Big South Announces 2025-26 Men's Track & Field Athletes of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Charleston Southern freshman
Laden Beckwith (Knightdale, N.C.) has been voted the 2025-26 Big South Conference Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, respectively, while High Point sophomore
Ricardo Montes de Oca (Venezuela) has been selected the league’s 2025-26 Men's Field Athlete of the Year, it was announced today by the Conference office. The awards are voted on by the Big South track & field head coaches as part of their annual June meeting, and encompass both the indoor track & field and outdoor track & field seasons.
Beckwith is the second CSU Buccaneer in three years to be voted the Big South Men’s Track Athlete of the Year. He was the Big South Indoor Champion in the 60m, and posted the top 60m time in the conference this season at 6.73 seconds. Beckwith also medaled in the Big South Indoor 200m with the second-fastest time of the year (21.16), and helped the Bucs finish third in the 4x400m relay at the Conference Meet. In the outdoor season, Beckwith was named the 2026 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year as he swept the 100m and 200m at the Big South Championship while accumulating 21.5 points. His winning time of 10.09 seconds in the 100m established the Championship Meet record that ranks second all-time in league history, while his Conference Championship victory in the 200m came in 20.54, good for seventh-fastest all-time in the Big South record book. Beckwith qualified for the NCAA East First Round in both the 100m and 200m, and was a three-time Freshman of the Week honoree across both indoor and outdoor seasons.
Montes de Oca is the third consecutive Panther to earn the Big South Men’s Field Athlete of the Year award. He earned All-America status in both indoor and outdoor track & field for his performances in the pole vault at both NCAA Championship events. Montes de Oca clinched First-Team All-America honors in the indoor pole vault following his seventh-place finish at the NCAAs with a clearance of 5.60m, while his vault of 5.68m at the Doc Hale Invitational on Feb. 6 established the overall Big South record. He won the Big South Indoor pole vault with a Championship Meet record height of 5.37m. Montes de Oca earned Second-Team All-America status in the Outdoor pole vault at the NCAA Championships with his vault of 5.50m, good for 10th in the nation. He recorded seven consecutive pole vault victories during the outdoor season -- including the Big South Championship title with a clearance of 5.50m. He re-set the overall Big South pole vault record with a clearance of 5.70m at the 44 Farms Invitational on April 10, which tied for the sixth-best mark nationally for the entire outdoor campaign. Montes de Oca also participated in his first-ever collegiate long jump during the Big South Championship, and medaled with a third-place finish with this leap of 7.43m.
ANNUAL MEN'S TRACK & FIELD ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
1997 - David Bobb, UMBC
1998 - Greg Benhase, Liberty
1999 - Mike Decker, Liberty
2000 - Mike Decker, Liberty
2001 - Mike Decker, Liberty
2002 - Rod Lorick, Winthrop
2003 - Goran Nava, Radford
2004 - Paulvince Obuon, VMI
2005 - Josh McDougal, Liberty
2006 - Josh McDougal, Liberty
2007 - Josh McDougal, Liberty
2008 - Josh McDougal, Liberty
2009 - Sam Chelanga, Liberty & Donnie Cowart, VMI
2010 - Sam Chelanga, Liberty
2011 - Sam Chelanga, Liberty
2012 - Kolby Shepherd, Liberty
2013 - Dakota Peachee, High Point
2014 - Vincent Wyatt, Radford (runner); Braxton Drummond, Charleston Southern (field)
2015 - Lawrence Kipkoech, Campbell (runner); Reggie Nelson, Coastal Carolina (field)
2016 - Lawrence Kipkoech, Campbell (runner); Braxton Drummond, Charleston Southern (field)
2017 - Amon Terer, Campbell (runner); Carson Waters, Liberty (field)
2018 - Amon Kemboi, Campbell (runner); Markus Ballengee, Liberty (field)
2019 - Amon Kemboi, Campbell (runner); Colby Thorn, Winthrop (field)
2020 - none (season incomplete and canceled due to coronavirus pandemic)
2021 - Athanas Kioko, Campbell (track); Chris Van Niekerk, High Point (field)
2022 - Randolph Ross Jr., North Carolina A&T (track); Brandon Hicklin, North Carolina A&T (field)
2023 - Dominique Alexander, Campbell (track); Channing Ferguson, USC Upstate (field)
2024 - Shawn Langley Jr., Charleston Southern (track); Chris Van Niekerk, High Point (field)
2025 - Camerin Williams, High Point (track); Cole Wilson, High Point (field)
2026 - Laden Beckwith, Charleston Southern (track); Ricardo Montes de Oca, High Point (field)