Men’s track and field takes home five honors
TAMPA, APRIL 23, 2025 – University of South Florida student-athletes celebrated the Bulls’ outstanding performances and performers from the 2024-25 athletic year at the annual Stampede of Champions held at the Yuengling Center on Tuesday night.
The Hollywood-style awards ceremony was hosted by student-athletes Amer Amer (football), Ryan Lewis (women’s track and field), and Darian Mills (men’s track and field). It recognized the accomplishments of USF Athletics’ outstanding nominees and award winners throughout the year in 16 different categories.
Women’s basketball standout Sammie Puisis was named the Female Athlete of the Year, while men’s track sprinter Abdul-Rasheed Saminu earned Male Athlete of the Year honors.
Puisis, who earned first-team all-conference honors in leading the Bulls to a conference tournament championship and the NCAA tournament, ranked sixth in the nation with 106 three-pointers made and led the team with 15.2 scoring average.
Saminu, who competed in the Paris Olympics in the summer, was named the Most Valuable Performer of the 2024 AAC Outdoor Championships and 2025 AAC Indoor Championships as he led the Bulls to team titles in both events. He won both the 100- and 200-meter dash titles in the outdoor championships and the 60- and 200-meter titles in the indoor championships. Additionally, Saminu made more history at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships, breaking the 60-meter dash program record twice—ultimately clocking a 6.53. He went on to earn his third First Team All-America honor in the 60 meter at the NCAA Indoor Championships since joining the Bulls.
After winning both the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships last spring and Indoor Championships in February, the men’s track and field team was named Team of the Year among five honors the program captured.
Along with his Male Athlete of the Year honor, Saminu’s program-record time of 20.12 in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Championships earned the Best Individual Performance honor. The men’s track team’s victory in the 2024 AAC Outdoor Championships was named Best Team Performance, while hurdler Michael Bourne III earned the Male Scholar Award.
Softball standout Alanah Rivera earned the prestigious Lee Roy Selmon Award. Women’s golfer Leo Medeiros was presented the Alexis Buchman Unsung Hero Award.
Women’s basketball earned the Coaching Staff of the Year award as the Bulls won the American Athletic Conference Tournament and earned the program’s 10th NCAA tournament bid under head coach Jose Fernandez.
Stampede of Champions award winners were determined by votes from USF student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. The complete list of winners is below:
2025 STAMPEDE OF CHAMPIONS AWARD WINNERS
Lee Roy Selmon Award: Alanah Rivera, Softball
Best Team Performance: Men’s Track and Field, 2024 AAC Outdoor Champions
Team of The Year: Men’s Track and Field
Coaching Staff of The Year: Women’s Basketball
Best Individual Performance: Abdul-Rasheee Saminu, Men’s Track and Field
Female Athlete of The Year: Sammie Piusis, Women’s Basketball
Male Athlete of The Year: Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, Men’s Track and Field
Female Newcomer of The Year: Cherry Marley, Women’s Golf
Male Newcomer of The Year: CJ Brown, Men’s Basketball
Alexis Buchman Unsung Hero: Leo Medeiros, Women’s Golf
Team Community Award: Football
Individual Community Award: Ella Shapiro, Women’s Soccer
Female Scholar Award: Georgia Brown, Women’s Soccer
Male Scholar Award: Michael Bourne III, Men’s Track and Field
Most Improved: Leire Herraez Gallach, Women’s Socccer
USF Most Spirited: Sofia Chepenik, Women’s Lacrosse
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 21 varsity teams, with 20 competing at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women’s lacrosse and women’s beach volleyball. The Bulls’ athletic program, founded in 1965, is in its 59th season.
Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the Tampa General Hospital Athletics District on the east end of USF’s Tampa campus. The Bulls have won 153 conference titles across 16 sports, with 81 men’s championships and 72 women’s championships. Men’s tennis and men’s soccer lead with 20 titles each, while women’s programs have been headlined by women’s tennis (14) and volleyball (13). Since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, USF has secured 34 conference team titles.
Academically, USF student-athletes have achieved a program-record 20 consecutive semesters with a combined GPA of 3.0 or above as of fall 2024. Since 2015, more than 750 Bulls have earned their degrees.
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– #GoBulls –
