Lone Star Conference champions
Blessing Akintoye and
Solomon Ross have been selected Academic Athletes of the Year and lead the 2026 LSC Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Teams announced by the conference on Thursday (March 12).
Akintoye headlines the 11-member women's All-Academic Team, while Ross leads 11 standouts on the men's All-Academic Team.
Akintoye, a junior from Ogun State, Nigeria, carries has a 4.0 grade-point average in health sciences and is named the women's Academic Athlete of the Year for a second consecutive year. She has three LSC academic team citations in track and field -- two indoor and one outdoor -- and has five times earned LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll awards. At the LSC Indoor Track and Field Championships, Akintoye posted wins in the 200m and 400m with her 52.28 time in the 400m set the indoor meet mark and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II indoor history. She qualified for the NCAA Division II indoor nationals in the 400m and the 4x400m Relay.
A sophomore from Santa Rosa, N.M., Ross is majoring in biology/pre-medicine with a 3.955 grade-point average. He earned LSC Commissioner's Honor Roll citation in Fall 2025 with a perfect 4.0 gpa. At the LSC Indoor Track and Field Championships, Ross won the weight throw title with a school record distance of 57-10.25. Earlier in the season, Ross claimed the January 27 LSC Field Athlete of the Week award with a 53-11.24 (16.44m) throw at the JD Martin Invitational in Norman, Okla., finishing behind a pair of NCAA Division I athletes.
Joining Akintoye on the Women's Indoor Track and Field All-Academic team are
Kamryn Williams, Angelo State;
Courtney Richman and
Lesli Salas, DBU;
Katie Bosley and
Laniyah Curry, Oklahoma Christian;
Kenzie Kurdys and
Madison Ramos, Texas A&M-Kingsville;
Juliane Frueh and
Isabel Jakobsen, UT Tyler; and
Kalkidan Vincendeau, West Texas A&M.
Ross is joined on the Men's Indoor Track and Field All-Academic team by
Zach Martin and
Isaac Pendley, DBU;
Arlo Gonzales, St. Edward's;
Darius Boukel and
Django Segovia, Texas A&M-Kingsville;
Jackson Crysup and
Chris Kopecky, UT Tyler; and
Isaac Botsio,
James Dadzie and
Jerry Jakpa, West Texas A&M.
Among the 22 honorees, five athletes earned their second All-Academic Team citation (2025, 2026): Akintoye, Salas and Frueh on the women's side and Segovia and Dadzie for the men.
The All-Academic Team is selected by vote of the LSC sports information directors and recognizes student-athlete accomplishments in the classroom and their indoor track and field performances. To be eligible for the All-Academic Team ballot, individuals must maintain a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and have reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
Both Akintoye and Ross will be candidates for the 2025-26 LSC Fred Jacoby Academic Athlete of the Year awards announced in June.
2026 LSC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD ACADEMIC AWARDS
WOMEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Women's Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year: Blessing Akintoye, West Texas A&M University
| Athlete |
Team |
Yr |
Field of Study |
Hometown |
| Kamryn Williams |
Angelo State |
Jr. |
Pre-Nursing |
Wall, Texas |
| Courtney Richman |
DBU |
Jr. |
Criminal Justice |
Katy, Texas |
| Lesli Salas |
DBU |
Jr. |
Commercial Art |
San Angelo, Texas |
| Katie Bosley |
Oklahoma Christian |
Jr. |
Computer Science/Cyber Security |
Edmond, Okla. |
| Laniyah Curry |
Oklahoma Christian |
So. |
Nursing |
Edmond, Okla. |
| Kenzie Kurdys |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Jr. |
Kinesiology |
Savannah, Ga. |
| Madison Ramos |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
Education |
Port Isabel, Texas |
| Juliane Frueh |
UT Tyler |
Sr. |
Economics |
Munich, Germany |
| Isabel Jakobsen |
UT Tyler |
Jr. |
Nursing |
Henderson, Texas |
| Blessing Akintoye |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
Health Science |
Ogun State, Nigeria |
| Kalkidan Vincendeau |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Sports & Exercise Science |
Bordeaux, France |
MEN'S ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Men's Indoor Track and Field Academic Athlete of the Year: Solomon Ross, Oklahoma Christian University
| Athlete |
Team |
Yr. |
Field of Study |
Hometown |
| Zach Martin |
DBU |
Jr. |
History |
McKinney, Texas |
| Isaac Pendley |
DBU |
Sr. |
Accounting |
Huntsville, Texas |
| Solomon Ross |
Oklahoma Christian |
So. |
Biology/Pre-Medicine |
Santa Rosa, N.M. |
| Arlo Gonzales |
St. Edward's |
So. |
Kinesiology |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Darius Bouakel |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
So. |
Kinesiology |
Montreuil, France |
| Django Segovia |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Sr. |
General Studies |
Marble Falls, Texas |
| Jackson Crysup |
UT Tyler |
Jr. |
Human Resources |
Rusk, Texas |
| Chris Kopecky |
UT Tyler |
So. |
Nursing |
East Bernard, Texas |
| Isaac Botsio |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Environmental Science |
Takoradi, Ghana |
| James Dadzie |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Agribusiness |
Akim Oda, Eastern, Ghana |
| Jerry Jakpa |
West Texas A&M |
Sr. |
Computer Information Systems |
Warri, Nigeria |