second with 113 points. The Lions were 13 points back of UIW for third.
Men's Team Standings
| Place |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
SFA |
146 |
| 2 |
Lamar |
113 |
| 3 |
UIW |
99 |
| 4 |
EAST TEXAS A&M |
86 |
| 5 |
Southeastern |
78 |
| 6 |
Northwestern State |
70 |
| 7 |
McNeese |
64 |
| 8 |
UTRGV |
56 |
| 9 |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
48 |
| 10 |
HCU |
40 |
| 11 |
New Orleans |
49 |
MEN'S POINT SCORERS
| Name(s) |
Event |
Time/Mark |
Place (Pts) |
| Ibrahim Fuseini |
100 meter dash |
10.15 |
Champion (10 pts) |
| Ibrahim Fuseini |
200 meter dash |
20.20 |
Champion (10 pts) |
| Oguz Uyar, Enoch Fosuhene, Armani Modeste, Ibrahim Fuseini |
4x100 meter relay |
39.36 |
Champion (10 pts) |
| Armani Modeste, Enoch Fosuhene, Philip Krenek, Ibrahim Fuseini |
4x400 meter relay |
3:06.86 |
Champion (10 pts) |
| Justin Vincent |
Long Jump |
24-9.25 (7.55m) |
Champion (10 pts) |
| Enoch Fosuhene |
200 meter dash |
20.51 |
Silver (8 pts) |
| Jonas Gran |
Decathlon |
7,058 points |
Silver (8 pts) |
| Enoch Fosuhene |
100 meter dash |
10.45 |
Fourth (5 pts) |
| Armani Modeste |
200 meter dash |
21.06 |
Fourth (5 pts) |
| Joshua Kommer |
Decathlon |
6,592 points |
Fifth (4 pts) |
| Nicholas Deutsch |
3,000 meter Steeplechase |
9:29.17 |
Sixth (3 pts) |
| Armani Modeste |
400 meter dash |
47.43 |
Seventh (2 pts) |
| Jeremiah Garcia |
5,000 meter run |
14:54.19 |
Eighth (1 pt) |
WOMEN'S TEAM SCORE
Northwestern State repeated as the women's champion, winning the SLC crown by 63 points over Lamar. The Lions' 63.5 points were 18.5 back of SFA for fifth.
Women's Team Standings
| Place |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Northwestern State |
180.5 |
| 2 |
Lamar |
117.5 |
| 3 |
UTRGV |
115 |
| 4 |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
92 |
| 5 |
SFA |
82 |
| 6 |
EAST TEXAS A&M |
63.5 |
| 7 |
UIW |
45 |
| 8 |
Southeastern |
39 |
| 9 |
McNeese |
26 |
| 10 |
HCU |
23.5 |
| 11 |
New Orleans |
23 |
| 12 |
Nicholls |
4 |
WOMEN'S POINT SCORERS
-ETAMU-
