The Gulf South Conference announced its Outdoor Track & Field award winners for the 2025 season. All awards were voted by the Conference’s nine head coaches via an online poll, and they were unable to vote for candidates from their own team.
Lee took home three of the four women’s awards as Liezl Theron was named GSC co-Field Athlete of the Year along with Montevallo’s Emily Wolf. Liz Lannom was named Freshman of the Year, while Caleb Morgan shared GSC co-Coach of the Year with Alabama Huntsville’s David Cain. West Alabama’s Balikis Yakubu repeated as GSC Track Athlete of the Year.
- Yakubu is the first back-to-back Track Athlete of the Year recipient since Lee’s Celine Ritter won in 2022 and 2023. Yakubu tallied 13 podium finishes this season including 10 event wins. At the GSC Championships she won gold in the 100 and silver in the 200.
- Theron is the first Lady Flame to receive top yearly field honors since 2023. Wolf is the first Falcon to garner the honor since 2018, after medaling twice at the GSC Championships, including a win in the hammer throw.
- Lannom podiumed six times at the GSC Championships with a first-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles, second-place finish in the 4x100 and four third-place tallies. She previously won the top freshman accolades in the indoor version and is Lee’s first outdoor winner since 2022.
- Morgan won his eighth consecutive women’s track & field GSC Coach of the Year award, dating back to 2017, after Lee won the 2025 GSC Championship. Cain was voted to his first women’s Coach of the Year award after UAH finished second at the GSC Championship with its highest-ever point total.
UAH won half of the four awards on the men’s side. Malik Turner was named GSC Field Athlete of the Year, while Charger head coach David Cain was voted Coach of the Year. Mississippi College’s Oliver Ollesch was tabbed as Track Athlete of the Year and Lee’s Pierre Chaveau claimed Freshman of the Year honors.
- Turner is the first Charger to earn Field Athlete of the Year accolades since Zach Hancock won back-to-back awards in 2021 and 2022. At the GSC Championships, Turner medaled in three events, winning gold in the high jump and long jump, and silver in the triple jump.
- Ollesch is the second consecutive Choctaw to win top track honors. He podiumed three times at the GSC Championships with wins in the 400-meter hurdles and 4x400 relay, while placing third in the 4x100.
- Chauveau podiumed twice at the GSC Championships, grabbing the top-step in a rain soaked 10,000 and second step in the 5,000. He is the first Flame to win top freshman honors since 2023.
- Cain received his first coaching award since going back-to-back in 2021 and 2022 and collected his fifth all-time. Under his direction, UAH won the 2025 GSC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships while amassing 266.5 points, shattering the program’s record for most points at the annual event and third highest points by a team in event history.
The Gulf South also announced its All-GSC performers for the 2025 outdoor season. Honorees were determined based on their finish during the GSC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The women's squad is available here, while the men's team can be seen here.
2025 GSC Men's Outdoor Track & Field Season Awards
Track Athlete of the Year: Oliver Ollesch Mississippi College
Field Athlete of the Year: Malik Turner, UAH
Freshman of the Year: Pierre Chauveau, Lee
Coach of the Year: David Cain, UAH
All-GSC Team Performers
2025 GSC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Season Awards
Track Athlete of the Year: Balikis Yakubu, West Alabama
Co-Field Athlete of the Year: Liezl Theron, Lee
Co-Field Athlete of the Year: Emily Wolf, Montevallo
Freshman of the Year: Liz Lannom, Lee
Co-Coach of the Year: David Cain, UAH
Co-Coach of the Year: Caleb Morgan, Lee
All-GSC Team Performers