By Katherine Jamtgaard. NEW ORLEANS, La. — App State senior Emma Russum was named the Sun Belt Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Newcomer of the Year and was one of 10 Mountaineers who earned all-conference accolades, the league announced Thursday.
Russum clinched the Sun Belt crown in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:36.27 and secured silver in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 16:53.59. She garnered First Team All-SBC honors for her efforts on the track. In the App State all-time list, Russum ranks second in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase and women’s 10,000 meters, as well as fourth in the women’s 5,000 meters. Over the course of the season, Russum led the league in the women’s 5,000 meters (16:30.30, PR), women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:34.13, PR), and women’s 10,000 meters (34:41.91, PR). Russum also ranks among the NCAA Southeast Region’s top-25 in the women’s 10,000 meters and women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase categories.
Ethan Lipham
Junior Ethan Lipham also collected First Team All-SBC honors in the Men’s Division and was one of the leagues’ top scorers at the SBC Outdoor Track & Field Championship meet. Individually, Lipham scored 20 points for the Mountaineers after clinching the titles for the men’s 1,500 meters and men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Lipham defended his men’s 1,500-meter title from 2024, after stopping the clock at 3:50.83. He was four seconds shy of his personal best of 3:46.82, which he set at the Penn Relays (April 24). With a personal best of 8:58.49, Lipham clinched the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase crown. The Largo, Fla. native currently stands fourth in the App State all-time list in the men’s 1,500 meters and sixth all-time in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
And More Honors, Too
Sophomore Matthew Gray, freshman Lilly Nichols, and graduate student Ethan Turner earned Second Team All-SBC accolades for their performances. Gray broke the App State men’s pole vault record with a clearance of 5.38m (17′ 7.75″). The previous school record, which Gray shared with Patrick Freeman, was 5.35m (17′ 6.5″). In just two seasons with the Mountaineers, Gray has reset the program record on four occasions. Nichols also broke the App State women’s pole vault record with a clearance of 4.11m (13′ 5.75″) and now holds the program’s indoor and outdoor women’s pole vault records. The previous record was 4.04m (13′ 3″), which was set in 2024 by Ava Studney. In the men’s 10,000 meters, Turner stopped the clock at 30:07.94 to place second. Turner also moved to ninth in the program all-time list.
Freshman Thomas Wlazlowski had joined Lipham on the podium for his performance in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, where he finished third with a personal best of 9:03.65. Wlazlowski moved to 10th in the App State all-time list after the race. The men’s 4×100-meter quartet of freshman Brandon Parker, sophomore Armonté Ferguson, freshman Jonathan Wilson, and junior Ray Lee also earned Third Team All-SBC honors after stopping the clock at 40.01. The quartet was one second shy of the program record of 39.70, which was set at the 2012 NCAA Championships.
App State is set to host the Sunday Night Qualifier on May 18 at the Randy Marion Track & Field Facility in Boone, N.C.
The NCAA East Preliminary Round is slated for May 28-31 and will be hosted by North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. The meet will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Special Awards
Women’s Track Performer of the Year: Abigail Parra, Texas State
Women’s Field Performer of the Year: Imani Moore, Georgia Southern
Women’s Newcomer of the Year: Emma Russum, App State
Women’s Freshman of the Year: Charlize Goody, Texas State
Women’s Coach of the Year: John Frazier, Texas State
Women’s Elite Award: Lara Roberts, Texas State
Men’s Track Performer of the Year: Jacob Pyeatt, Arkansas State
Men’s Field Performer of the Year: Aiden Hayes, Texas State
Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Drew Donley, Texas State
Men’s Freshman of the Year: Lawson Jacobs, Louisiana
Men’s Coach of the Year: John Frazier, Texas State
Men’s Elite Award: Bradley Jelmert, Arkansas State
2025 Sun Belt Men’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference First Team
- Ethan Lipham, App State
- Jacob Pyeatt, Arkansas State
- Colby Eddowes, Arkansas State
- Bradley Jelmert, Arkansas State
- Menachem Chen, Arkansas State
- Noa Isaia, Arkansas State
- Mark Daley, Louisiana
- Jonathan Gamarra, Louisiana
- Chris Gravois, Louisiana
- Camren Hardy, Louisiana
- Jeremy Nelson, Louisiana
- Lawson Jacobs, Louisiana
- Joseph Patterson, Louisiana
- Caemon Scott, Louisiana
- Hunter Ullrich, Louisiana
- Reuben Booysen, South Alabama
- Kendal White, South Alabama
- Piers Cameron, Southern Miss
- Drew Donley, Texas State
- Aiden Hayes, Texas State
- Chris Preddie, Texas State
- Easton Hammond, Texas State
- Tydreke Thomas, Troy
2025 Sun Belt Men’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Second Team
- Matthew Gray, App State
- Ethan Turner, App State
- Brandon Williams, Arkansas State
- Terrique Webb, Coastal Carolina
- Samuel Mika, South Alabama
- Sacha Perrier, South Alabama
- Javel Fullerton, Southern Miss
- Conner Mozee, Southern Miss
- Kelsey Singleton, Southern Miss
- Connor Warzecha, Texas State
- Michael Hermes, Texas State
- Shedrack Akpeki, Texas State
- Daniel Harrold, Texas State
- Kason O’Riley, Texas State
- Altwayne Bedward, Troy
- Evan Brown, Troy
- Michael Eady, Troy
- Keylan Hicks, Troy
- Imani Coleman, ULM
- Matthew Malcolm, ULM
- Santana Richardson, ULM
- Stafon Roach, ULM
- J’Marcus Sewell, ULM
2025 Sun Belt Men’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Third Team
- Armonté Ferguson, App State
- Ray Lee, App State
- Brandon Parker, App State
- Jonathan Wilson, App State
- Thomas Wlazlowski, App State
- Kamil Przybyla, Arkansas State
- Trey Kraimer, Coastal Carolina
- Adam Groves, Coastal Carolina
- William Howard, Louisiana
- Federico Bovo, Louisiana
- Teodor Borgius, Louisiana
- Dallas Beck, South Alabama
- Javon Glen, South Alabama
- Bobby Gray, South Alabama
- Tre Hill, South Alabama
- Marlon Miller, South Alabama
- Jordan Morrison, South Alabama
- Zayne Palomino, Southern Miss
- De’Aundre Ward, Southern Miss
- Mihajlo Katanic, Texas State
- Daniel Strooh, Texas State
- Carlo Martinez-Jaramillo, ULM
- Devin Bilbo, ULM
2025 Sun Belt Women’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference First Team
- Emma Russum, App State
- Carly Pujol, Arkansas State
- Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina
- Amanda Kinloch, Coastal Carolina
- Shatalya Dorsett, Georgia Southern
- Emani George, Georgia Southern
- Imani Moore, Georgia Southern
- Devine Parker, Georgia Southern
- NaJ Watson, Georgia Southern
- Kimola Hines, Louisiana
- Isabelle Russell, Louisiana
- Jaellene Burgess, Southern Miss
- Taliyah Lindsey, Southern Miss
- Addison McLaurin, Southern Miss
- Kennedi Sanders, Southern Miss
- Alana Simon, Southern Miss
- Abigail Parra, Texas State
- Melanie Duron, Texas State
- Lara Roberts, Texas State
- Charlize Goody, Texas State
- Savanna Lawson, ULM
- Katerina Natsiopoulou, ULM
2025 Sun Belt Women’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Second Team
- Lilly Nichols, App State
- Miranda Burgett, Arkansas State
- Michelle Ogbemudia, Arkansas State
- Kennedy Hood, Georgia Southern
- Leonaya Knox, Georgia Southern
- Holly Mpassy, James Madison
- Amairi Ashford, Louisiana
- Alaysha Veal, Louisiana
- Destiny Berryman, Marshall
- Iyana Johnson, South Alabama
- Calli Stokes, South Alabama
- Joidon Boddie, Southern Miss
- Cadence Lapp, Southern Miss
- Tacherria Lawson, Southern Miss
- Valencia Watson, Southern Miss
- Jasmine Jimenez, Troy
- Aaliyah Murphy, Troy
- Kady Schwietz, Troy
- Haley Wilson, Troy
2025 Sun Belt Women’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Third Team
- Tyra Nabors, Arkansas State
- Amilia Wise-Sweat, Coastal Carolina
- Christine Fitzgerald, James Madison
- Esther Germain, James Madison
- Erica Moolman, James Madison
- Kadence Wilson, James Madison
- Lily Murray, Louisiana
- Quincy Simon, Louisiana
- Reem Tammam, Louisiana
- Jaala Thymes, Louisiana
- Chaniqua Tonge, Louisiana
- Shenell Tucker, Louisiana
- Hannah Wyler, Marshall
- Taylor Spencer, Marshall
- Charleen Elizondo, South Alabama
- Ava Wheaton, South Alabama
- Jelese Alexander, Southern Miss
- Sophia Haberer, Texas State
- Shanyah Washington, Troy
- Alice Hultberg, ULM
