FRISCO, Texas – Lamar University junior
Ashton Rainey has been named 2026 Southland Conference Women's Indoor Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year announced league officials Friday afternoon. It is the first conference student-athlete of the year award in Rainey's career. In total, the Cardinals had 10 members named Academic All-SLC, including five men (
Ethan Ellis,
Anthony Oliver,
Luke Parker,
John Sanderson and
Davis Wenthe) and five women (
Krystan Bright,
Mariam Buenanueva Saleme,
Kyndall Drones, Rainey and
Neelie Schiel).
To be recognized for this honor, a student-athlete must have 1) a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average, 2) completed at least one semester at the nominating institution during the season in which the nomination occurs and 3) participated in at least 50 percent of the team's meets in the event listed during the most recently completed season.
Rainey (Ocean Springs, Miss.), who tallied a 3.91 GPA in biochemistry, becomes the first Cardinal to receive this honor since
Nia Clatworthy back in 2024. She earned four all-conference honors at both conference championship meets combined, earning second (5,000 meters) and third (3,000m) indoors and two thirds in the outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m. She also broke the school's indoor 5,000m mark at Boston University's David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
Buenanueva Saleme (Buenos Aires, Argentina) earned a 3.80 GPA as a senior while having a master's in business administration. She was named SLC Field Athlete of the Year and earned first-team All-SLC honors at the conference's outdoor meet by winning the heptathlon with a school-record 5,679 points. Her school record was enough to qualify her for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, she was one of three Cardinals named SLC Field Athlete of the Week.
Four of LU's honorees (Ellis, Oliver, Schiel and Wenthe) were all NCAA Regional qualifiers. Ellis (Missouri City, Texas) recorded a 3.41 GPA in political science. The senior teamed up with Wenthe for a second-place finish in the 4x400m relay at the SLC Outdoor Championships and reached the quarterfinals of the 400-meter hurdles in the NCAA Regionals. Along the way, he garnered an SLC Track Athlete of the Week accolade.
Oliver (Richmond, Texas) put together a 3.46 GPA in mechanical engineering. He won two hammer throw events this season at the Prairie View A&M Relays and the SLC Outdoor Championships, where he broke the school record of 63.70m (209-0) to repeat as an SLC first team honoree. He became the first Cardinal to reach 200 feet at the Texas Relays, which earned him his SLC Field Athlete of the Week award.
Schiel (Chappell Hill, Texas) accumulated a 3.93 GPA in general business for her senior year. She earned five top-10 finishes in the javelin, including second at the SLC Outdoor Championships with a school record throw of over 163 feet. She also claimed conference recognition as the SLC Field Athlete of the Week.
Wenthe (Galesville, Wisc.) achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA with a master's in nutrition. He earned two all-conference selections in the 400-meter hurdles (third) and 4x400m (second) at the SLC Outdoor Championships. He also advanced to the quarterfinals of the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Regional meet in Fayetteville, Ark.
Bright (Cedar Hill, Texas) finished with a 3.40 GPA in finance. In both indoor and outdoor seasons, she recorded 18 top-10 finishes. She won one 400-meter hurdles at the Carl Kight Invitational and was part of the 1600m relay that won at the Prairie View A&M Relays and broke the school record at the SLC Outdoor Championships.
Drones (Pearland, Texas) spent her sophomore season totaling a 3.4 GPA in finance. This season saw her break the school's indoor and outdoor shot-put records as well as the weight throw and hammer throw marks. She earned third-team All-SLC honors at the indoor championship in the weight throw.
Parker (Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England) ended his sophomore campaign with a perfect 4.0 GPA, majoring in biology. He tallied eight top-10 finishes, including second in the 800m at the SLC Indoor Championships, for which he earned second-team All-SLC.
Sanderson (Hamshire, Texas) collected a 3.8 GPA as a marketing major for his sophomore year. The transfer from Little Rock broke the school's indoor 60-meter hurdle record (7.86) at the Robert Platt Invitational and would earn second-team All-SLC honors in the same event by placing second at the SLC Indoor Championships.
